Positive Charge: Can Electric Cars Save the Planet?
Hybrids have been a hot topic in the car industry for several years now, but electric cars are coming on in leaps and bounds, too. Like hybrids, their development has been prompted by the need for an alternative to petrol - and diesel-fuelled internal-combustion engines, which contribute to air pollution, global warming and climate change.
Here, we take a look at the technology that makes electric cars work, as well as the efforts being made by both car manufacturers and national governments to get us all to drive them…
How do electric cars work?
The electric motors in modern electric cars derive power from on-board energy-storage facilities. These are usually batteries, however, alternative power sources, such as electric double-layer capacitors, are also being developed.
Thanks to regenerative braking, some of the energy used to power electric cars can be recovered and used again. Batteries need to be recharged with mains electricity, but seeing as they cannot yet store enough energy for long-distance travel, extensive recharging infrastructure will have to be put in place before the use of electric cars becomes widespread.
This is something governments will have to make happen, while the manufacturers concentrate on prolonging the life of batteries and improving their recharging speed. The power grid can produce electricity from a variety of resources, some more environmentally friendly than others, including coal, water, wind, nuclear reaction and even the sun.
Let’s go electric
As society at large becomes more aware of the environmental problems associated with traditional cars, the eco-friendly alternatives have started to attract both the public’s interest and, more importantly, major financial investment. Nissan has announced plans to introduce an affordable electric car in Japan and the US in 2010, which makes it the first major manufacturer to set a definite launch date for a mass-produced electric vehicle.
It looks like this time around Nissan will get the jump on its Japanese rivals, Honda and Toyota, who were first to the market with hybrid vehicles. Nissan says its electric car should be introduced globally in 2012, and other major carmakers will no doubt follow suit before long.
Elsewhere, the British government has launched the world’s largest ‘real life’ electric-car trial. The £25 million scheme was announced in June and it will enable citizens to take part in long-term trials of electric vehicles, ranging from small city cars to sports cars and vans.
The project is being undertaken in cooperation with car manufacturers, power companies, regional and local governments and academic institutions.
In Norway, the finance minister has recently announced a plan to ban the sale of petrol and diesel cars beginning in 2015. It is not yet certain if the proposal will be put into practice, however this announcement encouraged politicians (both elsewhere in Scandinavia and further afield) to start a serious debate on the future of the automotive industry.
The Japanese government has launched a campaign to promote the use of electric cars in the country’s eight biggest cities, and is going to offer tax breaks and subsidies to those willing to buy one. This is unsurprising when you consider that Japanese manufacturers are at the forefront of electric-car development.
Starting from July 2010, electric-car subsidies will also be offered to the citizens of the Canadian province of Ontario.
Back in Europe, the French government is currently working on several projects that will lead to the electrification of not only cars, but also scooters and buses.
Pretty soon, we expect almost every major country will have some sort of electric-car incentive programme up and running.
This post was contributed by CBG.ie. Visit us to find more motoring advice, news and reviews as well as a comprehensive list of new and used cars for sale.
Tags: electric cars, hybrid cars
July 25th, 2009 at 3:50 am
I don’t see any good reason why cars nowadays should not opt to going green and converting to electric cars that use efficient fuel. This blog is a great reminder of this wonder.
August 29th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
It is a good though to use electrical cars instead of fuel cars because they can protect our environment and enables us to save fuel for some prospective purpose which helps in the promotion of a nation.
green
October 7th, 2009 at 11:41 am
I agree with Carz. Why wouldn’t people want to swich there fuel cars to electric cars; i bet you can’t even tell the differences and the cars do the same thing, get you from point A to point B but the electric cars do it in a cleaner way. like i heard on “who killed the electric car” , we let battery control our house, why not our cars.
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