Electric Vehicle

  If you’re investing in a life-changing product such as an electric vehicle, it’s good to  know exactly how it works. The technology behind electric and hybrid cars can be  a bit baffling, but we think it’s worth understanding the details so you can drive  away confident, knowing that you’ve made the right decision. Essentially, an electric vehicle (EV) has a battery instead of a petrol tank, and an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. The electricity stored in its battery powers the electric motor. When too low, the car’s battery needs to be recharged by plugging it in to use grid electricity, like when your phone needs charging. Similarly, Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) come with a plug socket and charging leads so that you can charge the battery via the mains. Although they have a smaller capacity, these models are able to run in electric-only mode for 20-30 miles. An amazing perk of EVs is that they can be charged at home if you have a home charging...

  Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) Battery Electric Vehicles, also called BEVs and more frequently called EVs, are fully electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries and no gasoline engine. All energy to run the vehicle comes from the battery pack which is recharged from the grid. BEVs are zero emissions vehicles, as they do not generate any harmful tailpipe emissions or air pollution hazards caused by traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Some popular EV models are pictured here and a full list of available fast charging EV models is available in the chart above. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, or PHEVs, have both an engine and electric motor to drive the car. Like regular hybrids, they can recharge their battery through regenerative braking. They differ from regular hybrids by having a much larger battery, and being able to plug into the grid to recharge. While regular hybrids can (at low speed) travel 1-2 miles before the gasoline eng...

I think electric cars—EVs—are very relevant to today’s society in giving us a more sustainable direction for humans to choose. IMO, This is more important in the USA than perhaps anywhere else. I think many of us are as yet unwilling to realize the damage we have done to the Earth’s eco-systems. As long as we do not see it in our back yards…. As a US Navy pilot for a decade, I flew all over the globe, and I saw the damage first hand. I am concerned for the coming generations, and I am concerned about the level of denial that is still common in my country. I think that the availability of clear positive steps—like buying an EV—are very important to help individual people take meaningful action, and to help groups of people align and get even bigger things done. Here are some very relevant improvements that EVs can help to usher in: We are running out of cheap fossil fuels, especially oil, and we will need oil for a long time for reasons other than energy production. EVs can help us cons...

We shouldn’t. Ideally, we should walk everywhere, scavenging for naturally growing vegetable food to nourish ourselves. This is ultimately the way to minimize our impact on the planet and the rest of life on it. But let’s face it, such an extreme measure is not compatible with modern society. Some of us may be able to get by with bicycles (although even those have an environmental impact), or use public transportation which helps minimize our impact on the environment as well as easing traffic congestion. But for many people, it’s expected that we own a personal vehicle of some sort to get us and our goods around. So the question is: if we do truly need a personal vehicle to move us around, is there a particular type of vehicle that is “better” to own? And “better” is a subjective quantity that is going to be different for everyone. However, if we adopt the opinion that one characteristic of “better” is that our choice of vehicle benefits (or rather minimizes harm to) the environment a...

Essentially yes. There are exceptions though. In some places where coal is the primary source of electricity, a hybrid vehicle may be better. The following data is current as of 2018: The MPG ratings determine what MPG a gas powered car would have to get to be equivalent to an EV. The regions correspond to power grids. In parts of Hawaii, all you need is a car capable of 35mpg which is not to hard to do. In Florida, it would be 58mpg. Offhand, I can’t think of an ICEV that gets that kind of mileage. And while the numbers are current for 2018, they are changing. The grid continues to get cleaner as old coal plants are closed in favor of green energy like solar or especially wind. This is the same chart from 2015: As you can see, in 3 years, quite a few states got much cleaner and this trend is expected to continue. So a fuel sipping hybrid that is superior to an EV this year may not be next year. One other caveat. Currently EVs cost a bit more CO2 to produce because the batteries are so...

  Remember landline phones? When mobile phones first appeared in the 1980’s, they were bulky, expensive, had limited range and battery life. (Sound familiar?) But over the next couple decades, mobile phones became small and inexpensive as coverage improved. Then smart phones happened. And people began to realize they didn’t need a mobile phone and a separate landline at home. Mobile phones took over the market simply because they were better. We also saw digital cameras change an industry. After a century of film manufacturing and developing, digital cameras quickly disrupted an established industry because they were better. Once quality improved and prices fell, there was no more reason to buy a film camera, especially when you could instantly view your photos and retake as many as needed. Electric cars appeared to be similarly destined to take over the automotive industry. They were initially expensive and limited in their capabilities, but the gaps are shrinking. Electricity is ...

  They are certainly much better for the environment than internal combustion engine (ICE) cars, both due to dramatically-reduced local emissions, and due to much higher efficiency, which when combined with either a low-enough grid carbon intensity, or your own clean (e.g. rooftop PV) power, makes for greatly reduce emissions from transport. Another advantage is that the grid intensity can improve over time and thus the vehicle emissions fall after purchase, unlike an ICE vehicle. Other answers go into much more detail about what grid intensity produces a better overall result, so I won’t repeat that here. Of course electric cars are nothing like as good for the environment as walking or cycling or using the bus, tram or train. EVs do not solve any of the problems of congestion, road danger, urban sprawl, noise (well a bit, but surprisingly little - it’s nearly all tyre/wind noise), resource use and inefficient use of space. So, yes stop selling fossil cars pretty-much immediately ...