The Novelty of the Electric Cars Hood - Case Study Example

Electric Cars Electric cars, by definition, are automotives that are propelled by electric motors powered by energy from batteries (MacKay 14). From the outside, it is difficult to tell whether a car is electric or not and, because electric cars in most cases are created from converted gasoline cars, it has always been difficult for me to tell electric cars on the road. The only thing that provides a clue as to the nature of a car is normally the fact that it is silent. However, I am always intrigued by how different the electric car suddenly seems under the hood. The electric motor replaces the gas engine, a controller is used to power the electric motor, and an array of rechargeable batteries is used to power the controller. The novelty of the electric car’s hood has always been a major draw for me. Gasoline and electric engines can be compared by likening the gasoline engine to a plumbing project with all its coolant hoses, exhaust pipes, and fuel lines, while the electric car is more of a wiring project (MacKay 15). Overall, I have always wanted to own an electric vehicle for its environmental and economic benefits, as well as inevitable decline in fossil fuel availability. However, I still do not own one because I generally find electric cars to be impractical. As an environmentally conscious person, the promise that electric vehicles offer with regards to decreasing tailpipe emissions is an attractive proposition and motivator for me to buy one. Indeed, almost all credible research evidence shows that electric cars have a smaller impact on the environment than conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, even in regions that depend on coal for energy production such as Texas and Ohio (MacKay 44). For regions that have a strong grid mix like solar, wind, and hydro, the cuts to emissions for electric car users is dramatic, especially if the driver relies on home solar charging. I have yet to find any evidence showing that the electric vehicle does not reduce greenhouse gases emissions, specifically because electric cars lack a tailpipe. The fact that electric vehicles get their power from energy stored in batteries reduces the environmental effects of internal engine combustion. With transport accounting for close to 35% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, any reduction in the amount of tailpipe emissions per vehicle would significantly improve air quality, while also improving long-term public health (MacKay 45). The inexpensive nature of operating an electric vehicle has also piqued my interest in the electric car, especially because electricity is so cheap and ubiquitous in the United States, which gives it a significant cost advantage compared to gasoline. From my research, I have found that electric cars have considerably more efficiency than internal combustion cars and that the fuel costs per mile required for electric vehicles is almost a third of gasoline costs per mile (Burton 23). Moreover, since electric do not require oil changes and have no exhaust systems, the costs of maintaining electric vehicles are reduced. The fuel economy is probably the biggest benefit offered by electric vehicles, especially because the driver is not concerned about the miles they can get from a gallon of gasoline but, rather, by the mileage provided by a charged battery system. The metrics used for electric vehicles are, therefore, different to those used in internal-combustion engines. Moreover, electric vehicles are able to transform approximately 60% of the energy stored in their batteries into mechanical energy, whereas gasoline-powered vehicles only convert 20% of energy stored in the fuel (Burton 24). As an involved American citizen, I believe that the president’s call for Americans to begin utilizing domestic fuel portfolios is a critical aspect of the country’s national energy security. Electric vehicles provide the opportunity for Americans to reduce their consumption of foreign oil, while also helping businesses and consumers to decrease their fuel cost and become a world leader in the production and deployment these new technologies (Burton 26). With the transportation sector currently accounting for almost three quarters of oil consumption in the US and the total costs of oil imports reaching $300 billion, there is an obvious need to reduce oil consumption in the transport sector. I believe that electric vehicles provide one avenue to achieve this goal. By moving towards cost-effective and cleaner domestic fuels, for example electricity used to fuel electric vehicles, the national security and economic consequences of oil dependence in the United States will be mitigated to some point. In addition, recharging electric vehicles costs less than the refueling of a vehicle, which will also reduce the amount of energy required to move from one point to another, thus reducing the need for oil imports (Burton 26). However, although there are three solid reasons why I should own an electric vehicle, I still do not own one and there are several reasons for this. To begin with, the range that an electric car would give me is too short, especially since I occasionally have to travel across state borders. Indeed, whereas the batteries of the average electric car allow them to travel for 100 to 200 miles after full charging, the gasoline-powered car can travel for over 300 miles on a full tank (Prudhomme 63). In addition, recharging the car battery requires a substantial amount of time to complete charging, which will increase the amount of time taken to travel over long distances. This is because, despite the elimination of refueling at service stations, the electric car will still have to be recharged if I was travelling for more than 200 miles. I believe that I suffer from what is called range anxiety, which is the fear of running out of fuel and being far from a charging station. The limited number of recharging stations makes this fear even more pronounced (Prudhomme 64). Secondly, as a person who likes to drive around with my friends and siblings, the seating capacity and size of electric vehicles has discouraged me from buying one. The electric car’s small size means that most can only sit two people, which would make it increasingly uncomfortable if we attempted to squeeze in a third person (Linde 54). This limitation is made especially worse by the fact that there are very few models of electric vehicles currently in operation, reducing the array of choice for bigger vehicles. Most of the present vehicles only have moderate storage space, which means that I may have to spend thousands of even tens of thousands of dollars to get a customized electric vehicle that I can take hiking. In addition, electric vehicles are constrained on American roads since very few states allow such cars on the road. More importantly, with the American government increasing tax rebates for electric vehicles, the ratio of electric cars to charge points may rise significantly in the next five or so years (Linde 54). For anyone who suffers fits of road rage and impatience, waiting in line for someone to recharge their car for three hours makes the electric car less attractive. Finally, one would not be exaggerating if they said that electric cars are still not practical enough for widespread use in the United States. For example, in reference to the point given above, electric cars take a long time to recharge and, although there are charging stations using state-of-the-art charging systems that can power up a car in less than fifteen minutes, these are still in the minority (MacDonald 91). Indeed, most of the charging stations in American cities still require over three hours for sufficient recharging. Moreover, replacement of defective or malfunctioning batteries is expensive with a new lithium battery costing more than $15,000; while nickel-cadmium batteries have an average cost $4,000 (MacDonald 91). Also, servicing of electric vehicles requires specialized training because of the potentially lethal high voltage circuits involved between the electric motor and the battery pack. However, specialists are in low demand and, therefore, using electric cars is a risky undertaking should it need repair or servicing. Electric cars have been showing up on American roads over the recent past in increasing numbers, particularly driven by concerns in society about dependence on imported oil, exhaust emissions and their impact on the environment, and the economic benefits of using electricity as a transport fuel compared to gasoline. However, any decision to buy an electric car in place of the gasoline-powered car should not be taken lightly since, for example, electric cars are still not practical enough for American roads due to their range issues, size, maintenance costs, and few recharging points. Works Cited Burton, Nigel. A History of Electric Cars. Ramsbury: The Crowood Press, 2013. Print. Linde, Arvid. Electric Cars - the Future Is Now! Your Guide to the Cars You Can Buy Now and What the Future Holds. Dorchester: Veloce Pub, 2010. Print. MacDonald, Catherine. "From Gas to Electric: Virginia Prepares for Surge in Electric Vehicle Use." Virginia Business. 26.12 (2011): 91. Print. MacKay, Jenny. Electric Cars. Detroit: Lucent Books, 2012. Print. Prudhomme, Rémy. "Electric Vehicles: a Tentative Economic and Environmental Evaluation." Transport Policy. 23 (2012): 60-69. Print. Read More