David Billsborough, the founder of Cheshire Cars, suggested it “may not be the right time to switch” for drivers who live in rural areas. He also warned that motorists who live “in the middle of nowhere” could struggle to run electric cars compared to motorists who are city-based.
The expert said drivers should think about their own “personal circumstances” before considering the switch.
Mr Billsborough added decisions should be based on how often people drive and how many charging stations are nearby.
He continued: “The Government has said it’s 2030 where the manufacturers are being told there is no more solely petrol engine vehicles to be produced.
“Obviously, they’re making inroads into making sure they can comply with that ruling.
Electric cars
“As countries move forwards, that will be pretty much 2030. 2035, 2040 are the furthest it might go to. But, are electric vehicles the answer? Well yes and no.
“Look, if your circumstances are you live in a big city and the charging points are at every street corner, it may well be a good time now to buy yourself an electric vehicle.
“If however, you’re in the countryside in the middle of nowhere, in the highlands of Scotland, it may not be the right time to switch.
“You need to think about your personal circumstances. How often do you use your vehicle? How long are your journeys? What is the charging infrastructure like in your locality?
DON’T MISS
The cheapest cars to insure including Nissan, Ford and Volswagen [REVEAL]
Drivers risk fines for making common ‘porthole’ de-icing mistake [FINE]
Drivers warned of de-icer solutions that could cause vehicle damage [WARNING]
“And those will have, or should have, a big impact on your decision.”
The news comes after electric car owners were warned about potential range issues as temperatures slowly decrease.
Driving any vehicle in cold weather will increase its energy consumption due to factors such as having the heaters on to defrost the ice and keep the cabin warm in chilly conditions.
For electric vehicles, however, this can negatively impact the driving range, meaning drivers will travel fewer miles on one charge, according to experts at Hippo Leasing.
The reason for this is that the battery may not be operating at its optimum level due to a mix of excess energy being used to heat the vehicle and the battery taking longer to charge.
According to an AAA study, electric cars can lose 12 percent of their range due to cold weather, with this increasing to 41 percent with the heating on full.
The increase in demand for energy (heating) is what will drain the battery and reduce range, not the cold weather.
Battery life can be maintained by keeping tyre pressure at the recommended level, keeping the weight down by travelling light and avoiding bad driving habits such as speeding and sudden braking.
Charging speed can also be affected by low temperatures. Depending on the model, the ideal temperature for an EV battery to run at its optimum performance is 20-40 degrees, which will not be the case during the winter season.
This can affect the charging speed which will drop considerably in an environment below zero degrees.
As a rule of thumb, the colder the weather, the longer EVs will need to spend at the charging points.
Keyword: 'Not the right time!' Electric vehicles may not be the best choice for everyone