The Points To Check When Purchasing An     Electric Vehicle. 



When choosing a car, we often consider purchases based on conditions such as "how much  it will cost," "what kind of scene  you want to use," "how often  you will use it," and "what kind of body type."  

 Checkpoint ① "Budget"  

 Looking only at the actual vehicle price, the EV feels more expensive than the gasoline vehicle. In addition, there are not so many types of cars at present, and the types of cars that can be purchased for each price range are limited. So, if you are thinking about buying an electric car from now on, the "budget" will be very important.   In addition, from 2022,  national and local governments have introduced subsidies and tax incentives for EV buyers to close the price gap for gasoline vehicles. With them you can buy much cheaper than the usual price.   However,  once the budget cap is reached, all funding will cease. It  announced that applications for state subsidies for fiscal 2022 will be completed by the end of October. For more information on whether  you are currently receiving subsidies, please see the article below.   In addition, as part of the eco-vehicle tax exemption, there are preferential driving measures  such as  exemption from the  weight tax  imposed at the time of vehicle inspection.

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   Check Point 2 "Driving Route"

   Next, you need to confirm the driving route. Range is the distance a car can travel on one charge of his Electric vehicles have different cruising ranges depending on the capacity of the batteries installed, even if they are of the same model, and the vehicle price also varies accordingly.     For example, the Nissan Leaf has  a 40kWh battery type and a  60kWh battery type, and the cruising range (WLTC mode) is 322km for the former and 450km for the latter. The longer distance is more convenient, but the price difference between the two is about 600,000 yen. ( ALSO READ THIS ARTICLE )

                                 These 600,00 Yen is worth mentioning because, with the emergence of Chinese-made electric vehicles equipped with inexpensive lithium iron phosphate batteries, it is expected that the price of vehicles equipped with large-capacity batteries will also become cheaper in the future. Currently, if you decide on a car model with a battery capacity of 40 kWh or more, you can "run without hesitation" depending on the application.     The cruising range of electric vehicles differs from catalog values, just like gasoline vehicles. Electricity is also used for air conditioning and audio playback, so it is better to think that the actual cruising range is about 80% of the catalog value regardless of which model you choose.

Check Item ③ "Body Type"                                             

As mentioned above, there are still fewer EV models than gasoline vehicles, so body types are limited. For example, the two mini EVs (Sakura and eK Cross EV) launched in June 2022 are large vehicles, and the EVs priced between 3 million yen and 5 million yen. However, SUVs are likely to become the mainstream of electric vehicles in the future. The reason why SUV electric vehicles are increasing is that SUVs have a high vehicle height and ground clearance, and can easily be equipped with a large-capacity battery. teeth. SUVs are currently the most popular body style not just for electric vehicles, but also for gasoline vehicles.  ( ALSO READ THIS )

Body Types

   If you increase the purchase budget of these gasoline vehicles significantly, the choice of body types will expand, but it is better to know that the EV body type is  limited to some extent at the moment.     Launched in June 2022, the Sakura is Nissan's first compact electric vehicle. There are two grades, "X" and "G", and the cheapest "X"  is 2,399,100 yen.

Pricing

   The price of 2,399,100 yen may seem a little high compared to a small gasoline car, but the vehicle price is more than 1 million yen cheaper than a conventional home electric car. If you use  subsidies from the national or local government at the time of purchase, you can purchase it at a price equal to or higher than that of a small gasoline car.  

Further Details Of Body Types

   The body type of this small gasoline car is "Height Wagon", and the interior and exterior design adopts the design of Nissan's flagship EV "Aria". Overall, there is  a premium feel that cannot be thought of as a minicar, and the "Sakura" is gaining popularity with orders that far exceed expectations. The "eK Cross EV" is a compact electric vehicle that was born as a member of Mitsubishi Motors' high-altitude SUV "eK Cross"  series. There are two grades, "G" and "P", and the cheapest "G"  is 2,398,000 yen (tax included).     The “eK Cross EV” is a brother car that shares  basic mechanics with the Nissan “Sakura”, and there is no big difference in terms of performance. Both have a battery capacity of 20 kWh and a  range of 180 km (WLTC mode) on a full charge. 

The Cruising Range

This 180 km (WLTC mode) on a full charge helps invigorating the car system. The cruising range of that is 180km may seem short, but it is enough power for people who often drive short distances such as shopping and pick-up.     The mechanism is basically the same as "Sakura", but the design and vehicle characteristics are different. The "eK Cross EV" is characterized by pushing the SUV taste to the front, unlike the luxurious "Sakura" inherited from the "Aria". Even with electric cars in the same price range, it makes sense to pay attention to these differences in character when choosing a car. [Budget less than 5 million yen] Relatively reasonable but  satisfying EV?   Among general electric vehicles, those with a budget of  5 million yen or less can be purchased at a relatively affordable price.

 Introducing EVs From Domestic And Foreign Manufacturers

From the Nissan Leaf which can be purchased at a relatively affordable price, which is synonymous with domestic EVs, to the Hyundai IONIQ 5, which  just started  domestic deliveries in May 2022.The Nissan LEAF is  synonymous with domestically produced electric vehicles, which appeared  at the forefront of the general electric vehicle market in 2010. The current model is the second generation, and the standard class (X) is relatively inexpensive at about 3.7 million yen. Not only that, but the LEAF also features  an affordable body size and ease of use on narrow roads.   

Other Routine Features

  Battery capacity  40kWh or 60kWh ( of this affordable body size and ease of use on narrow road, range )  322km or 450km (WLTC mode). There are no outstanding features in terms of performance, but more than 10 years have passed since the first generation was released, and the high reliability can be said to be the real pleasure of the LEAF.     However, Nissan announced a price increase for the Leaf on September 1, 2022,  so I would like to pay attention to future information. In February 2022, Hyundai and Hyundai, major South Korean automakers, re-entered the Japanese  car market for the first time in about 12 years. The IONIQ 5  announced at that time  started accepting domestic orders in May of the same year.    

For Unique Designs

 Featuring a unique geometric design, of this IONIQ 5 has a unique sales method. It has no dealers in Japan and is only sold online through its own website and app (subscription cars). It is also handled by leasing “SOMPO de Ride” and  car sharing “Anyca”).     There are a total of four levels of basic level "Voyage", "Lounge" and "Lounge AWD", and the battery capacity is roughly divided into two types of 58.0 kWh and 72.6 kWh. The base class is 58.0 kWh, which costs less than 5 million yen, and the cruising range is 498 km (WLTC mode). The  Peugeot "e-208" hatchback, which is one size smaller than the Nissan "Leaf", is a French electric car that can be purchased from the 3 million yen range at the same time as its release. However, due to cost increases such as soaring raw material prices, the price has been revised from August 1, 2022.     

Battery Capacity Matters

The list price after the revision is 4,602,000 yen for the entry class Allure. The battery capacity is 50kWh and the cruising range is 395km (WLTC mode). Honda's "Honda e", which has a cute design that catches the eye, is an electric vehicle that has evolved as much as  digital devices such as smartphones. B. Full liquid crystal instrument panel and digital door mirrors. However,  the battery capacity is only 35.5 kWh, so it is recommended for use  as a road car for short distances such as shopping and pick-up. The cruising range is 259km (WLTC mode).    

                               That cruising range has the battery capacity is 35.5kWh, cruising range is 256km (WLTC mode). We will stop accepting orders for the current model in September 2022.Please check the official website for the resumption of sales. Some people who are considering switching to an electric car may want to drive a high-performance car  for a long time even if it is expensive. The best-selling EV in the global market is in the 5 million to 6 million yen range, and manufacturers are focusing on developing cars in this price range. So, what kind of electric car can you buy for 5 million yen or more?

Electric Cars In Japan

 Despite of this 5 million yen investment plans, we will introduce electric cars that can be purchased in Japan in the 5-6 million yen range. Audi's "e-tron" series may have had the image of "high-performance EV with high vehicle price". But the Audi Q4 e-tron, unveiled in January 2022 as his third in the e-tron series, is priced to overturn that image.     As shown in the table above, the vehicle price of "Audi Q4 e-tron" starts at 5 million yen, which is the same  level as Nissan "Aria", and  slightly cheaper than Toyota "bZ4X". In addition, the body size is 4590mm in total length × 1865mm in total width × 1630mm in total height, which is almost the same as Nissan "Aria".     With a battery capacity of 82kWh and a cruising range of 576km (WLTC mode), it is the longest among Audi's electric vehicles.  mode).   

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