Electric cars is one of the latest ‘green’ technologies that is starting to penetrate the market especially in the United States, Europe, Japan and China. These electric cars that are powered by electricity, do not look any different from your typical car that is fueled by gasoline. In fact, some car manufacturers simply came up with electric versions of their existing car models. In short, it’s pretty much like your typical car on the outside, but it is run by electricity in the inside.
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Partly in response to international environmental issues of global warming due to greenhouse gas emissions, the US government has made steps to encourage Americans to create preference for these electricity-run automobiles because studies show that it can significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The fuel demands of the transportation sector makes up for nearly 28% of America’s petroleum energy usage, making this sector one of the primary players. The argument that says electric cars simply replaced one polluter with another because the electricity it consumes also came from the burning of fossil fuels is proven by studies untrue. The reduction in emissions these cars bring is apparently still significantly higher.
With the seriousness and extent of global warming issues, these electric cars might just be one of the solutions to attaining a greener environment.
The Cost
Electric cars are more expensive than gasoline cars. This is why the different federal states in the US have devices their own incentives for promoting the use of electric vehicles by their residents.
The cheapest version by Nissan costs approximately US$33,000 but would still go lower after a federal tax rebate, the amount of which depends on which state you are in. Computing the savings you can acquire for the longer haul is something worth careful consideration.
Consumer Savings
One main advantage is derived from gasoline being more expensive than electricity. On the average, your cost per mile with electric cars can be four or five times cheaper than your cost for a gasoline cars. There are, of course, some higher end models which may have way even lower electricity consumption.
Also, electric cars are built to reduce energy waste as a result of road-load and energy conversion. Road-load is energy lost as a result of friction. The electric car deals with this through mechanisms for wind resistance, tire rolling resistance, and mechanical friction.
Energy conversion waste is very little with the electric car because lithium-ions can have greater than 90% efficiency. On the other hand, combustion engines in motor vehicles are known to be 35% efficient.
Hybrids that combine electric motor and combustion engine are also available. Conversion here is a bit more efficient that that of motor vehicles.
Room for Improvement
Electric cars come with a charger that can be plugged on to any 110-volt or 220-volt power outlet. Electric vehicle manufacturers eventually also devised a standardized charger that will be stationed at public locations. Recently, another advancement in this technology emerged. Fulton Innovation demonstrated wireless charging of a Tesla Roadster electric vehicle through its eCoupled technology.
These cars’ batteries, however, have to be charged around one to three hours, depending on the speed of the charger being used. This is one are for improvement for the electric vehicle. But with the already significant technological leaps it has made, you could only guess that things might get better.
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References
Telsa Motors, <http://www.teslamotors.com/goelectric/efficiency>
Electric Cars vs. Gasoline Cars: Get the Facts, <http://www.carsdirect.com/electric-cars/electric-cars-vs-gasoline-cars-get-the-facts