Today,morethantwodozenautomakersoffercombined40-plusfull-electricmodelsboastingover200milesofrange,uniquehigh-techfeaturesandperformancethatoutclassescomparablegasoline-poweredmodels.Ifyou'rethinkingaboutbuyinganelectriccar,therehaveneverbeenmorechoicesforyouthantherearetoday.Here'showtonavigatethem--startingwithCNET'sbestoverallelectriccar.
Therearen'tjustmoreEVstochoosefrom.There'salsoawidergamutofavailablecruisingranges,prices,performanceandluxuryoptions,allowingprospectivebuyerstofine-tunetheirchoicetomeettheirspecificneedsandbudget.Whetheryou'relookingforbasictransportationforzero-emissionscommutingorahigh-endtechnologyshowcaseforroad-tripping,there'sanEVthatfitsthebill.
TheStandardRangebatteryismatedwithasingle-motor,rear-wheel-drivevariantofTesla'selectricpowertrain.Its0to60mphsprintof5.8secondswon'tsnapyourneck,butit'smorethanquickenoughforstrong,silentmergesandpassing.Plus,it'savailablewithallofthecutting-edgedashboardtechnologyanddriveraidtechofferedontheautomaker'smoreexpensivemodels.
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Beyondsimplybeingthrifty,theIoniq5'sbattery-electricplatformenablesupto236-kWDCfastchargingmakingitoneofthefastest-chargingEVswe'vetested.Plus,optionalV2L120-voltACpowerdeliveryletsyouusestoredbatterypoweroutsideoftheEVwhileparkedforavarietyofapplications.
TheRivianR1Tistheperfectelectricpickupforeco-adventurerseagertoexplorethegreatoutdoors.Itssilent,butextremelycapableelectricpowertrainletsyoutackletrailswhileenjoyingthesoundsofnature,whichisauniqueandrewardingexperience.Thepickupispackedwithuniquefeatures--fromthecustomizablegeartunneltoitsplayfuldashboardtech--thatmakeyoufeellikeyoucan(andshould)goanywhere.Thosefeaturesmakeitequallyappealingforsuburbandriverslookingforazero-emissionsvehiclewithmoreruggedutilitythananSUV.
TheEV9alsofeaturesamoreconventionalsuiteofdashboardanddriver-aidtechnologiesinheritedfromKia'sfamilyofEVs,PHEVsandcombustioncars."Conventional"maysoundlikeabackhandcompliment,butIappreciatedhowfamiliarandeasytousetheEV9'stechwasduringmymultipletimesbehindthewheel.Plus,theEV9supportsAppleCarPlayandAndroidAutoconnectivity,givingdriverstheflexibilitytocustomizetheirdashboardexperience--acriticaladvantageinavehiclethatmaybesharedwithmultipledrivers.
SUVshopperswillhavethechoiceoftwobatterysizesandthreeelectricmotorconfigurations,rangingfromthe304-mileLightRWD(thelongest-rangingspecintheline)tothe379hpGT-LineAWDwhichleapsfrom0-60mphinjust5.0seconds--whichisplentyquickforafamilyhauler.Plus,theEV9isoneofthefastestchargingEVsI'vetestedinthisclass,abletoscramblefrom10-80%optimallyinaround24minutesata350-kWDCcharger.I'malsoahugefanoftheEV9'sV2LbidirectionalpowerfeaturethatallowstheEV'sbatterytokeepcriticalappliancesrunningduringahomepoweroutagewithaninexpensive,easy-to-useadapter(andanextensioncord.)
Ialsolovethat,liketheLeaf,theKona'schargingportislocatedontheEV'snose,whichIthinkisthemostconvenientspotforpubliccharging.
Inside,you'llfindperhapsthemostopulentcabinthatBMWhaseverassembled,withcrystalcontrols,high-qualityleatherandcashmeretrim.Ifyouthinkthedual12.3-inchand14.9-inchdashboarddisplaysarehuge,waituntilyougetaganderatthe31.3-inch8KBMWTheaterScreenthatfoldsdownfromtheceilingtoentertainrearseatpassengerswithAmazonFireTVappspoweredby5Gdata.
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Therange,officiallyestimatedat246milesfortheTaycanGTS,ismorethanadequatefordailydriving,butit'salsonotdifficulttoexceedthatwhendrivingwithalightfoot.WereckonPorscheisunderpromisingheresothatitcanoverdeliveronthereal-worldrange.Plus,theautomaker's800-voltelectricarchitecturechargesquickly--it'scapableofclimbingfrom10%to80%in23minutesatapowerfulchargingstation.
HowmuchrangeshouldIlookforinanelectriccar
Howlongdoesittaketochargeanelectriccar
Broadly,therearethreelevelsofEVchargingthatyouneedtoknow.DCfastchargingisthefastestchargingmethodusedbypublicchargingnetworks,suchasElectrifyAmerica,EVgoorTeslaSuperchargers,gettingyoufrom10to80%full(themostefficientrangeforfastcharging)inaslittleas18minutesoruptoanhour.Level2homeorpublicstationsaveragearound9.6kW,gettingyouaroundaday'sworthofdrivingwithanovernightsession.Level1chargersplugintothefamiliarNEMA5-15homeoutlet--thesameoneyourTVorlaptopuses--andcantakefrom12to24hourstotricklechargeatLevel1,makingthisonlyreallyusefulasalastexpedientwhentherearenootheroptions.
Areelectriccarsmoreexpensivethangas-poweredcars
Areelectriccarsassafeasgas-poweredcars
Areelectriccarsbetterfortheenvironmentthangas-poweredcars
Manymajorautomakershavepledgedtobuildcarbon-neutralsupplychains,factoriesandmanufacturingprocesses,whichcouldfurtherreduceEVs'globalenvironmentalimpact.Meanwhile,movingregionalelectricalgridstorenewablesourceswhileindividualhomesmakeuseofrooftopsolargenerationcanmakeanelectriccarmoreandmoreenvironmentallyfriendlyoveritslifetime.