The Future of Electric Cars
It seems like alternate energy is all the rage these days. Nowhere can a better example be found right now than in the automotive industry. With the collapse of the American auto industry, companies are placing a lot of stock in innovative solutions to existing polluting, fossil fuel dependent vehicles. Among the most promising of these innovations are electric cars. But why exactly are electric cars such a big deal? There’s a lot to consider before committing to the electric car bandwagon.
How electric cars work:
Typically in an internal combustion engine style vehicle, a batter is only used to help start the engine begin the combustion process and power some additional-to-driving features such as the radio or air conditioning. In an electric car, the battery is used to not only power these non-driving functions as well as providing continuous power to the engine. That being the case, the batteries used in electric cars need to be larger and more efficient to handle the major additional responsibility when it comes to providing power.
The battery used has gone through rather quick evolutionary leaps in a short period of time. The most commonly used types of batteries by today’s standards are the lithium-ion (Li-ion), the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) because of their high efficiencies and recharge speeds.
So this leads us to the question, are electric cars really that much better than the old internal combustion engine powered variety? Here’s a look at currently two of the most important factors when it comes to autos these days: the damage it will do to the environment; and the damage it will do to your wallet.
Environmental impact comparison:
Do not be mislead, it’s not as if electric cars completely replace the typical combustion engine based vehicles. At the moment, gas still has to be burned to provide power to recharge the electric car batteries. This inherently produces hazardous emissions. That being said, the fact that their batteries are reusable is a major plus from a sustainability standpoint.
While this immediately seems like it trumps burning gas all of the time, one must consider one important factor. If everyone switches over to electric cars, can we possibly compensate for the additional demand on energy production? Will this energy production pollute the environment? In a seemingly imminent movement to sustainable and clean power generation, this could be a major factor in lowering transportation costs.
Cost comparison:
Oil prices will not stay affordable forever. That being said, at the moment, five dollars will get you about 2.5 gallons of gas, and on average, let you drive for anywhere from 25 to 70 or so miles. meanwhile with five dollars worth of electricity, your car can drive for over 180 miles!
While the initial costs of buying an electric car can be costly upfront, making the change could save you money down the road by paying less for transportation costs. Do some quick research to find the cost of an electric vehicle you would be considering purchasing, and compare this to the fair market value of your current vehicle. Crunch the numbers for the next few years and see what will be cheaper. You might be surprised.
Disadvantages:
While the benefits appear as if electric cars should be the industry standard, one must consider that the technology is still being refined, and prepared for operation on a larger scale. At the moment, there are two major factors which tend to impede the switch from oil to volts.
An electric car’s performance is only as good as the battery that charges it. The better milage performance you want from your car between charges is severely limited by having to take on additional batteries meaning additional weight and recharge times.
Maintenance is another concern. While only a small percentage of people are using electric cars, there is an associated lack of proper maintenance resources. This makes engine repairs, part availability, and amount of knowledgeable technicians quite limited.
Despite the fact that electric cars are still far from the current best option to replace our daily drivers, they are heading towards that role. Technology is constantly improving batteries and performance, slowly with the intent to phase out internal combustion engines altogether. It might be time to start thinking about making the change sooner or later and get take advantage of the many benefits of electric cars.
Should you decide to make the switch, consider donating your old fossil fuel powered used car to charity. Not only do you help a good cause, but you get value back from your vehicle in the form of a tax donation which can be better than selling your car. For more information, visit www.giveusedcars.com.
Topics: hybrid electric, electric car prices, electric cars, gas vs. electric, hybrid car prices