Electric Vehicles: A New Way to Travel!
These days, oil has never been more of a problem for consumers. As stability in the Middle East continues to fluctuate those difficulties are reflected at the pump where the price per barrel continues to make the price of simple gallon of unleaded spike, causing the consumer unnecessary headaches for their weekly commute. Environmentally, oil continues to be a constant source of greenhouse emissions that further erode polar ice-caps and create harmful emissions that destroy the ozone, purchasing an electric vehicle isn't just smart but it is a moral imperative for the environmentally conscious individual. Fortunately, eco-chic is something that is gaining traction which is making the automotive and other elements of the transportation industry sit up and take notice.
For the most part, an electric vehicle is a type of vehicle that uses power to achieve locomotion from other sources besides fossil fuels. The energy is gathered via solar power, wind power or even tidal power then transmitted into fuel cells, batteries, flywheel's or supercapacitors. The vehicle is then ready to take off, fully charged, for a specific range depending on the mileage on the battery. Hybrid vehicles, such as the Prius, use gas as well as electricity to get from Point A to Point B, extending the range of the vehicle and the mileage – or fuel economy – from the petrol in the tank by an exponential amount. Interestingly enough, braking energy which is accumulated when the vehicle is in motion – such as with hybrids like the Prius – actually regain energy when they come to a stop or when the brakes are applied.
Electric vehicles only recently have come to the forefront of technology within the last decade as petrol prices continue to become more and more expensive, which in turn created a need for automakers to create cars that would be good for conservation and a distinct move from those vehicles that have atrocious gas mileage, such as the Chevy Suburban. These more fuel efficient vehicles that rely on electricity or a hybrid of petrol and electricity are now being developed by nearly every automobile maker in the world, including electric sports cars such as the Tesla from San Francisco, California. Aside from cars and other modes of personal conveyance, there have been electric trains and buses that have been operating for decades.
The Advantages of a Electric Vehicle
When you take a look under the hood with an electric car next to an internal-combustion car side by side, it is clear that from an engineering standpoint that the electric car is much simpler than it's fossil-fuel burning counterpart. Because electric cars utilize an electric motor, they achieve an astonishing 90 percent efficiency in energy conversion regardless of speed or power output and may be controlled with more precision than most gas guzzlers. Electric motors, combined with what is known as regenerative breaking systems, create the ability to convert energy that is stored back into the existing power cells of the electric car. This is especially true with city living and areas that experience high levels of gridlock, such as Los Angeles.
With a little fine tuning, the regenerative breaking system can actually be used to provide torque as the car comes to a rest and does not require the changing of gears as the car climbs the power curve to match speeds and inclines. Because of this an electric engine does not require the use of torque converters nor gear boxes. Electric engines are essentially silent as they have no moving parts like their combustion counterparts, which produces a lot less vibration as well. While this may be considered a boon to those that actually own the car it is looked upon as problematic by some community members as it can be dangerous for pedestrians that are blind, young children or elderly.
Environmentally speaking, electric vehicles release zero air pollutants from their electric motor when the vehicle is in operation, including CO2, NOx, CO, PM and NMHC. There is also the efficiency of the energy use to consider. Electric cars and other vehicles offer a factor of three times higher than an internal combustion vehicle when it comes to tank to wheels efficiency. According to the information disseminated with the GM Volt, the monetary cost for recharging the car is less than that of a cup of coffee, which is roughly two cents per mile to drive while using electricity which is much different considering it is roughly 12 cents a mile with gasoline.
Electric Cars for a New Decade
Here for your perusal are a few different electric cars from across the United States. This selection is relatively basic; from commuters to roadsters to SUV's.
Fisker Karma: This car which is made in Finland is available for purchase in the United States and is a hybrid luxury sports sedan that has an all-electric range of 50 miles before it needs to be plugged in again. Interestingly the Karma may be fitted with a solar panel on the roof of the car which will aid in the recharging of the Lithium-Ion batteries as well as help regulate the temperature inside the car since temperature control can be difficult in hybrid and electric cars. This solar panel on the roof gives the car enough energy for an extra five miles of travel range with the stipulation that there is significant sunny weather to accommodate the needs of the solar collection devices.
Chevrolet Volt: The Chevy Volt is a hybrid electric vehicle that requires to be plugged in when not in use. The car itself is estimated to be sold at $40,000 but will feature a federal tax credit of $7,500 taking some sting out of the price. The Volt's lithium-ion battery is fully charged it may have a distance of up to 40 miles before recharging which is well above the average American citizen's typical commute distance. According to Chevy the Volt will actually save more than four metric tons of CO2 as compared to the atypical American internal combustion automobile.
Toyota Prius: Currently the reigning champion in sales for all electric vehicles, the Prius is a hybrid that can be powered via electricity or gasoline. The Prius has a series of features, including regenerative breaking which converts energy built up in the traction batter which aids in braking performance and reduces the overall wear and tear of the brake pads of the car. Furthermore the Prius has an onboard computer system that shuts off the engine when the Prius has come to a stop, is actively reversing or is coming down a hill or incline which greatly decreases fuel consumption when the Prius is driving in the city. There are of course peripherals that are used in the Prius that are used, such as plug-in's and plug-in stations that are available from the factory direct.
