The prices of petroleum products have been gradually increasing across the world over the last several years. The main reason for spurt in oil prices are that the natural resources for these products are slowly running down and according to experts, it will dry up in about 20 years.

In view of this alarming scenario, owners of cars have been seriously looking around for other types of cars that give the same mileage as gasoline-powered cars that consume a lot of fuel and cars whose maintenance costs are also comparatively lower.

Electric cars, also known as electric vehicles or EVs, are excellent alternatives to traditional ‘gas-guzzlers’. Ever since its invention, the electric cars have been competing with traditional vehicles.

However, the demand for EVs dropped ever since Ford began manufacturing its ‘Model T’ cars on a large-scale and soon electric cars went off the roads. Since that time, car manufacturers have been hesitant to manufacture electric cars except for displaying in showrooms. This situation continued till 1996 when General Motors manufactured numerous types of electric cars such as EV1.

However, the reentry of electric vehicles received a lukewarm response and was a failure mainly due to oil companies and a few major car manufacturers, who thwarted every attempt of EV’s to come back into the automobile markets.

As the name implies, electric cars are powered by electricity. They were first launched in 1880s and were very popular during that time primarily because of almost noise-free engines in comparison with the disagreeable noise produced by internal combustion engines of gasoline-run vehicles.

In addition, the maintenance costs of electric cars were comparatively low. However, in view of several factors, electric cars could not compete with traditional cars and were soon out of the market. Nevertheless, the demand for electric vehicles revived once again not only due to cost factors but also because they are pollution-free Eco-friendly cars.

As electric cars do not utilize any fossil fuel and other similar natural resources, they do not emit any harmful gases. That is the reason why electric cars are popularly known as “ZEVs” or zero emission vehicles.

Electric cars have also become very popular once again because the present day traditional gasoline-run cars are considered responsible for emission of greenhouse gases causing global warming due to air pollution. With the rapid development of technologies in the automobile industry, the components of electric cars have substantially come down.

These innovations have also contributed to the production of more sturdy and efficient electric cars. Electric car batteries available these days have much longer lifespan and can cover more mileage per charge than before. All the other components are easily available in most of the departmental stores and hardware stores.

There is an increasing awareness among a number of car owners these days about the numerous advantages of using electric cars. As many car manufacturers do not make electric cars, several people have started constructing an electric car as Do It Yourself (DIY) job.

Anybody can have a homemade electric car with the help of instruction manuals. Many people convert their cars into an electric vehicle on their own as a hobby and this has become a fascination for some people. The concept of converting their cars into electric cars is catching up fast.

One can get the details of various components required for building an electric car and the places where they are available at reasonable prices. Apart from this, they are a lot of ‘online forums’ where people interested in electric cars can share their ideas and extend all assistance to those who want to construct an electric car.

Many people are also trying to create awareness among car owners encouraging them to convert their cars into electric vehicles. However, unless more and more people come forward and appreciate the importance of electric cars, the demand for these types of cars will not pick up much and traditional cars will continue to be manufactured on a large scale.

For those who maintain cars or motor cycles or those in the building maintenance business, buffers and polishers are indispensable equipment. They are used to maintain the gloss of the paint for long and keep the floors of buildings spick and span and shining all the time.

Buffers and polishers eliminate small deficiencies such as “scratches and dings” and wipe them out completely, besides polishing the existing finish in the region of deficiencies in such a way that the scratches and other defects are barely noticeable.

Buffering and polishing equipment are normally run along the floors after applying wax like solution to make the surface appear bright and gleaming. A floor buffing and polishing equipment normally consists of two big spinning heads at the bottom, provided with a shaft, handles and controls meant for the user to move it forward along the length of the floor.

A small motor powers the rotating pads and the user presses it down to get a bright glossy polish on the floor. A wax solution is normally applied on the surface and left it as it is for some time for drying before it is buffed and polished.

After this, if the machine is run, it will produce a beautiful finish. Buffing and polishing equipment are also known as “‘rotary floor machines”. The rotary heads will turn at different speeds depending upon how intense one needs to rub the floor.

Lower speeds are necessary to remove stubborn stains, scars and dirt. Lower speeds are also required if the exiting polish is to be removed so that one can apply a fresh polish. Higher speeds are needed for polishing or cleaning hardwood floors.

The head for floor buffing and polishing equipment is capable of turning around 100 to 400 revolutions per minute. Most of the floor polishers need regular electricity from the mains to run, though a few industrial models can be operated with the help of batteries or propane canisters.

Plug-in models ensure steady supply of electricity. The battery and gas models are ideal for pollution-free clean energy buildings and for clearing dirt from distant corners in a building. The floor buffer and polisher equipment cost anywhere between a few hundred dollars and thousand dollars.

Polishing & Buffing Cars

Car and motor vehicle buffer and polisher machines are almost similar to floor polishing equipment, though there are certain major differences between the two.

Car and motor cycle paint buffer and polisher have only one rotating head that spins at varying speeds. Only hand tools are used for paint finish before buffing and polishing. Buffing and polishing machines are equipped with automatic as well as manual drives.

In automatic drive, a computer controlled system will determine the precise speed required for the job. These adjustments can also be done manually. These equipment are available in various sizes based on the diameter of the wheel and include three inch, four inch and six inch diameter machines.

The user of the equipment will exert pressure depending upon the requirements. A buffer and polisher equipment can remove scratches, rust, stains and dirt from the paint easily. Costlier implements are provided with a “computer controlled feedback” device that automatically regulates the speed of the wheel based on the extent of pressure exerted.

These equipment can be plugged into the electrical sockets on the wall. The head of automatic equipment spins at varying speeds between 1000 and 8000 revolutions per minute. The prices of a car or motor cycle buffer and polisher equipment vary from forty dollars to over one hundred dollars depending upon its quality and features.

Everyone loves to have a smooth ride in a car and one of the major factors closely related with smooth riding is shock absorbers. But to what extent the shock absorbers can be blamed for undue vehicle jerks, as it depends on the proper functioning of sway bars, bushings, stiffness of the chassis and the quality of the tires may also make the ride miserable.

As you know, a homemade electric car has to carry extra weight of the deep cycle batteries throughout the chassis of the vehicle. When the internal combustion engine of the vehicle has been removed, it is very important to get the total weight balanced correctly. In this sense, the suspension system of the DIY electric car is even more important.

To have a comfortable and smooth ride, suspension settings are very crucial and these settings may vary from vehicle to vehicle depending upon the driving conditions. An experienced driver may be aware of the road condition and would be very cautious while driving and would prefer safe and controlled driving methods, when compared to an inexperienced driver who may be little rash and may ride at high speeds irrespective of the road conditions.

For instance, two cars manufactured by the same company are given to an experienced and less experienced driver then both of them would prefer to make significant tuning suspension damping for smooth riding according to their driving styles. So the key for fine tuning of suspension lies in the hands of the driver who has good control over the car he drives.

The fine tuning of suspension is no guarantee for a smooth ride on your EV as the settings have to be changed from driver to driver frequently and better alternative to this would be to prefer non-adjustable expensive shock absorbers of Bilstein and Koni with lifetime warranties.

If you want to have shock absorbers within your budget, then you should think of Tokico blues, known for good performance at a competitive price. So these shock absorbers are of great choice to an average driver who enjoys smooth rides without breaking the bank.

Now, let us think about a high performance electric car. In this case, an adjustable shock absorber will be very helpful to improve the performance and handling of the EV. The problem is not during acceleration because the electric motor has more than enough torque.

The problem is when your electric car is taking a corner at high speed. The extra weight of the batteries will definitely send your vehicle off the cornering line. So a high quality suspension and shock absorbers are important for a safe ride.

Having high quality shock absorbers to your electric car is no guarantee for a smooth ride as loosen or weak chassis condition may not give the desired smooth ride results. Over a period of time, if the chassis is not repaired in time, it may cause some amount of damage to the absorbers. Make sure the check and maintain the absorbers on a regular basis to prolong its service life.

The best way to have hassle free car riding would be to install chassis braces and good quality sub frame connectors. To fix the cars inflexibility cheap braces would benefit a lot.

For people who love to ride their EV fast can replace the spring with that of sway bars and for a comfortable high speed ride. Sometimes the change of sway bars may not result in the desired result, then you may have to replace stiffer brushings also.

The process of suspension tuning is to choose the best alternative for a given car model. So before opting for changes to the absorbers, it is always advisable to know your expectations and to have a clear idea of what to buy.