It is exciting to see where technology is leading us to each and every day, and to see all the new possibilities out there in the world. These new electric cars are just waiting to be transformed into something that we might think of as futuristic, and something that will really change the way the United States looks. Each day with any new invention or idea we draw closer to this conclusion.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Electric Vehicles: Not Meeting Expectations
Electric Vehicles seem to be the next big thing in the world as gas prices are increasing each year. Unfortunately these electric vehicles have not yet proved themselves on the road, since most of these cars are unable to travel 100 miles within one charging period. Most people need a car that can travel at least 300 miles before needing to be recharged, but the electric vehicles out now are not meeting those expectations. Another problem with these cars that people have is that they take at least eight hours to charge, and most people need them to charge in about an hour or less. So basically electric vehicles are a new and efficient way to save money on gas, but when the car takes eight hours to charge and then can only be driven for a little over an hour on the highway, that is not very efficient. The article says that by next year there will be a Tesla Model S that will be able to go 320 miles and charge in thirty minutes or less. Sounds like a perfect solution to the problem, but we'll see where technology leads us between now and then.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
The article is....
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/10/05/survey-says-electric-cars-dont-meet-expectations-customers/
Also to add to this, as electric cars increase in value the demand will increase, but instead of price acting inversely with demand it will also go up. So we need to think in terms of supply because these vehicles will be wanted by many people since they will save on gas, and when they finally do become efficient companies will overstock them and raise the price of them based on this idea. Overall since people want an alternative to gas they will buy electric cars and companies will feed off of this.
In the end the majority of people will only buy electric cars if they benefit them. People won't buy them solely to save the environment. Not to mention it must be beneficial to the car manufacturer as well. At the present time there are three types of batteries being tested for electric cars. Lead Acid batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, and Lithium Polymer batteries. Lead Acid batteries have been known to explode with overcharging and use toxic materials to produce. Nickel Metal Hydride batteries have a high amount of energy storage but drain quickly and have a low amount of total charge/discharge cycles. lithium polymer rechargeable batteries are presently the best choice for electric cars having a high amount of energy storage, drain slowly, and have a high amount of charge/discharge cycles. However these batteries cost much more than the previous to produce. This money is wasted if the batteries still cannot perform to the likes of gasoline. The batteries must perform to the quality of the consumers expectations or the car companies will not waste their money.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/electric-car-battery1.htm
http://batterydata.com/
Post a Comment