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Most of the cars scheduled for release between 2010 and 2012 offer a range of between 50 and 200 miles before recharging is needed, depending on the size, number and type of batteries being used. An electric car, using electricity made from fossil fuels, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from 1lb for gasoline cars, to about 0.8lb. If alternative energy sources generate the electricity used to recharge the batteries, this is reduced to zero. Running costs are dramatically reduced, as electricity is still cheaper than fuel. Maintenance and service costs are also lower. The disadvantages of electric cars are the long charge time the batteries need - between 7 and 10 hours, and the short battery life - 100 mile range being the average at present.
Subaru, for example, offers a stationary charger that reduces time to 15 minutes - a big improvement on the eight hours the onboard charger takes. The drawback is that you would have to watch your mileage closely to make sure you're close to the charger when the batteries run low. Another drawback has been the higher price of an electric vehicle. Initial outlay is more than compensated for by the lower running costs, and of course the environmental benefits are enormous. Some countries, like the US, offer tax benefits to buyers of hybrid and electric vehicles as an added incentive. Some manufacturers, such as Ford, are aiming for the mainstream market by adapting existing designs to make them electric cars. This saves on new design and development costs, with the result being electric cars that are more affordable for the average driver. In the November 2009 issue of National Geographic magazine, Karen E. Lange writes about the future of filling up, and poses the question "Just where are all these revolutionary new cars going to plug in?" Drivers of electric vehicles are going to need to recharge at their homes, work, shopping centres, and along highways. People living in apartment buildings can't plug in to their home sockets to recharge. If electric vehicles become the 'norm', and for the sake of the environment, they should, then filling stations will have to change too. Parking lots at office buildings, shopping centres, schools and colleges will have to have recharging facilities. Eventually, service stations may just be banks of recharge sockets with meters, so drivers can pull in and 'fill up' just as we do with fuel at the moment. If those service stations are powered by alternative energy, our cars' emissions will be zero - and that would be good. Read more about hybrid and electric cars at www.hybridcars.com, where you can get a preview of the electric cars scheduled for production in the next few years. Sources: "The Future of Filling Up" by Karen E. Lange, © National Geographic Magazine, Nov 2009 http://www.hybrid.cars.com |
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Electric cars, unlike hybrid cars, run solely on electrical power. They have an electric motor that runs on rechargeable batteries. The motor receives energy from a controller that regulates the flow of power based on the driver's use of the accelerator. The rechargeable batteries can be recharged using normal household electrical outlets. 
Ongoing research is likely to improve these figures, with some car manufacturers offering special chargers that will dramatically reduce the charge time. 
