Lifestyle factors greatly affect the long-term financial viability of EVs. If you have a driveway, domestic chargers can be installed, with assistance from government grants and manufacturer incentives. These chargers allow EV owners to avail of cheaper nighttime electricity rates, typically 50% of daytime costs, to charge their cars. This is the cheapest way to run an EV. With the average commute distance in Ireland being 16.8km, as of 2022 according to CSO (CSO, 2022), even the shortest-range EV can suffice for the to-and-fro day to day journeys. However, if your lifestyle entails longer commutes or frequent long journeys, EVs are still highly advantageous, with high end models achieving upwards of 700km of range (manufacturer stated). While public charging is widely available, price/kWh is considerably more costly than the nighttime domestic rate.
Where EVs may not meet your lifestyle, is if you don’t have a driveway. Accommodations like apartments and terraced houses may not have the real estate available for a domestic charger. This will force EV owners to use the public charging network, at costs outside the advantageous window. Along with this, the logistics of charging become a nuisance, having to consider journeys days in advance and spend considerable time at charging stations.