UNIT 10: SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
My name‿ is Sofia,│ and‿ I bought‿ an‿ electric car las(t) year. I charge‿ it‿ at home‿ overnight,│ an(d) the cost‿ is‿ about‿ a quarter‿ of what‿ I used tousta pay for petrol. It‿ is‿ also silent,│ an(d) there‿ are no emissions│ while‿ I drive.
The range‿ is 350 kilometres‿ in summer│ and‿ about 280 in winterwin-der,│ when the battery loses some power. That‿ is‿ enough for my daily life,│ but‿ a long journey needs planning. On holiday last‿ August,│ we waited fiftyfif-dy minutes‿ at‿ a charging point│ while‿ a family with two small children was‿ in front‿ of‿ us. So I would not buy an‿ electric car│ if‿ I could not charge‿ it‿ at home.
The price‿ is still twentytwen-dy percen(t) higher than‿ a comparable petrol car,│ although there‿ is‿ a governmen(t) subsidy,│ an(d) maintenance‿ is much cheaper│ because there‿ is no engine. Charging points‿ are‿ appearing‿ on‿ every street‿ in my cityci-dy,│ but‿ outside the centre‿ it‿ is‿ a differen(t) story. In the end,│ I think mos(t) people will move to electric,│ partly because public transport‿ is going‿ electric too. It‿ is happening,│ only not‿ as fast‿ as the advertisements suggest.