instruction: What are the main disadvantages of electric cars versus combustion engine vehicles?
response: Over the past few years, electric vehicles have gained traction amongst the public for different reasons. There are though, some challenges, that can reduce the speed of adoption. The following are some of the concerns associated with electric vehicles:
      
  1. Higher upfront cost: Electric cars are generally more expensive to acquire than gasoline-powered cars, although this gap is narrowing. But, electric vehicles are typically cheaper to run and maintain. At this stage, they have achieved parity for the total cost of ownership.
  2. Increased charging times: New electric cars can get to 80% of their range in less than half an hour when using fast charging stations, but that still slower than their combustion engine counterparts and many charging stations have lower speeds.
  3. Limited charging infrastructure: Despite the expansion of electric vehicle charging facilities, their availability remains less extensive than that of gas stations. Consequently, careful trip planning may be necessary to guarantee access to charging stations when required.
  4. Less range: New electric cars typically have a range of around 230-320 miles, which is still less than most of the combustion engine vehicles.
  5. Reduced number of options: Given the relatively new interest from car manufacturers, fewer alternatives are available for individual use cases. It should still take a few years before the offering is similar.