Electric cars Blog

March 4th, 2009 by admin

Buying a new car is big and expensive decision for most people, and with the ever rising oil price it is becoming a more and more expensive affair to own your own car too. With an oil price that works in a way so that a rain in north America raises the price people in Finland pays for gasoline from Russia, it is not strange that the market is eager to be offered more economical cars.

As if that were not enough, we are today well aware that the large scale use of fossil fuel like oil is very bad for the environment. Getting rid of all gasoline powered engines would be great for the environment.

All of the above has resulted in a new breed of cars being rapidly developed. These cars combine the best features of the electric cars with that of conventional, gasoline powered cars. These type of cars are called hybrid cars, and you are likely to hear a lot about them in the very near future.

An electric car with a twist

The electric car first sounded like a great idea, since it has no emissions while it runs. However, this is only partially true as the total emissions depends on how the electricity for the electric car is produced - if it comes from a coal plant for example, it isn’t very clean at all.

Furthermore, the storage of large amounts of electricity is problematic at best and in practise turns electric cars to pure bread city cars. At least with the ways we currently store electricity.

Hybrid cars combine an electric engine with a gasoline powered one, which means the use of gasoline isn’t totally out of the picture but it can be greatly reduced. The dual engines also allow for smaller engines to be used, and they take advantage of things like regenerative breaking.

Naturally the hybrid cars are also extremely lightweight and aerodynamically well designed, all to reduce the energy needed to run them. In slow city traffic the conventional engine is automatically shut of completely, producing no emissions whatsoever. When more speed and power is needed, the conventional engine is allowed to seamlessly kick in partially or fully.

Hybrid cars are here NOW

Like much of the car market today, it is the Japanese who have been fastest to develop attractive looking hybrid vehicles, such as the hybrid powered Honda Accord and Toyota Prius. Contrary to what one might believe, these cars have also fared very well on the market.

The idea of saving on gas is obviously appealing to a lot of people.

Most well established North American manufacturers are also expected to jump on the bandwagon of this lucrative market very soon. Many of them, including Acura cars, Aero cars, Audi cars, Bentley cars, BMW cars, Cadillac cars, Chevrolet cars, Chrysler cars, Daewoo cars, Dodge cars, Ford cars, Honda cars, Hummer cars, Jaguar cars, Land Rover cars, Lexus cars have in fact already launched hybrid powered version of some of their models.

As this is a quickly expanding market, you can expect to see many of these cars appearing more commonly at local car dealers. As this is considered cutting edge technology, one can expect the initial prices to be rather high though. But then again, a hybrid car will mean considerable savings on buying gas. As the competition will no doubt be stiff, it will be interesting to see how the pricing of these cars develop during the next few years.

November 5th, 2008 by admin

The emissions from gas-powered cars are not only a cause of the diminishing ozone, but they the American Lung Association has said that it is a frequent cause of lung disease. This, in addition to waning fuel supplies and increased gas prices, has lead automobile manufacturers to begin making zero-emission vehicles. A zero-emission vehicle, also called a ZEV, is an automobile that does not create pollutants.

Zero-emission vehicles can be powered by two different sources: electricity or hydrogen. Some forms of both electric cars and hydrogen cars, those that are powered by fossil fuel plants, however, also pollute. The true types of zero-emission vehicles run on solar or wind power.

The first zero-emission vehicle was the electric car. When powered by batteries that are recharged with solar or wind power, electric cars do emit pollutants.

Zero-emission vehicles can also be powered by hydrogen. Those that use fossil fuels may produce just as much pollution as gas-powered cars. Hydrogen cars that use solar power to generate hydrogen from water do not produce emissions.

Vehicles such as hybrids are not true zero-emission vehicles. Hybrids are cars that operate both by gas and environment friendly means, such as electricity. These are called partial zero-emission vehicles because, though they produce far less pollution than traditional fuel-powered vehicles, they still emit pollutants.

One problem that has hindered the production of zero-emission vehicles is the cost associated with producing solar and wind power. The pressing need for vehicles powered by a source other than fuel has consistently been lowering the additional costs.

Another problem in manufacturing solar-powered cars is the need for sunlight. Solar-powered cars need sunlight to run, so factors like weather, time of day, and time of year must all be considered in order to ensure a consistently powered vehicle.

Buyers interested in purchasing a zero-emission vehicle should start their search early. Companies that manufacture hydrogen and electric cars do so in small numbers, and there are usually waiting lists.Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, and General Motors all manufacture some form of zero-emission vehicle.

Buyers may also be encouraged to become zero or partial-emission vehicle owners due to the associated tax breaks. Some states in the United States provide driving benefits to zero or partial-emission vehicle owners; that is, single drivers of zero or partial-emission vehicles in some states may drive in the carpool lanes.

It should be noted that though these vehicles are emissions-free, they don’t minimize the level of pollution produced in the manufacturing process, and the effects of pollution caused by wear on the car have not yet been determined.

October 13th, 2008 by admin

Environment is getting more polluted day by day. We all know that something needs to be done about the state of our environment. After all, if we continue the trend that we have started of polluting and damaging the world around us, it may not be able to continue to provide us with the healthy elements we require for a healthy life. But solutions to the environmental issues are few and far between. Take our transportation situation, for example. We have become a society that is increasingly dependent on the use of cars to get around, as our world and neighborhoods have become bigger and more spread out. But cars are known polluters, and the cost of gas is beginning to limit the distances that we want to drive. We need a solution to this dilemma, and two of the possibilities that scientists are studying are electric and hybrid cars.

New or used electric cars for sale run on an electric motor that is powered by a battery or series of batteries. These batteries need to be recharged periodically, usually after 50-100 miles of use. While this type of vehicle is very environmentally friendly because it produces almost no pollution, the fact that is must be recharged so frequently makes it a very inconvenient choice for many car owners. The other problem is that the recharging process has traditionally been a long and inconvenient one for the average car user. This is why you haven’t seen too many electric cars, electric sports cars etc on the road at this point. However, by combining the electric and hybrid cars, you can create an automobile that is non-polluting and fuel efficient.

When it comes to electric and hybrid cars like Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Mercury cars etc, the latter may be the more desirable choice for the large majority of car owners. While both the electric and hybrid cars use less fuel and emit less pollution, the hybrid cars are designed to go longer distances with less maintenance in between. This means that you can reap the benefits of using less fuel, which is a huge savings today when you consider the high cost of gasoline, with a vehicle that is much more convenient to use. Hybrid cars combine the ease of a small gas engine with an electric motor that is capable of recharging itself. You end up with a cleaner vehicle that can go longer distances on less fuel. The electric motor aids in the acceleration process, and also enables the car to turn itself automatically off and back on at stops, saving plenty of fuel for maximum efficiency.

While both electric and hybrid cars fit the bill when it comes to environmental friendliness, the hybrid car may be the vehicle of choice when it comes to convenience and ease of use. Consider a hybrid car for your next family vehicle and count the many benefits that you will receive.