The Drawbacks & Advantages Of Owing A Pure Electric Car

Electric cars are becoming popular in view of the focus on going green to protect the environment by nations all over the world. Soaring oil prices have prompted people to look for other options.

Environmentalists were focusing on vehicles that run on gasoline and other such traditional fuels because of the pollution issues. This has put pressure on inventors and automakers to further develop the electric car technology.

If you are a prospective buyer of an electric car, you should be aware about the benefits as well as the disadvantages of using an electric car. Of course, a lot of developments have happened, but there are some limitations.

Some of the disadvantages are listed below. It is an expensive to own and operate electric cars. The price of electric cars is very high.

The major contribution to the price of the car comes from the batteries required to run the electric motor. Electric cars use lithium-ion batteries that are pretty expensive. The batteries last for about 3 to 4 years and after that they will have to be replaced. People who have bought batteries will appreciate as to how the costs add up fast.

The second disadvantage is that the batteries of an electric car will have to be recharged frequently. You need to plan in advance as regards recharging. To get the batteries to the full charge, sufficient time has to be allocated. This may not seem to be a problem to you now, but you will realize it when you make an assessment after buying and using it for a while.

You could also face problems if the batteries are not fully charged and you have to extend trip or make an unplanned trip. The limitation on the distance that you cover with an electric car between recharges is a big hamper.

An electric car may not be the right vehicle for a long distance drive. You need to plan the distance you have to drive before using an electric car on a daily basis.

Most of the makes have limitations on the distance that an electric vehicle can run before it has to be necessarily recharged. ZAP, an electric car maker, said recently that the electric cars made by them can cover up to 100 miles with a full charge.

This may be encouraging, but many people drive in excess of 100 miles, including to and from the place of work, every day. This limitation is an issue for those who are compelled to use an electric vehicle to commute to their work place as you may get stuck in peak hour traffic jams if your car battery runs out.

Yet another disadvantage of electric vehicles is the lack of power. The pickup is not all that good. Anyone doing interstate driving will have to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic at times. A lot of developments have been incorporated in the electric cars in recent years, but many limitations are to be tackled so that it can get wide acceptance among the consumers.

DIY Electric Car Conversion Guide

A cheaper option of own an electric vehicle is via a DIY electric car conversion project. You can actually remove the internal combustion engine of a conventional automobile and fit it with a high torque electric motor. However, the job of retrofitting an electric car is easier said than done.

If you are looking for an electric car conversion guide, check out the Convert2EV ebook by Les and Jane Oke. The Okes are from Canada and they have been using homemade electric cars for quite a long time. The Convert2EV manual was written based on the experience converting gas guzzlers to EVs. Click on the link below to visit their web site right now.

==> Click here to visit Convert2EV now!

5 Great Reasons Why You Should Drive A Pure Electric Car

Many people have heard of a pure electric vehicle (EV), but not a lot of people have driven one. Unless you are a golfer and you spend a lot of time on the green. Golf courses use a fleet of electric golf carts to ferry people around.

There are many benefits on driving an EV versus a car using an internal combustion engine. The following is 5 great reasons why you should own a pure EV.

1) Sever your dependency on gasoline.

This is one major factor why an EV is much better than a conventional automobile. Many car owners wish they didn’t have a car back in mid 2008.

That is when the world crude oil price reached a dizzy level of $150 per barrel. The effect has pushed local gasoline prices through the roof. People were having a very tough time refueling their cars and making ends meet.

A car using electric power is independent from the fluctuation of global crude oil prices. When there’s another energy price spike in the near future, at least you’ll know it won’t affect you and your family lifestyle too much.

2) Zero emission.

Since an electric car does not use an internal combustion engine (ICE) as its power source, there is no engine exhaust therefore zero emission.

Smog from car engine is one of the causes of “green house effect” which raises the planet temperature therefore melting the polar ice cap. It’s an issue many world leaders is trying to solve.

When you use an EV, you’ll know you are doing your part to help the environment. Instead of just “lip service”, you are actually taking proactive action to help the environment.

3) Save money.

Do you want to stop spending your hard earned money at the gas station? Would you rather spend it on your family on a holiday? When you use an electric vehicle, you can forget about stopping at the gas service station ever again. The only time you’ll go there is when you need to use the restroom.

Do some calculation. Figure out how much money are you and your family members are spending on gasoline a week. And then multiply it with 52 weeks. That is how much money your family will be saving in a year if everyone drives an electric car.

4) Reliability.

Compared to a conventional car, an EV has less moving parts. Let’s take the heart of the electric car which is the electric motor as an example.

The electric motor has only 1 moving parts, which is the rotating shaft. An internal combustion engine has more than 100 moving parts. All the parts in an engine have to be lubricated in order for them to function properly.

Which one do you think has a higher chance of failing? The electric motor or the internal combustion engine?

That being said, an EV is more reliable compared to a gas guzzler. That’s only one component of the car. How about other parts on a normal car that’s not required on an electric vehicle? Components such as exhaust pipe, radiator, spark plugs, timing belt, air filter, fuel filter etc. Every part has a chance of failing, but you do not have this issue with an EV.

5) Recharging at home.

With an EV, you have the option of recharging at home. No more trips to the local gas station. I don’t know about you, for me, going to the gas station is quite a hassle.

You have to queue to use the pump, get out of the car, go to the cashier, more queuing, wait for the cashier, wait for the gas to be pumped etc. A lot of none productive time spent.

With an electric car, all you have to do is drive to the garage at the end of the day, and then plug it into the charger. Leave it there overnight and by next morning, the batteries will be fully charged.

There are many more reasons why using an EV is much better compared to a normal car. What I’ve written down is only a small list.

Do It Yourself (DIY) Electric Car

Buying a brand new electric car from the dealership might be more expensive compared to a conventional car. There is a cheaper option though. You can convert your existing car into an EV. To do that, you will need an EV conversion guide.

One of the latest EV conversion manual on the internet is the Electric Conversion Made Easy e-book by Gavin Shoebridge. Gavin is from New Zealand and he has converted his old Mitsubishi Tredia into a pure electric vehicle.

In his manual, he’ll teach you step-by-step how to retrofit a car to run on electricity. Together with the manual, there is also a series of High Definition (HD) instructional videos. For more information, check out Gavin’s website at www.evsecrets.com

==> Click here to visit Electric Conversion Made Easy now!

Electric Vehicle Conversion – Is It Safe To Drive An Electric Car?

Facts About Hybrid Cars

Is it safe to drive an electric car? More importantly, it is safe to drive a Do It Yourself (DIY) electric vehicle? The reason I ask the question is because I read an article lately about the accident rate of hybrid car owners. The article was from USAToday.com and there was a study made and they found a couple of interesting results.

Apparently, hybrid car owners get more traffic tickets and had more accidents! You can read the full article at: Hybrid car owners drive more and get more traffic tickets, study finds.

In summary, the study found that hybrid car owners take more pleasure drive a part from daily commuting. Hybrid vehicle owners will drive 25 percent more compared to a conventional car owner. When we have a fuel economy car, we tend to drive more because there is a sense that we are not spending too much money. When you drive more, the chances of you getting into an accident are also higher.

Here’s an interesting fact. To fix a damaged hybrid car, it will cost 13% higher compared to a non-hybrid! This is understandable because not every car mechanic has the tools and knowledge to repair a hybrid.

Is It Safe To Drive An EV?

What does this mean to electric car owners? A hybrid vehicle is one step away from a pure plug-in car. A hybrid has an internal combustion engine (ICE) and an electric motor to generate power. An EV has only the electric motor.

If hybrid owners were to drive more in their vehicle, would EV owners do the same as well? I think they will commute more short distances because EV is limited by its mileage. A normal sedan electric vehicle has approximately 60 – 100 miles before it has to be recharged.

In terms of repair bill, well that is another issue. If you were to crash your EV, it is safe to say you will end up with a large bill! The most expensive components would be the electric motor, electric controller and the batteries. Not to mention the large amount of time needed to fix and re-check all the system.

Is it safe to drive a homemade electric car on the road? That will depend on the person behind the wheel. If you are a speed demon, there is no different whether you are driving a conventional car or an electric car. You will crash sooner or later. If you are in an EV, you will be a “green speed demon”.

Mechanical wise, there are a few components that you have to make note of to keep the EV safe on the road. I will save that idea for my next blog post.

To all EV owners…drive safely.