Electric cars can be fitted with either DC or AC motors. If a car is equipped with a DC motor, then it can run on anything between 96 to 192 volts. The electric fork lift industry is a premier producer of DC motors for electric cars.

When an AC motor is used, it is most likely to be a three phase motor running at 240 volts AC with a 300 volt battery pack.

Installing a DC motor is definitely far simpler and cheaper than an AC motor. A regular DC motor will have a range of 20000 watts to 30000 watts and a controller will be in the 40000 to 60000 watt range i.e.  400 to 600 amps may be delivered by a 96 volt controller. They are exceptional in that they may be over driven (up to 10:1) for short spans of time. Meaning, a 20000 watts engine can receive 100000 watts for a short period and deliver up to 5 times of its horsepower. It is fantastic for bursts of acceleration, but repeatedly overdriving a vehicle may cause its motor to heat up and self destruct.

Installing AC motors is easier as any industrial 3 phase motor can be used. These are easier to find in terms of size, shape and power rating issues. AC motors and controllers come equipped with regenerative features which help the motor become a generator during braking, and supply power back to the batteries.

If there are any drawbacks to electric cars they are its batteries. The top six problems that lead – acid batteries face are:

They are massive with a typical battery pack weighing 1000 pounds or more.

They are ponderously large in size, with a car needing 50 batteries measuring 6x8x6 inches.

They are constrained in capacity where a regular battery may hold up to 15 kilowatt hours of electricity i.e. power for a 50 mile drive only.

These batteries can take anytime from 4 to 10 hours to recharge depending on battery technology and charger.

Their life span is 3 to 4 years or maybe 200 full charge/ discharge cycles.

They cost about 2000$.

Electric Vehicles believe in one word: simplicity. In comparison with gasoline powered vehicles, electric vehicles achieve a staggering 90% efficiency rate because they are engineered to convert energy no matter the speed levels or power usages. These cars are also easier to control than normal cars.  This uniqueness comes from the combination of electric motors and a regenerative braking system. This system enables energy to be restored to the cells that drive the car. For people living in cities like Los Angeles, which experience high levels of grid lock, this is a boon.

The regenerative braking system can provide torque even as the car is coming to a rest and this enables the electric vehicle to maneuver curves and handle inclines. It is this ability of the electric engine that erases the need of torque converters or gear boxes. Electric engines have very few moving parts and are therefore silent and produce lesser vibrations. While this might be seen by some as dangerous to the elderly, the blind and children, it is a pleasure to drive and is a definite advantage to the owner of the car.

Electric vehicles do not pollute the air with noxious gases like CO2, NO2, PM, CO and NMHC making them assuredly environmentally friendlier. Looking at their efficiency in energy utilization, we find that electric cars are three times better at tank to wheels efficiency than gasoline cars. According to information available with the GM Volt, these cars are far cheaper to be run. In fact estimated costs are as little as 2 cents as against the 12 cents per mile paid by gasoline cars.

Electric cars are environmentally the better option as they use energy stored in batteries for propulsion. They are definitely a cleaner and safer alternative to internal combustion vehicles. As with all things, there are definite pros and cons to electric engines. They can move much faster and can be controlled better but they cannot traverse long distances at one time and while they do not emit any exhaust, they take a long time to charge the batteries.

Maintenance of an Electric Car Costs Less

In the opinion of some people, maintaining an electric car is an enormous task to do. But the majority may not think so.

The structure and components of a gasoline engine consist of several hundred parts and each and every part is vulnerable to be damaged at any time. But, this is not the case with the electric cars. These cars possess merely single progressive part. You don’t have to sustain and concentrate on electric motor, nothing to change as filters, oil changing or cooling; in short, no fuss at all.

We can find electric motors almost everywhere, starting from our houses and every room might have different kind of electric motors, from washing machines to blenders, fridge and freezers to can openers. These items do get damaged but the question is, how many times these electric motors cause the problems and are responsible for no work? As the matter of fact, nothing else in the world of technology is more reliable and lasting than an electric motor. That is why the motors in the electric cars work and run for longer time and the resale percentage are higher in the market.

You must know that the batteries don’t long forever and need the change after certain period. Lead-acid batteries are old and a pack of batteries might last for 20 thousand miles and replacing a pack of 16 batteries would take just $800 for the replacement. Thinking about the saving from the fuel point of view, this all costs about 1.5 cents and the overall workable cost is merely 5.5 cents/mile.

New batteries with new technology being introduced such as Lithium-ion and nanotechnology in batteries make it a stunning and more effective device with 250,000 miles or maybe till the vehicle itself runs out.

The other repairing works in an electric car are not needed for years. The controller can be reliable as well as other parts connected to it. Same as you work once in a while on brakes and other suspension work, you would need the same with the electric car. And if you got advanced braking system, it would last longer.

Electric Automobiles Help against Pollution

A general critique would criticize electric automobiles for spreading contamination and pollution through tailpipes to energy stations. In simple words, power plants burn the contaminated material, so the risk of polluting the environment is higher. But this criticism is not fair.

Most of the electric cars are charged at night time and at that time, the energy stations work which means the risk of pollution is lower when the waste processing takes place. The estimations show that there is plenty of waste power and abundance of volume for millions of cars. No new plants would be set up as there is much energy left, so it won’t cause spreading pollution by making new power stations.

Even when we may see a boom in electric car industry, it is hoped that they would build some environment-friendly stations to provide fuel. The coal plants which generate energy are more efficient with 80% than the gasoline engine efficiency of tradition-25%. Higher in efficiency makes electric car helping in reducing pollution.

Let us imagine that the above figures and statistics are not factual, but this is still goes in favor of electric vehicles as electric cars are much more efficient than the typical gasoline cars and waste less energy and doesn’t pollute environment as much as gasoline does. To prove this, we can look at the energy or fuel prices for the two kinds. Gasoline makes it 14 cents per mile and can reach to 30 cents which depends on the car quality and gas charges. On the other hand, electric vehicles only take one or two pennies/ mile.

Gasoline process in the firms uses electricity. So, gasoline is responsible for pollution caused in the factory, during transportation and its use too. Another benefit of electric cars compared to hydrogen fuel-cells is that the latter is less efficient and produces much pollution and they are comparatively costly than the electric cars.

Is it Affordable to Purchase an Electric Car?

If the Electric vehicles were in the market in abundance, we might not have to look for them somewhere specific but as we know, they are the rare vehicles in the market today, so we have to work out on where to get them.

As the matter of fact, the electric cars that we actually see on the roads today are made by enthusiasts or some minor entrepreneurs who had an ambition. You might find some of the online links to find those people and buy the car from them.

As ambitious people, they converted the gasoline cars into electric cars. An aged car which possesses a good body but a failed engine would be cheaper in price. They clean everything and change the gasoline car into running electric cars.

You may be interested in converting your own car into an electric one- or purchase a cheaper one which has already been worked on. This might range to $5000 and it is not a bad price for electric cars enthusiasts and usually, the prices are limited in the range of $20,000.

Majority of these cars possess the batteries built on old technology. This is due to the copyright of the invention by other manufacturers which is quite difficult for a small entrepreneur to co-op with. This still gives you enough speed to drive on the motorways or freeways with 100 miles range or even the lesser.

Not to forget this important thing that you can plug your car anywhere and get it recharged without any problem. For example, at your home, and especially, if you are a worker and take your car with you, you can easily charge it at work while it would give your car ample energy to get you to home or anywhere else you want to go.

The Savings with Electric Automobiles

A traditional driver runs his car for about 15,000 miles annually which means that it runs around 1250 miles every month.

Considering the mileage and the cost of a traditional gasoline car, it takes 20 miles per gallon or above and it all can cost around $ 320 per month. On the other hand, an electric car takes kilowatts per hour of electric energy and not gasoline at all. Fundamentally, these cars can get 3 to 7 miles per kilowatt. Let us imagine that it takes 5 miles per kilowatt. In some cities, the electric rates might be as low as 3 cents per kilowatt and in some other cities; it might be at maximum 10 cents per kilowatt. Let us take the aggregate and use 7 cents per kilowatt. Now if we compare the electric cars with gasoline, it would only cost you $17.50 compared to $ 320 per month.

So, you can save this money for some other services or bills to pay.

Today, more and more people are choosing a healthier alternative to everything. In terms of fuel consumption, we are focusing on using biofuels as part of this campaign. Exactly how can we benefit from biofuels? Here are some advantages:

• Biofuel has the potential to reduce greenhouse emissions by being carbon neutral. It is significantly more environmentally friendly than their fossil fuel alternative.
• According to a technique called Life Cycle Analysis, first generation biofuels can save up to 60% carbon emissions, while second generation biofuels save up to 80%. The UK government also stressed this same point when they acknowledged that biofuels can save 50-60% carbon emissions.
• Biofuels can help save money. The UK government has introduced incentives such as reduced tax which depend on how “green” your vehicle is. And with it is also expected that once biofuel is made readily available, prices are sure to drop.

Biofuel comes in many forms. The most popular kind of biofuel is the E10, and this is known internationally. Essentially, it is composed of 10% Ethanol and 10% Petroleum. With this, various biofuel mixes have originated, such as the recent E15 and E20 fuel to name a few.
In the UK, bio-desiel has found its home in many petrol stations. It comes from oil and fat and is also produced in many forms.
The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation has mandated that all  petrol or diesel products should contain biofuel. This is done in order to uplift the meager 3% value, and increase it potentially to 5% by 2013.
Other known sources of biofuel include vegetable oils, butanol and biogas, which is produced from renewable waste materials. Development of this process has paved way for the second generation biofuel which use biomass to liquid technology and includes biohydrogen, biomethanol and mixed alcohols.
Third generation biofuel are derived from algae, which prove to provide 30 times more energy and pose no environmental hazards when accidentally spilled.

Electric powered vehicles are not limited to the posh Chevy Volt, or the Nissan Leaf alone. Motorcycles that run on this alternative technology are also being put in production, as initiated by the Zero Motorcycles, the self proclaimed global leader in the electric motorcycle industry. Recently, it has acquired $26 million in financing from its investor group, Invus, LP. They hope that with the amount they have raised, they will be able to boost and expand production, more specifically in its U.S. base. Furthermore, Santa Cruz has pledged its allegiance with Zero Motorcycles. This CA based company has entrusted itself to do researches and more developments for the said expansion.

With all the rage about electric powered cars, no wonder the motorcycle industry is jumping on the bandwagon too. Although not as warmly welcomed as its car counterpart yet, the growing eco-consciousness of consumers may up the popularity of the motorcycles in no time.

GridPoint has just invested around $120 million in accumulated funds to purchase the V2Green electric car charging facilities and software. The company, GridPoint, specialises in the distribution of software that helps to power multiple generating units, in this case, electric car charging outlets. The software is used to control the distribution of electricity from port to car, and eliminates any risk to the car.

The reason for this purchase was to eliminate electricity grid ‘taxing’, which means that in peak times the number of electric cars that are plugged in to recharge would create a demand for too much electricity, so eventually more electric power plants would need to be built. The V2Green software is designed to assist the already present power grid to cope with all this extra energy that is needed.

It is thought that this kind of high demand on the power grid is not going to become much of an issue until late 2010 or early 2011, which is when most of the new electric cars go into wide distribution. The hype over the poor condition of the O-zone layer and other environmental concerns is thought to push electric car sales to an all time high, making the V2Green a necessity, mainly in the U.S. and China.

The current electric and hybrid car batteries, whilst they are fit for purpose, they do not last as long as they should. It is thought that a Lithium-Ion Battery would last twice as long. No figures have been released as of yet, but plans are being pursued to manufacture electronic chips that may serve to help these new batteries work for longer.

Linear’s LTC6802 is it’s name, and it will be able to accurately monitor the power output of up to 12 individual Lithium-Ion battery cells when installed in electric and hybrid cars. The production of the chips is going to be expensive, however work has already commenced, with prototypes nearing completion.

The system has already been purchased by Toyota, to use with it’s third generation hybrid cars which are going to run on Lithium-Ion batteries. More and more companies are placing bids each week, but no other information has been released as of yet. Lithium-Ion batteries are prone to ‘catastrophic failure’, as stated by the company that produces these new technologies. The new chips will eliminate over charging and over discharging damage, making the driving safer and keeping the car in good ‘health’ for longer.

It is widely thought that a stereotypical electric or hybrid car owner is one of two kinds of people. The first is an elderly male who is either too old, or afraid to drive too fast and thinks that they will be safer in a car that runs on little or no gas. The second is a rich man or woman who feels high and mighty and almost better than everyone else in the knowledge that they are doing their bit for the environment, with little effort.

This need not be the case. Electric cars are ideal for almost anyone. Given a few more years, manufacturers could even have produced 4x4s run on batteries and then everybody will be happy. The EV world has come a long way since it’s begginning, costs are coming down and vehicles are easy to get hold of. With the environmental concieousness rising, everyone is looking for some way to help keep the world ‘ticking’ for a few more years, and driving a battery powered car is a good way to start.

The prices of electric cars are still very high, but soon they will start falling. Think about an electric vehicle when you decide to upgrade or replace your current car. By 2010, there will be so many choices available that everybody will be spoilt for choice.