Electric Cars: The New Generation Of Motoring
Aug 3, 2009 More Saving
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In the next year or two electric cars, or zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as they are often known, will be an everyday sight on streets right across the planet. The stuff of science fiction novels will have become science fact.
Basic ZEVs are already for sale to car owners in many countries and are due to become a lot more sophisticated and widespread in the coming years.
The concept of an electric car is nothing new, it has been around for many years. However, the urgent need to decrease carbon emissions in the fight to slow global warming has quickened the development of this next generation of road transport.
Consumer electric vehicles and ZEVs are already being made and will shortly be widely available in showrooms around the world. We are already familiar with hybrid vehicles, which have been available for a few years. These cars alternate between electric and gasoline propulsion to aid in the reduction of emissions. Electric cars take eco-friendly motoring to the next level, in that they have no emissions whatsoever - they don’t even have a tail pipe. The advantages of this are likely to be dramatic, especially in polluted urban areas, as electric vehicles and ZEVs become commonplace.
So how does the electric car work? Electric cars use electric motors and motor controllers rather than the standard internal combustion engine. Instead of the usual gasoline, these cars are powered by electricity from battery packs, although cutting edge methods of energy storage are being developed that are likely to replace batteries in the near future. As we speak, special refueling stops for the electric car revolution are springing up on roadsides around the globe where car owners can stop and refuel their electric vehicles, just like at a normal filling station.
That said, for many car owners, the transition from the traditional gasoline car that we all know and love to electric vehicles and ZEVs will require a huge leap of faith. However, electric cars have so many things going for them that the transition should be a pretty smooth one.
Running costs - The fact that electric vehicles are cheaper to run and cost less to keep on the road will likely convince their most steadfast opponents. Motorists will get a lot more miles for their money and the cost of maintaining these cars will be a lot cheaper than servicing a normal car.
The environment - As electric vehicles become more common, the advantages to the environment will be huge. This is especially the case in large densely populated areas where smog and air pollution at street level presents a serious health hazard to residents.
A number of concerns do remain over electric vehicles, such as how long it takes to recharge battery packs, the top speeds and acceleration of the vehicles, and concerns such as handling and performance. However, as car producers pump more and more resources into fine tuning these vehicles, these concerns are likely to be ironed out sooner rather than later.
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