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Posts Tagged ‘Cars’

Question: Are electric cars available to the public?

I watched the documentary “Who killed the electric car” the other day. I’m not sure what really happened, nor do I care about much except the fact that I really really want an electric car. Do they even sell a single one anymore?
The reason I want one isn’t only because of the environment or the outstanding gas prices, it’s because I feel that it’s the 21st century and we have this new technology, yet we spend all of our efforts on an already ancient energy source when we could already go electric! I hate the crap people spew out that “gas gives people jobs” and nonsense like that. It’s called adapting to change and increasing efficiency. Fossil fuels and petroleum aren’t efficient anymore

Best answer:

Answer by Morgan
yes

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Question: Are there any available electric cars that can go highway speed?

I watched “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and heard a presentation about electric cars. They seem like really great cars but the only ones that are available are low speed cars (max speed of 35 mph), right?

Best answer:

Answer by randy_salle47
The prius is still your best bet for conservation. In a couple years, thats all there will be… My suggestion is wait til gas really goes up again and see whats out there, good luck.

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Electric Car Popularity – Reasons People Prefer Electric Cars To Gas Cars

Electric cars are not a new concept as we think, people hve been using them for a long time .In fact in the 1900′s people used more electric cars than cars run on gas.In the 1920′s when the popularity for cars was growing, gas was very costly.Starting a gas run car was also a very tedious process, there was no key to ignite the engine, in fact a rod used to fit into the front of the car which had to be turned round and round to get the car started.

Not only were gas run cars tedious to start , they emitted alot of smoke and were very noisy, as either the mufflers used were not good or there were no mufflers at all. Beleive it or not , at one point of time electric cars were so popular that there were about 50,000 electric cars running on the streets of United States .

As new discoveries were underway to make gasoline cheaper, electric cars started disappearing from the market. The discovery of the electric starter made way for the exit of the crank and the car was started with a key.A car run on gas could travel more distance than the electric car.Thus cars run on gas started getting more pouplar than the electric car.

Now, once again because of the awareness towards protecting the environment and reducing the dangers caused by the emission of the greenhouse gases ” green ” electric cars are once again getting
popularized.

Gasoline is not used to run an electric car, it runs on the energy stored in batteries in the car. 12,14 or more batteries may be needed to run the car.The operation of the electric car is similar to that a remote controlled one since both have an electric motor that turns the wheel and a battery that that runs the motor.

Charging of the batteries can either be done all night or some cars need to be plugged into a standard electric wall.There are some which need a large electric outlet, something like what is used for an electric stove or electric clothes dryer. These are the various ways electricity is stored in the cars.

The batteries used to run the cars have to be either lead acid batteries, similar to those used in torch lights or ni-cad (nickel-cadium) used to run portable viodeo recorders or video games , only much larger in size. A lot of work is going on to upgrade the batteries to hold more energy and last longer. By the time the fifth graders in 2001 are ready to drive we should have electric cars which will be able to travel 150 to 200 miles before needing to get recharged.

Manufacturers of cars and scientists are making constant endeavours to make better cars which will be more eco-friendly. The revival of electric cars and the challenge to make them more attractive is on in a big way and enticing more people to switch over to electric cars.

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Question: Why no electric cars by the big companies yet???

I saw on the internet that there’s a company that makes a kit that turns hybrid cars into plug in hybrids. I think I read those modified hybrids can then go up to 30 or 40 miles on electric power alone. Given, those kits cost about 00. Here’s my idea…. If a company can build a kit like that to upgrade an existing car, why can’t one of the big automakers build an electric car that goes 30-50 miles on a charge? They just have to market it as a “30-50 mile a day” car because there’s always those people that whine “but you can only go 50 miles….”. What percentage of the population actually drives more than 50 miles a day – maybe 10%? That means the “50 mile a day car” is useable by 90% of the driving population (other than people who use pickups, but they could make those too). Plus, electric cars are much simpler which means they’re more reliable and less expensive to manufacture. I guess my question is why doesn’t any of the big car companies build one already? Who agrees with me?
Yeah, the batteries take up alot of space – so? Build the car in such a way it can accommodate those the battery. And I’m not taking about HYBRIDS – I’m talking about a strictly ELECTRIC CAR.
I don’t think “hondab” can read – I said 30-50 miles a day. And those kits I mentioned, it said it would raise your electric bill 65 cents a day…
And that 0,000 figure the big car companies threw out there – I’m sure that was for a car with a 200 or 300 range. Make one that only goes 50 miles a day….. I know it can be done for less than ,000.

Best answer:

Answer by joeschmoe
Right now the biggest limitation of the plug-in hybrids and electric cars is the size of the battery.

If you convert your Toyota Prius into a plug-in Hybrid like what you read, they have to add an entire bank of batteries into the car that covers the entire floor of the car.

What is needed is a more compact battery with higher power density (i.e. more power for a given battery size).

That means Lithium-Ion batteries, which can hold 5 times more power than a NiMH battery of the same size. And they still haven’t perfected Lion batteries yet– Lion batteries heat up easily, and when overheated they can explode. Both GM and Toyota are working on plug-in cars using Lion technology, attempting to make them safer for automotive use.

Expect the Lion-powered plug-in cars to hit the market in 2010 (the 3rd-generation Toyota Prius and the Chevy Volt).

EDITED TO ADD: The Chevy Volt IS an electric car. The drivetrain is powered only by its electrical motor. It does have a gasoline-powered generator on-board to recharge the batteries if you run the batteries down after 30 miles, but the gasoline generator is not mechanically linked to the drivetrain so it cannot directly move the car on its own.

Remember that inefficient batteries not only take up space, but they also WEIGH more. Added weight decreases range. If you want a plug-in hybrid or electric car that is practical, you HAVE to make the power source lighter and more compact.

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