It seems that we were still waiting for electric cars to come along, but once you start, you will see a fake Olympic Games in London this year, and it seems that the electric car is finally here to stay.
Now we need to start with some boring terminology: true electric vehicle (EV, electric car) has no engine and a backup, it will depend on the presence of batteries and charging enough to make you where you should go. Sheet and Nissan is the most famous (and best) electric car currently for sale.
Normal use and hybrid electric motor and / or gasoline engine, depending on the circumstances. You do not plug it into the wall outlet for batteries to charge while driving. A typical trip, even if short, and use of electricity and gasoline to both drive the wheels. The Toyota Prius hybrid is the most popular and famous in sales worldwide.
And electric propulsion, the "long" the electric car, is technically a hybrid of fantasy EV true even if it leads more like a regular hybrid EV. In fact, it can be a big difference or no, depending on how the use of a car. The enlarged group, or electric propulsion because it is more commonly known, has a gasoline engine that can be used to run the electric motor when the batteries are drained, the gasoline engine, but do not pay directly wheels *. The Ampera / Vauxhall Chevrolet Volt twins is an excellent example of this type of car, and call for fuel consumption in urban areas of 300mpg (Yes, this is 300. Was it not a typo! )
A car that runs on an electric motor is usually a very quiet (silent or abroad distant hum instead of a gasoline engine clearly audible) and smooth (ie vibration from the engine or gearbox). The response of the car away from the rest of engines both immediate and strong, and power to generate huge amounts of torque on the spot. They are calm on the outside for, since the EU is considering requiring mandatory warnings sound off in the future just to hear the next electric car.
In terms of treating an exciting, electric cars are not generally excellent, it must be said. They tend to be very heavy, and usually works Wheels and more beneficial for the economy to cope. But as a means for passengers through the city, they are agile and efficient. In addition, it generates less noise and heat and pollution of the street, even in a traffic jam of April, in the city of Leafs will have a lot of good for the passage of pedestrians.
Batteries in an electric car model to give it the range is sufficient for a few miles (same is true if the EV will pack the biggest battery because they do not have to match the engine and tank and fuel), which is why the use of cars of different ways to charge the battery while driving. Usually involves the transfer of kinetic energy of this great victory and braking electrical energy storage in batteries. In Fisker Karma even solar cells in the roof of his hand and charge batteries.
However, the longest journey inevitably means that the battery drains. An electric car in its entirety and that means you must stop and recharge the batteries, so we hope you parked near the plug-in somewhere and have several hours to find something else to do. In the hybrid, the gasoline engine to start saving energy. In the regular Prius hybrid as the car is actually the normal gasoline car, but with the engine weakened to some extent on the payment of a heavy vehicle, it is not fast. In the "expanded and" amp / volt, and the gasoline engine provides power to the electric motor to drive the wheels, which are more efficient in performance and economy. Depending on how you drive, and can use any backup power from the gasoline engine to recharge the batteries again, so the car can return to power as soon as the shipment.
So what does this mean in the real world?
Well, how do the following? Here we assume that the battery is fully charged when it was launched.
Taking short trips (less than 50 miles between charges).
This type of travel that are ideal for electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Such as batteries and deal with each trip, and to get some support while driving and there are regular hybrid still need to use a gasoline engine, although much depends on how you drive, how freight, it is able to get along the way.
Flights medium (50-100 miles between charges).
These are the types of movements that give EV drivers a lot of tension, as traffic conditions may mean running out of juice before you make your shipping point. And work with electricity or regular hybrids be good because they can appeal to a gasoline engine. In the normal hybrid, meaning that the car will be subsidized gasoline for more than one trip. Plug-in hybrid, they will mainly supply with a gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the batteries if necessary at the end of travel.
Longer trips (+ 100 km between charges)
It is not possible in an all-electric car, as you will almost certainly run out of power before they get there. Hybrid is basically a regular gasoline car for almost the entire trip, and is a plug-in hybrid electric gasoline supplemented by a majority, but more effective than regular hybrid.
Advantages and disadvantages:
Summarize the three types of cars powered by electricity:
Normal hybrid (eg - Toyota Prius)
Advantages: cheaper, does not require the imposition of, does not affect the scope, the conventional gasoline engine gives the impression of a regular gasoline car
Disadvantages: too short trips (a few miles at best) will be fully electric, gasoline engine battery, small and weak means that the relatively low yield compared to a gasoline engine or a regular car electric car in its entirety , and the weak economy on demand is hard (like most Prius minicab in London ...), and not too wide for passengers and baggage as a result of the realization of gasoline engines and electric a car
Any electric vehicle (EV) (eg - Nissan Leaf)
Advantages: an electric motor is strong can give better performance than normal hybrid, pack the biggest battery operation mean more electric or gasoline engine reduces weight and free up much space, the government of deducting £ 5000, electricity is cheaper and usually less polluting than gasoline, separate parking in certain public places
Disadvantages: still expensive but, by lowering the minimum capacity to scale due to lack of support for a gasoline engine, which has led to concern the scope of a real problem for drivers, and points Inquiry into the life of the battery, and technological advances make the next generation better on a large scale and hurt resale value, and some adjustment with the necessary leadership, and need to recharge after a long drive, even moderate
Plug-in hybrid / extended range (eg - Vauxhall Ampera)
Pros: Powerful engine and electric motor extra fuel gives the best combination of performance, range, and most flights are fully electric, which is cheaper than gasoline, and not afraid to field, positions distinct in certain public places
Disadvantages: too expensive, despite signs of the problem, during the lifetime of the battery and the resale value, shipping outlet is always slow, and the absence of a zone of very large in due to a gasoline engine and the fuel tank, as well as electric motors and batteries.
Economy electric car - Is it worth it?
For most people, an electric car is difficult to justify on purely economic hard-headed. Even with a deduction of £ 5,000 by the government, and an electric car is expensive. Nissan Leaf starts at £ 31 000, and after the government gives you £ 5K you have spent £ 26K on a car that can be useful probably around £ 15K if you have a normal gasoline engine. And imagine you can buy the value of about a decade of fuel! There are still question marks hovering over the long term credibility of the batteries and the resale value, which can bite you somewhere on the hard line
Electric cars and the environment
Buy a hybrid or electric car because you think helping the environment can not be helping the issue as much as you think, if at all. The production of car batteries are dirty process, and complex, and the net result is a far greater impact in the building environment of an electric car or hybrid construction of regular gasoline or diesel car. So I started behind the eight ball and the environment before you paid if you are a new green car.
Beware of "zero emission" allegations about electric cars, because most electricity is still coming from fossil fuel sources (such as gas or coal) instead of renewable energy sources If you are still polluted the atmosphere behind the wheel of a car, but as far as No effects, and not as spectacular as you. If you have your own solar panels or wind to power your car, and it's much more environmentally friendly.
Concerns about the
The largest electric car turned off the car buyers (other than the purchase price is high) is a common problem within a. Very limited and very slow to reload in a gasoline engine or diesel car you can drive the car for a few hundred miles, and pull the gas station and five minutes later you are willing to pay for some last few hundred miles. In an electric car, you drive 50-100 miles, then you have to stop and charge it for several hours to expel the last 50-100 km.
If you only take short trips, and can be maintained whenever plugged into a car stopped (usually at home or at work), this may not be a problem. But do not expect to jump in the car and pay a few hundred miles away, or go out with forgetting to plug the car last night after a trip. You must be more disciplined in terms of planning for your conduct, and allow for recharge. Away from home is still a major problem as there are outlets available are relatively rare in the public parking areas so that you can use.
The plug-in hybrid such as the Opel Ampera / Chevy Volt gets the full extent of the problem and anxiety, as does the natural hybrid such as the Toyota Prius, but you took the gasoline engine (fuel) all the time, which may not need, adding hundreds of kilograms of weight, and eating lots of space, so it's a compromise.
So you can see all of the foregoing, it is not at all directly. You should carefully consider what kind of leadership that you will do and what you need the car to be able to do so.
* It is whether the complex technical argument of the gasoline engine Ampera / Volt is paid directly from the wheel, under certain conditions, but this is really boring, and really makes no difference how the conduct.
Stuart Mason is the founder and owner of the vehicle expert, the London-based agency, independent and impartial car for those looking to buy a new car or used.
Originally from Australia, Stuart has had a passion for cars and the automotive industry for nearly thirty years, and has spent the last seven years working in the retail industry and cars, both in Australia and London.
Stewart joined his extensive knowledge of all things related to the car with his own experience of selling cars and providing high levels of customer satisfaction to an agency car buying personal and unique to London. Car offers expert advice and specially designed for those seeking new or used car in London.