A car that uses petrol is powered by an internal -combustion engine that produces carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions that cause pollution, whereas an electric vehicle (EV) has an electric motor powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that produces no CO2 emissions, and indeed doesn’t even have an exhaust pipe.
Although cars with internal-combustion engines have been the norm for well over a century now, they are slowly but surely on their way out due to the development of vehicles like electric cars that are far better for the environment.
Although only 3.1 million EVs made up the grand total of approximately 64 million cars that were sold in 2020, worldwide, there is a trend emerging that is squarely in favour of EVs in the electric cars vs petrol cars debate.
Sales of EVs grew by 39 per cent last year, and while that number only equates to about five per cent of new car sales in total, that figure is forecast to balloon to a massive 28 per cent of new global car sales by the time 2030 rolls around, and 58 per cent by 2040.
Electric cars vs petrol cars: pros and cons
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There are several key factors in the electric cars vs petrol cars argument, and all are important to consider when it comes time to consider what your next car will be.
Electric cars vs petrol cars: pollution
In the battle of electric cars vs petrol cars, emissions are obviously a huge factor to take into consideration, since 20 per cent of all CO2 emissions globally originate from road traffic. Fossil-fuel-devouring combustion engines create 1.2 to 1.6 times more CO2 than battery-powered electric cars, with EVs leaving a far less harmful carbon footprint.
There are both advantages and disadvantages of electric cars, though.
When weighing up electric cars vs petrol cars, environment pollution caused by CO2 seems to be solely attributed to internal-combustion engines, but that’s not the whole picture.
The production of the lithium-ion batteries that electric vehicles use emits 1.43 times more CO2 than the production of internal-combustion engines, and the power plants that create the electricity needed for EVs can also be big producers of CO2 emissions, via the burning of fossil fuels.
Electric cars vs petrol cars: cost
One of the major issues around EVs and their uptake in Australia is price. Due to the government’s refusal to offer any meaningful subsidies to consumers – as other authorities have done in Europe and the US, resulting in a sales boost – the cost of electric cars vs petrol cars is noticeably higher.
In some cases an EV version of a particular model can be close to double the price of the petrol-powered variant, making EVs less attractive to anyone hoping to save a few bucks when purchasing a new car.
As for ongoing costs, EVs come out on top as they are cheaper than petrol cars to maintain since they have far less moving parts, thus requiring far less in the way of servicing.
Electric cars vs petrol cars: range
For those not in the know, ‘range’ refers to how far a car travel on a single tank of petrol (or a fully charged battery, in the case of an EV).
The petrol car with the highest range is the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which has a 1,875km range on a full tank – almost triple that of the highest performing EV, the Tesla Model S which has a top range of 647km.
There’s also convenience to take into account: petrol stations are pretty much everywhere, meaning you’re only likely to run out of fuel if you head off into the middle of nowhere without considering where and when you’ll need to fill up again.
And although there’s been an improvement in the number of public electric charging stations over the last few years, there are still only 2307 Australia-wide, catering to the approximate 6,400 EVs currently on Aussie roads.
Are electric cars better than petrol cars?
Having examined both the advantages and disadvantages of petrol cars and electric cars, the answer to this question will ultimately come down to what you value the most as a driver.
Happy to pay a bigger upfront cost for longer-term savings? Electric cars are for you.
Want to get a substantially bigger driving range from your vehicle and enjoy the convenience of having petrol stations peppered around everywhere? A car with an internal-combustion engine might be the ticket.
The argument ender, however, may still come down to looking to the future and considering the environmental impact that your choice will have.
Australia’s Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics forecasts that EVs will have a whopping 60 per cent market share here by 2046, which calculates to a possible overall reduction of 18 million tonnes of CO2 being released into the atmosphere – an amount you can’t ignore if you’re concerned about the planet’s future.
Keyword: Electric cars vs petrol cars: What are the pros and cons of going electric?