Posts Tagged ‘electric cars’

 

The Cars Of Tomorrow

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

What will the future be like? The future of the car has been a favorite topic of Movies and television for years. What did you think vehicles would be like in the year 2010? Floating space speeders like on The Jetsons? Hovering craft like in Star Wars? We imagined better, faster, cooler cars than ever. That isn’t the direction that technology has taken. Cars already do what we need them to do. Hovering would be cool, but wouldn’t really serve any other purpose. The police are busy trying to slow drivers down because our cars already go more than fast enough. A lot of the time we can’t even use the speed our cars are capable of because there’s too much traffic. Although we do want good looking cars, consumers are choosing cars that look good, but pretty boring. Even spoilers are usually understated and painted the same color as the car. Auto makers tout the vehicles’ reliability and safety records, which has improved exponentially in recent years. Is there anything we need that our current cars don’t offer? Even more practicality, in the form of fuel efficiency. The price of gasoline has soared in recent years, and it’s expensive just to drive around town. Cars that run on less gasoline, or none at all, are the hot sellers. There are a lot of options for accomplishing this goal, from propane to hydrogen to biofuels. None of these technologies is perfect yet, especially economically. One technology has taken the lead in the last few years and reached the consumer via the car dealership showroom: electricity. Hybrids have been here for a while, and fully electric cars are appearing now. Toyota was the first to get its hybrid, the Prius, to consumers at a reasonable price. The other automakers followed closely on their heels. The Ford Escape, Infiniti M35, Honda Civic and Nissan Altima are just a few of the offerings. Hybrids don’t have to be small anymore, either, as evidenced by GMC’s Sierra and Cadillac’s Escalade. The government has encouraged the use of cars that consume less gasoline and don’t cause as much damage to the environment by offering financial incentives. You can go buy one of these cars today at your local Atlanta Honda Dealer or Car Dealers Des Moines with no problem. The fully electric car is the next development we’ll see. You’ve seen them for quite a while, in experimental cars owned by the local power company or as spec cars at car shows. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf are finally hitting showrooms. Limited range and battery price are not completely resolved yet, but clearly this is the direction that new cars are going. Good old fashioned fuel efficiency is getting overlooked to some degree. Even gasoline powered engines can be greatly improved if they just use less gas. This is a technology that’s been slowly but steadily improving for many years. There are gasoline powered cars getting 34-35 MPG – the Honda Civic and Ford Focus to name a few. This was unimaginable back in the 80’s when gas was only $1.35 a gallon and we loved our V8s. So while we’re unlikely to see cars like the DeLorean from Back to the Future or Kitt from the Knight Rider, cars will continue to evolve to meet our ever-changing needs. America’s love affair with the automobile is far from over.

 

Electric Cars and the Savings That You Can Get From Driving One

Friday, November 27th, 2009

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Everybody is affected by the global financial crisis. This is why a lot of people are doing everything that they can in order to save money. If you too would want to be able to save more money, then you should start thinking about your Car. If you are really serious about saving money, then you may want to sell your gas guzzling Automobile and invest in an Electric Car.

Although Battery Electric Cars are more expensive to buy than conventional gasoline powered Cars, you will see that Electric Automobiles will be a lot cheaper when you take a look at it in the long run. Because you won’t be spending money on gasoline in order for you to make the Car run, you will eventually save thousands of dollars a year with Electric Car.

The price tag for Battery Powered Automobiles may be expensive but if you compute the expenses that you have to make with conventional powered Vehicles compared to Battery Electric Automobiles, you will find that Battery Powered Cars will be a lot cheaper in the long run.

Battery Electric Automobiles will also provide you with more savings when it comes to maintenance. Internal combustion engines simply have so many moving parts that it can incur a lot of expenses on maintenance. You have to put oil and the spare parts are so expensive.

Battery Electric Cars have Battery Electric motors instead of the internal combustion engine. The Electric motor has fewer moving parts, which means that it will be easier to maintain and also a lot cheaper.

In addition to this advantage, Battery Electric Automobiles also help save the environment. The great thing about Electric Cars is that it emits nothing harmful to the environment. Unlike gasoline powered Cars that burns gasoline, Electric Cars uses the cleanest form of energy to power it, which is electricity.

Because Electric Automobiles do not emit any harmful gas to the environment, using one will help contribute to stopping global warming and climate change, which we are currently experiencing today.

You should also keep in mind that Electric Cars will also give you plenty of savings when it comes to taxes. Back in 2005, President Bush signed an agreement that offers tax incentives to people who drives hybrid and Electric Cars. This is due to the pressures being set by the world on fuel consumption.

Because the government wants to be less dependent on foreign oil and petroleum products, they are now offering huge tax breaks on people who purchases and uses Battery Powered Cars. In some states, you will find that Battery Electric Automobiles are exempted from Car pool lane requirements and are also able to park for free on pay parking lots and parking meters.

As you can see, Electric Cars have plenty of great advantages. If you want to save a lot of money, you may want to start owning or drive an Battery Powered Car. With it, you will never have to spend another cent on gasoline or diesel ever again.

Electric Vehicles may be expensive to buy compared to conventional gasoline powered Cars. But, if you take a look at it in the long run, investing in Battery Powered Cars will be able to give you more savings which means that Electric Vehicles will be a lot cheaper than owning a conventional gasoline powered Car. It won’t be long in the future that you will start seeing most people driving Electric Cars. So, there’s really no reason why you shouldn’t.

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Electric Cars and the Advantages It Can Give When You Drive One

Saturday, November 7th, 2009

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Although fuel prices weren’t as high as it was before a couple of years ago, you have to consider that with the looming global financial crisis, the low gasoline prices will really not last that long. This is why more and more people are looking for an alternative when it comes to saving money on fuel. This is also why more and more people are going green.

When it comes to personal transportation or Automobiles, increasing numbers of people are now considering selling their old gasoline engine vehicle and buy a purely Electric powered vehicle that they can drive from home to school, work, or shopping centers.

Basically, there are two ways to own an Battery Electric Car. You can try converting your gasoline powered Car in to an Battery Electric Automobile or you can just buy an Electric Automobile.

You need to understand that Battery Powered Vehicles use Electric motors instead of an internal combustion engine. To power the Electric motor, the Car will also be equipped with batteries. These batteries are state of the art and today, you will find that Electric Cars have batteries that are lighter, smaller and have larger capacity when it comes to storing electricity. In addition to that, these batteries can be charged rather quickly.

In fact, some Battery Electric Cars today are equipped with state of the art batteries that it can be fully charged while you eat lunch during a long trip. Most Electric Cars today can be charged with a simple home outlet, which is very convenient for everyone.

After a day at the office, you can simply charge your Vehicle in your garage using your conventional Battery Electric outlet to connect your Automobile to a power source to recharge and get it ready for another day of commute.

The great thing about Electric Cars today is that it is built to be lighter. Because the batteries as well as the body of the Car itself are lighter than its predecessors, efficiency is maximized.

You need to understand that Electric Automobiles are not entirely a new concept. In fact, some of the first Cars were Battery Powered. However, the batteries back in those days were not really very effective in storing electricity. And, you need to charge it for many hours before you can use the Automobile again.

Electric Cars run purely on electricity. Although there are hybrid Electric Cars that run on both electricity and gasoline, you will find that more and more companies are not developing Cars that run purely on electricity. Electric Cars may be more expensive than conventional Cars when you buy it off the showroom.  However, when you think about the savings that you will get with Electric Cars, you will find that it will be worth every penny owning one.

Aside from the fuel savings that you will enjoy with Battery Powered Vehicles, you will also enjoy tax breaks or tax incentives offered by the federal government for people who owns and drive Electric Vehicles. Some states even offer exemption from Car pool lane rules for people driving Battery Electric Vehicles.

Battery Powered Cars will not just enable you to save a lot of money on tax breaks and fuel, but you will also find that you will also be able to contribute to the environment by having a Automobile that does not emit pollution and contribute to global warming. These are the advantages of Electric Vehicles.

So, the next time you are ever in the market for Cars, you may want to consider buying an Electric Vehicle.

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Nissan Turns Over a New, Green LEAF in Car Production

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

Fuel efficiency and “being green” is all the rage these days when it comes to trends in the automotive world. Carmakers have been paying attention and running full speed with this new way of thinking. The hybrid vehicle has been around for a while now and has definitely made its impact on consumers. There is a new kid in town that will give the hybrid a run for its money - the electric car.

 

Nissan introduced their first all-electric vehicle amidst heavy anticipation on August 2nd. Nissan says that the LEAF is an electric car for real people - it is affordable and environmentally friendly. One thing right off the bat that the LEAF seems to have over its hybrid competitors is that space was not compromised during production. It is a roomy, 5 passenger hatchback that seems to actually comfortably fit that many people.

Now, what about the “green” specifications of this new electric car? It runs on a lithium-ion battery that can be charged from a charging station, much like you would your cell phone. This type of battery provides a similar driving experience to a typical gasoline-powered engine. The LEAF has zero emissions and can go 100 miles on a single charge. Just as the name suggests, cars like this can help purify the exhaust-filled air we all breathe every day.

Consumers can get these 200v charging stations installed by a professional electrician at their homes. To gain a full charge, the car needs to be plugged in for 7-8 hours which is plenty of time for an overnight refresher. The car can also be brought up to 80% power on a “quick charge” in about 30 minutes. The one downside so far is the production cost for these batteries. Right now, they cost about $10,000 to produce which could hurt the wallet a bit. Nissan is hoping however, that as production rises, the cost will come down. In the immediate future though, Nissan is relying on government-backed programs to help ease some of their cost and enable them to keep the actual cost of the LEAF affordable.

Another great feature the LEAF comes equipped with is a system called the Connected Mobility IT System. This system really allows the car to be interactive for both driver and passenger. Through this system, the car will be connected to a global data center that can stream information and entertainment 24 hours a day. The LEAF has a dashboard monitor that lets the driver know how much power is left in the vehicle, as well as the location of the nearest charging station. You can visit Nissan’s website for more information on this state-of-the-art technology.

As the launch (slated for sometime in late 2010) approaches, more specifications will be released along with detailed information on the cost of the vehicle. It seems however, that Nissan is truly committed to releasing this car as an affordable option for every family and to lead the way into an emissions-free future on our roads.

 

 

Why Battery Electric Vehicles Are Getting More and More Popular

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

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Electric Cars are not entirely a new concept. In fact, people already started building Electric Cars decades ago. The idea of Electric Cars weren’t really popular back then and that it wasn’t really popular among the majority of the population. The problem with Electric Automobiles back then is that it was way too costly to build and maintain. In addition to that, the technology for large capacity power supply or batteries didn’t exist.

However, because of the concerns about global warming and the depletion and the rising cost of petroleum products, researchers and majority of the population are now getting the concept of Battery Electric Cars and how it can get them to save a lot of money on gasoline as well as contribute to the overall well-being of the environment.

The biggest obstacle that Battery Electric Cars need to go through today is the huge deterrence for the development and purchase of these Automobiles. Thanks to the latest development and research on battery cells, most of the obstacles faced by Battery Powered Cars are now a thing of the past.

New batteries are a lot smaller and are also stronger, longer lasting and it can also recharge a lot faster than in the past.

Because batteries used in Electric Cars today weigh less, the power as well as the range of Electric Cars has significantly increased. In fact, it is even possible to go on a cross country trip with your Electric Automobile in just a single charge.

The great thing about Battery Powered Cars is that it is easier to maintain. The reason for this is that the engine for Electric Cars has fewer moving parts when compared to a gasoline engine. You have to keep in mind that fewer moving parts in a machine means that it is easier to maintain as there are fewer parts to break.

You also need to keep in mind that you no longer have to change the oil of the engine as oil will no longer be needed in the engine.

You should also consider the fact that Electric Automobiles will run silent as there is virtually no combustion going on inside the engine. At the most, all you will hear is a silent hum.

The government today is also very concerned with the environment and global warming. Because of this, the federal government is now offering tax credits for anyone who purchases and uses Battery Powered or hybrid Cars. So, aside from saving money on gas, you will also save money on taxes when you buy an Electric Car.

You should also keep in mind that Electric Cars are cleaner when it runs. It is a 100 percent emission free Car as they do not burn gasoline or any other type of petroleum to run the Automobile. This means that there will be no byproducts produced by burning gasoline, which is pollution.

You also have to remember that producing electricity costs much less than producing, transporting, and refining petroleum products, such as gasoline and diesel. You can produce electricity through solar panels, wind mills and other types of renewable source of energy. And, in case you haven’t notice, gas prices today are continuing to fluctuate.

These are just some of the benefits and the reasons why Battery Electric Vehicles are becoming more and more popular in today’s society. Aside from the huge savings you will get from gasoline expenses, you will also save a lot of money on maintenance as well as tax. In addition to that, you will also contribute to a cleaner environment.

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