Electric charging stations increase with the advancement of electric cars in Ribeirão Preto, SP The number of charging stations for charging electric vehicles grew 24% in Ribeirão Preto (SP) between February and June this year. During the period, the city went from 168 to 209 charging points, according to data from the Brazilian Electric Vehicle Association (ABVE). The expansion follows the growth of the electric car fleet in the municipality. Also according to ABVE, more than 1,011 electric vehicles were registered in the first five months of this year in Ribeirão Preto. ?Click here to follow the g1 Ribeirão e Franca channel on WhatsApp Owner of a charging station, Ricardo Guggisberg says that recharging time is quick, but varies according to the capacity of the vehicle's battery and the power of the charger used. "If the battery has a storage capacity of 50 kWh and if it uses a charger with a 50 kWh charging capacity, it will take one hour to charge. If it uses a 120 kWh charger, it will take 25 minutes." Electric station in Ribeirão Preto (SP) Reproduction/EPTV Economy is attractive According to Guggisberg, the savings provided by electric vehicles are one of the factors that most attract the attention of drivers. The cost of a recharge represents around 20% of the amount spent to fuel a gasoline-powered car. "It costs 20% of the cost of using gasoline. It's well worth it. In other words, it's an 80% saving." App driver, Rafael Ferrari decided to exchange his car with a combustion engine for an electric vehicle and claims that the change brought a significant reduction in his monthly expenses. "For us, the cost of fuel is increasingly high. So, the alternative we had, due to the change we are experiencing now, was to migrate to electric cars and, for me, it is much better, much more economical to work with electric cars than with combustion". Rafael charging his electric car in Ribeirão Preto (SP) Reproduction/EPTV Necessary care Before purchasing an electric car, mechanical engineer Thiago Freitas recommends that the consumer seek information about the vehicle's operation and the necessary care to ensure greater battery life. "It is important that the driver also understands the car he is buying, what battery technology he is getting, how he should charge it, how he should assemble this charge and organize himself." The engineer also advises that quick recharging should only be used in situations of need. According to him, frequent use of this type of charging can impact the battery's useful life and, over the years, maintenance may be necessary. "Quick charging has to be done in situations where you really need it. Because the ideal is to charge at home, charge slowly, slowly, correctly. A battery that has been running for three, four years, which are those first cars that came in, can cause problems. So, today, maintenance is expensive. It can easily cost more than R$20,000 in maintenance." Electric car driving through the streets of Ribeirão Preto (SP) Reproduction/EPTV See more news from the region on g1 Ribeirão Preto and Franca VIDEOS: Everything about Ribeirão Preto, Franca and the region