Electric Cars

The issue of electric car has been arising nowadays. But many of us never really find a true example of the uses of electric cars in everyday life. From the article “Electrical Engineering”, an Australian built his own electric car from a second hand Porsche. The article proves that having a private electric cars is no longer a dream. But do all people know the good things and the bad things about having a private electric car?

Now, what electric vehicles really are? Simply put, electric vehicles are vehicles that are powered by an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. Electric vehicle use electricity as the “fuel” instead of gasoline or some other combustible fuel. The electric motor in an electric vehicle converts electricity, usually from a battery pack, into mechanical power to turn the wheels.

Major auto manufacturers are producing high-performance electric vehicles not only in the form of cars but also in a wide range of styles and sizes, including, mini-vans, sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks. Electric vehicles today come as small as bicycles and motor scooters and as big as buses. In Melbourne for example, we are using electric powered trams as public transport.

Many people fancy electric vehicles because they had many advantages compared with petrol fueled vehicles. The benefits are :

• Quiet, Clean Driving Experience ­ On a personal level, electric vehicles offer a quiet, fume-free, smooth driving experience. Since the motor does not operate when the vehicle is at a stop, an electric vehicle has no “idle” noises. When an electric vehicle is under power, the sounds are the soft sound of the motor and the tires rolling over the roadway.

• High Performance ­ First-time electric vehicle drivers are consistently surprised by the quality of the electric vehicle driving experience. electric vehicles provide fast acceleration by delivering power instantly to the wheels. By providing high torque at low speeds, they give a feel of smooth and quick responsiveness. Well-designed electric vehicles, like those produced by major auto companies, travel at speeds equivalent to conventional vehicles and offer all the same safety and high-performance features.

• Lower Operating Costs ­ The per-mile fuel cost of operating an electric vehicle can be less than one-third that of a gasoline-powered car. The exact ...

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... large discounts for charging during “off-peak” hours­generally from evening until noon. While the cost of gasoline can fluctuate significantly over a relatively short time, electricity costs are much more stable and are expected to decrease over the next several years as the industry is deregulated.

In conclusion, electric vehicles (i.e. electric cars) have better features almost in all aspects than the conventional petrol powered vehicles. Many people really fancy having their own electric cars, but currently, technology and social aspects are still preventing electric cars to become fully replacing the petrol ones. Although the technology is still not efficient enough, currently we can just sit still waiting for the technology to be developed by the R&D companies.

What we must do for now on is to reshape our usual thinking of how a vehicle should be as it is doubtful that electric cars will ever enjoy the range or performance advantages to which auto users have become accustomed with petroleum-fueled engines. When we have really sufficient understanding of these occurring problem, only then we can be said to be ready for the electric

vehicles.