Have you ever spotted an electric car on the street, it is quite impossible to identify such cars as these cars quite resemble gasoline powered cars? If you are an automobile enthusiast, you can probably spot easily an electric vehicle (EV) among many cars, the other way is to spot an electric powered car is the excellent level of silence that these cars have.

The beauty lies in the silence of the motor of electric powered cars which does not produce any deadly emissions. The technology of the gasoline powered and electric powered cars is totally different and all the difference lies in the hoods of these cars.

If you want to know the working of EV, you need to explore the hood by opening it. The gasoline powered car engine contains many boxes and pipes which looks like a complicated plumbing work but with pure electric cars, the features are totally different and looks like a complicated electrical work.

The car which is electric powered uses its motor to power the wheels which will be totally different than gasoline powered cars. The electric motor directly uses electricity and starts rotating, which means the power is instant and this power can be used from the get go.

The main problem with EV is when it climbs a steep hill. This energy system is not adequate to propel the car upward on hilly surfaces. This is one of the challenge EV manufacturers are working very hard to resolve.

Initially, the electric car motor were powered by normal car batteries which did not have long usage life, but now this issue has been resolved to great extent by using modern lithium-ion batteries that will allow you to drive your eco-friendly vehicle for a longer duration without having to be recharged.

The working principle in the electric vehicle is an AC charger which charges the battery unit. After starting the vehicle, the power is directly passed on from the battery bank to the electric motor. There is a meter which is known as voltmeter instead of gasoline meter normally found in gasoline run cars. The voltmeter shows the level of remaining battery charge which is an indication to get the batteries recharged.

Pure electric cars do not have clutches therefore you have limited control on the power output from the motor. Instead of an accelerator, it has a potentiometer that allows increasing or decreasing the torque generated by the electric motor.

If you are planning to use air conditioner in your car, there is an additional battery source used for onboard heater. The power windows and other accessories are also powered by this secondary electric power source.

As compared to an automobile powered by an internal combustion engine, increasing the speed on an EV will give you a lower mileage because more current is needed to power the motor. Understandably, the present pure electric cars in the market have many flaws. But with the passage of time and improvement in technology, these cars will become more efficient and most importantly become cheaper to buy. Pure electric vehicles are the best alternatives to gasoline which has contributed to the destruction of our environment.

Though the concept for a solar powered car is there, a practical car powered by solar cells is yet to be manufactured. To produce a car that works on solar power, the technology to harness and store solar energy has to develop further.

The Photovoltaic (PV) solar cells which we use today can produce energy but the problem is its storage. The weight of the car is another problem. As the weight of the car increases, more energy will be needed to move it.

If solar cells are going to be installed on a car, the car needs to be extremely large since the PV panels occupy lot of space. A large car will naturally have more weight. Then there are the deep cycle batteries which add more weight to the car.

A pure electric car will have a series of batteries stored inside the vehicle. The entire battery storage system setup can be quite heavy. When we include the weight of the passengers and the driver, the car becomes quite heavy and it will be difficult to install so many solar cells to produce energy sufficient enough to move a heavy car.

So what does this means? Well, it means that a solar powered vehicle will remain just a dream as long as the technology to produce and store the energy generated by the PV cells doesn’t develop further.

Technology Development Needed

Increasing the energy production capacity of individual solar cells and decreasing the size of power storage batteries are some of the developments that should take place in order to a solar powered car to become a reality.

It is estimated that if each Photovoltaic cell doubles its energy production and that the weight of batteries could be reduced by half, a solar powered vehicle will hit out roads in only a couple of years.

Developments in nanosolar technology have given hope to solar powered car enthusiasts. Unlike the traditional solar cells, nanosolar technology uses a spray of solar cells and the spray can be applied all over the body of the car. The spray contains very tiny solar cells which are capable of converting solar energy into electrical energy.

These nano solar cells are infrared sensitive and so can utilize infrared rays from the sun to produce energy even when the sun is covered by clouds. These dot-like solar cells can be installed on the car by mixing them with the car paint.

Irrespective of the weather conditions, the nano solar cells will go on producing power to charge the batteries on the car. Though nanosolar technology can produce more energy, but the problem of weight still remains unsolved. The heavy batteries have to be there to store the power produced by the nanosolar cells.

Efforts are on to increase the solar power output by spraying these solar cells on to windows of vehicles and homes. American scientists are investigating into the possibility of producing solar power on a large scale by installing a large number of PV panels and storing the power for use in electric vehicles throughout the country.

This is a feasible project as the technology to produce and store solar energy already exists. What does not exist is awareness among people and government that solar energy is a viable source of clean and renewable energy that can be put to different uses.

With a growing realization that gasoline/diesel powered vehicles, that include cars, SUVs, trucks and transport buses, all are major pollutants of environment, people have started looking to auto manufacturers to bring out engines that do not emit harmful gases.

In this context, we fancy that vehicles powered entirely by electric engines without there being any fuel to be ignited, may hold the key. There are already some manufacturers who have come out with electrically driven cars. There is no doubt that such vehicles are eco-friendly and we need to know more about them.

Electric cars do not need any variant of fuel and thus can obviate the need to further consume the already depleted petroleum resources; of course the saving in costs thereby could be a huge relief in times of sky-rocketing gasoline prices. By making use of electric motors, engines are highly efficient; some 600% more than internal combustion engines.

Safety from fire hazard in case of an unfortunate accident because of absence of fuel tank too is a huge plus. One extra risk, however, that electric motors carry is the possibility of short circuit on account of overheating of batteries. This risk is rare and even if it happens, the fire is likely to be on a far limited scale as it is explosion of gas tank that makes the fire take gigantic proportions.

There is now a huge support for use of electric cars with mounting concern about environment and the damage already caused to it in the last century. More and more car manufacturers are showcasing their models and their unique features.

As the number of cars out in the market is growing, prices certainly are getting lower. Customers are finding these comparatively small size cars available at affordable prices pretty attractive. They operate without making any noise which too would impress any user in the chaotic scenario the world all around has become.

One feature that goes against electric cars is that they can run a limited distance before need to recharge batteries arises. They are however quite useful for day to day short haul needs.

Tesla Roadster has hit the market and created some ripples with its price tag of $110,000; the manufacturers claim the car can do some 100 miles on one charge at extremely fast speed!

Initially though the price may seem certainly on the higher side, you have to take into account the much lower maintenance cost as there are very small number of moving parts which mainly account for the wear and tear that entails heavy costs in case of petrol cars.

Add to it the saving on fuel cost and you may find the higher price coming back within just a few months.

Another way to reap the benefits of an electric car is by getting your existing car converted; some readymade conversion kits are already available for certain specific makes and models, that prominently include the Geo Metro, Ford Fiesta, and Porsche 914.

With a little technical aptitude, you may even yourself do the conversion saving on mechanic’s cost! Conversion kits could be in the range of $5500-$7000; another $2000/3000 may be needed for battery pack. It is advisable that you asses your daily run before starting the exercise of conversion. If you are doing 30/40 miles a day, an electric version car, whether new or converted, should give you good service.