WHEN electric cars were first reintroduced into our motoring market, there were a whole package of trepidation about the feasibility of driving around in a battery-powered carriage.

Now, I said “re-introduced” because battery-powered cars are not new. In fact, before the Ford Model T even got into mass production, there were already a number of electric cars invented, as early as 1830 in fact.

By the end of the 1800s, fleets of electric cars servied as taxis in New York, Boston and Baltimore, operated by the Electric Vehicle Co. of Isaac L. Rice. Of course, the concerns then, equivalent to the concerns today, is that the batteries were large and cumbersome and took pretty long to charge.

Fast forward to today, 2022, and we see a slew of electric vehicles (EVs) being introduced in the market in an effort to stave off climate change, global warming and other harmful effects of the internal combustion engine using fossil fuel.

One of the most promising models I have seen so far is Kia’s EV6 (no need to explain the name I guess.) Kia Philippines has finally announced that it will be selling this electric car in the Philippine market.

And to stave off EV antagonism — yes there is that phrase in the market — Kia’s communications team had us in a roundtable discussion to discuss the major concerns our market/consumers may have about driving battery-powered cars.

Five EV myths

Apparently there are five myths surrounding electric cars that have been hounding prospective buyers. Kia decided to tackle these head on before bringing in the EV6

The first myth concerns charging time. Because the first electric car batteries used old technology, this was indeed true. In fact, this issue was a major reason why the internal combustion engine took over electric cars in the early 1900’s.

But that is not true today. Most EV charging now takes anywhere from one hour at the minimum to about 10 hours at the maximum. This is because battery technology has evolved to the point where different forms of battery cells can now be charged faster than before.

The EV6 takes about 50 minutes to fully charge using its quick charger and at most 10 hours using the trickle charger, which is the better recommended to keep the EV battery healthier and lasting longer.

The second myth is the limited charging stations. For Kia, because it is part of the Ayala ecosystem, buyers of the EV6 can depend of the 21 fast charging stations scattered all over the metropolis and suburbs. That means one can find a charging station every hour and a half of driving.

The third myth is limited travel range. The Kia EV6, like most other EVs out in the modern market, has a travel distance of about 500 kilometers on a single charge. That is the distance from Manila to Laoag, Ilocos Norte. That’s a long drive.

The fourth myth is the high cost of maintenance. But there is no periodic maintenance for an electric car. No oil change, filter changes, transmission oil and any of that sort. At most will be brake and brake pad change, windshield wipers, tires, which we do with ordinary cars anyway.

The fifth myth is safety. But this is a modern car. Almost all of the electronic safety features that your premium luxury car have already been incorporated into the system of the Kia EV6. Even the batteries have been encased in a secure compartment to keep it safe and sound.

So you see, an electric car may be the best alternative for our kids, or even for us. Besides, the whole world plans to produce EVs vehicles purely by 2050.