Probably, while going through this article, you may have certain doubts about various eco friendly vehicles which are now available in the market. There are many cars which are now hybrid and Toyota Prius is one of the popular brands which have been liked by the people.

Another car which is being introduced shortly in the market is totally an electric car, which is likely to gain more popularity with the people who love cars.

There may not be any specific difference; one may get confused about the performance of each one. The next few paragraphs will deal with the guidance which will help you to choose a better eco friendly vehicle.

Hybrid car, as the name suggests the hybrid cars are those which can run on more than one technology, the conventional hybrid car has both combustion engine and an electric motor. This car can run both on gasoline and electricity which it gets from the recharged batteries which run the electric motor. The batteries are recharged during the periods of braking through specially designed regenerative brakes. When the vehicle is under full load, it can run on fuel powered engine and during minimal demand it can be switched to the electric mode.

Pure electric cars are totally different from hybrid, as these vehicles run only on electricity. This car is fitted with larger electric motor and more batteries to provide power to run the vehicle. The main benefit is that there is no carbon emission which is great contributions to the environment.

Another benefit is that the running cost is very low as compared to gasoline. One does not have to run to the gasoline pumps for refueling as you can simply recharge it from the convenience of your home.

In Comparison: The Pros and Con’s

Before you go for such vehicles, you must carefully weigh pros and cons and decide accordingly. The biggest advantage is noise as there is no noise from electricity powered vehicle; these vehicles are totally silent which a great way of curbing noise pollution.

Some of the manufacturers have a mechanism of creating fake noise in these cars; this is done to give you some indication whether the car is running or not. This can be totally your personal preference.

If the prices are compared, electric run vehicles are more costly than hybrid cars, however in the long run electric cars are economical to run as compared to hybrid cars.

Electric cars can be recharged at home but since the technology is still not that developed it takes hours together to fully recharge the batteries. The main reasons is the design of sockets fitted in our homes, the hybrid cars simply can be refueled at any gasoline stations that too in minutes.

In terms of mileage electric cars cannot compete with the combustion engine, which are more powerful and needs improvement. Electric motors perform best in low RPM ranges. However the electric motor fitted in the hybrid car does not match the performance of a pure electric car.

Cars are known to be the most favored means of our transportation on the roads, for their comfort, mobility, speed and great looks. Whether it is in the days of steam powered engines or in this age of most modern segments, the cars still rule supreme on our roads for transportation of passengers.

While this is an accepted fact in the entire world, the usefulness of cars has been greatly marred by the negative impacts they make on our environment. The carbon emissions from the cars are known to cause almost one third of the total air pollutions. Hence despite their usefulness, the cars have also been identified as the health hazards in the environmental context.

Efforts that continued to manufacture more eco-friendly cars have led to invention of electric cars in the field of transportation. However, several earlier versions of electric cars had existed in the past, in competition with the gas run vehicles, but they could not withstand for long. After invention of electric cars by Cadillac, the mass production was started by Ford.

But it is only in the recent past that the electric car industry grew further by developing more popular models. Most of the electric cars run on the roads were those converted from old cars with the spares. It was possible for any car owner to have converted his conventional type car into and electrical one, by spending a few hundred dollars.

The idea of conversion further gained momentum and many people were caught up with this and longing for such conversions. There were various publications readily available in the market conveying this idea and giving Do-It-Yourself (DIY) guidelines. It soon appeared on the world wide websites also, that became easily accessible to all.

Steadily, more number of web sites has come up for electric cars, offering all types of information to all categories of customers. Most of such sites are selling DIY electric car kits, guides, spare parts and full- fledged models at a best negotiated price. The information sharing on the internet became very easy, prompting even a beginner to go ahead with conversion process, without very elaborative knowledge on the electric cars. Such cars were known for their fuel efficiency and their positive impact on environment.

Electric cars have as edge over the other cars, as the entire energy stored in the batteries is used for their operation, while the conventional types use only 20% of the energy from a liter of gasoline and the balance go wasted as the hazardous emissions and potential energy!

The electric cars always maintain a silence in running and are generally welcomed by any quiet neighborhood. Unlike the conventional cars, the absence of engine is a great positive feature of an electric car. The vehicle runs almost with a silence and causes no sound pollution. The car runs with the power derived from the batteries for the operation of the motors that are attached to the controllers.

This concept of energy made practicable makes such cars totally eco-friendly. Therefore it will be quite ideal for any car owner to go ahead with converting his car into and electric vehicle as soon as possible. It will not only be beneficial to the users, but will also go a great way to help keep our environment pollution-free.

A gasoline powered car uses a combustion engine which burns gasoline whereas a pure electric car has an electric motor which needs electricity to run. This is the major difference between a traditional automobile and an electric vehicle (EV).

The motor draws electricity from the car’s rechargeable battery. If the battery is fully charged, the car can run from 150 to 250 miles. Then the battery gets exhausted and must be recharged again.

You can recharge the battery either at your home or at battery recharge stations. For the convenience of electric car drivers, a number of battery recharge stations are being set up across the country.

To encourage the use of electric cars, the UK government is planning to provide subsidy to those who opt to buy EVs. The time a battery takes to get fully recharged depends on the power input capacity of the socket.

On an average, it takes one hour or less to recharge an electric car battery. Since electric cars don’t burn petroleum products, they don’t produce exhaust fumes. This is the reason why electric cars are considered to be environment friendly.

But indirectly, EVs also play a part in the production of carbon dioxide because the electricity needed to recharge the car battery comes from the power plant where fossil fuel is burnt. The regenerative braking mechanism incorporated into an electric car minimizes the loss of energy.

How Safe Are Electric Cars On The Road?

An electric car is in no way less safe than an ordinary automobile. In most cases, an electric car is heavier than other cars and the weight of the car keeps the passengers safe if there is a car crash. Depending upon the make and design of the car, the safety features of electric vehicles can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Another area of safety concern is the electric circuit and electric shock to the passengers. An electric car has all the necessary safety measures in place to prevent electricity from passing on to the chassis of the car. The passengers are therefore safe even under wet conditions.

An electric car doesn’t function at all if the chassis of the car comes into contact with the electric circuit. There are circuit breakers and fuses to ensure that no short circuit takes place within the car. Since electric cars are heavier than their counterparts, it is better to choose cars with power steering and power brake.

The main drawback of a pure electric vehicle is its silence. An electric car runs silently and people on the road may not notice the car coming. Lack of sound poses a risk to pedestrians, especially to those who have poor vision.

To ensure the safety of pedestrians on the road, some governments are planning to make it compulsory for electric cars to produce some sound.

Are Pure Electric Cars Popular?

Electric cars haven’t got the popularity they deserve yet. They were popular at the beginning of twentieth century when oil price was high. But when the oil prices fell later, they lost their popularity too.

However, towards the end of twentieth century and at the beginning of twenty first century, there has been a revival in the popularity of electric cars mainly due to an increase in oil prices and concerns about the environment. Car manufacturers have started producing more electric cars and there is a marked increase in EV users.

Some governments have even started offering incentives to buyers of electric cars. It is hoped that electric cars will become more popular in the near future.