An Electric Car Fact-File!

Breaking Down What Makes Electric Cars Unique Why Buy an Electric Car?

Many people are apprehensive when switching to an electric vehicle, part of that is down to people simply not always enjoying change, but also the price tag for these fancy motors can easily put someone off when looking at it with an initial glance. The innovations in technology however have now allowed people to be non-reliant on fossil fuels such as diesel and unleaded, thus leading to a dramatic decrease in travel costs. On average, if you are driving 40 miles a day you would spend ~£200 per month on sustaining your standard petrol-reliant vehicle; with electric however this is no longer an issue, as more and more charging stations are rolled out nationwide, users can expect to pay as little as £10-£15 per month for the same distance travelled. Do They Feel Better to Drive? Like many things, this is of course subjective, regardless there are many people who prefer the feelings of both traditional diesel/unleaded motors over electric and vice versa. The electric cars offer a unique sense of control over your vehicle, with instant performance as you touch the accelerator as well as rapid acceleration from a standing start. Should I Use My Electric Car for Long Journeys? Currently electric cars are best utilised when living and commuting in small, urban areas. For this reason, there is a significant increase in usage when looking at cityscapes such as New York, London, Los Angeles and what has slowly become the unofficial Tesla capital of the world, Oslo. Clearly, range is unfortunately one of the key limitations when it comes to the widespread implementation of the entirely electric vehicular eco-system several world leaders are striving to build. What's the Deal With The Range on These Things? As aforementioned, range is an issue right now, however not one that is being ignored. Leading car manufacturers such as Tesla, headed by Elon Musk's team over in the US, have managed to develop the Tesla Roadster, capable of covering a total of 245 miles on a single battery charge. When contrasted with the comparatively 'shoddy' 30 miles from a standard lead acid battery, Tesla have pioneered the way for a new & viable breed of electric car. In contrast, there is more than just battery capacity that can affect the usage one can get out of their electric car; colder temperatures can reduce total miles by up to a third in some cases, which makes living in a colder climate somewhat problematic for passionate electric-car owners. Plugging In My Car at Night is Weird

Yes, it's strange. However many people are often misinformed when it comes to the methods of charging that are available for most electric cars. The large majority do not require proprietary hardware in order to efficiently juice up the battery. In fact most allow you to plug it directly into your mains power at home, making ease of access to charging facilities fairly high. There are also already thousands of dedicated public-access charging stations around the US, and according to ZapMap.com, 4821 charging locations in the UK as of the time I am writing this. Charging generally takes between 6-8 hours depending on the pre-existing level of charge as well as the manufacturer. Batteries; How Things Have Changed Fortunately, like many things as time progresses, batteries have gotten smaller, cheaper and more efficient in recent years. In the past, lead acid batteries were commonly used in the manufacturing of the first electric vehicles, this however now is more often not the case. Most consumer grade electric vehicles now use Lithium-Ion batteries similar to those found in your smartphones and laptops. While they are slightly more expensive to produce, they do provide the user with a significant bump in power capacity, thus enabling much longer journeys. They're also much easier to maintain with some of the early lead acid batteries even requiring watering in order to sustain a functioning battery. Electric Cars Aren't as Revolutionary as Many People Think

A frequent misconception is that electric-powered vehicles have only come about in the past decade or so, however this is not the case. There was in-fact cases of cars being powered by batteries as far back as 1839, however the first commercially available electric car wasn't around until 1881. Now obviously they were no where near as advanced as a modern day Tesla, however they did demonstrate the concept, somewhat rudimentarily, nearly 180 years ago. Unfortunately after the first world war ended, there was an abundance of fuel available in most developed countries, and due to the reliability of petrol-powered cars, electric vehicles were phased out almost entirely. Do Electric Cars Still Cause Pollution? Short answer, yes. Long answer? No where near as much; many highly-populated areas have pointed out in recent years that their CO2 levels have climbed to a dangerously concerning level, and make no mistake, electric cars will go a long way to prevent further damage to our own atmosphere. While electric-powered cars do still emit trace elements of CO2 when electricity is generated (depending on the source), they do not have any tail-pipe pollution whatsoever, cutting out the main source of carbon monoxide within our society. Is The Price Really Worth It? Whether or not investing in an electric car is worth going for, is going to be different from person to person. They are generally more expensive than petrol-powered cars but money can be saved elsewhere, as well as future-proofing an individual as we head into this new and exciting decade ahead of us. There are unique benefits to owning one at this stage, for example road tax is completely free within the UK as well as being exempt from congestion charges around the London area, not to mention the above comments regarding the costs of running a traditional car. A Little More About Performance Electric cars of the modern-era do feel like a natural evolution for the automobile industry going forwards, with the much more precise feeling of acceleration (and therefore control) over your vehicle, many are discovering the benefits to the power of electricity. Similarly, the electric motor is far quieter than a conventional engine, while this could be a negative for some people who particularly enjoy the sound of a roaring engine, for the most part people seem to agree that this leads to a smoother and more pleasant driving experience, without the need for gears whatsoever. Interesting to note however that a lot of manufacturers limit their top speed in order to abide by safety regulations, with one of Tesla's flagship models being heralded as the fastest electric motor built at a top speed of 125MPH.