There are a lot of benefits in driving a DIY pure electric car compared a gasoline driven vehicle. When there are benefits, there are barriers also. One of the main barrier to an electric vehicle is the batteries.
Benefits of Electric Cars
Firstly, EV produce zero tailpipe emission. This is great for the environment. Some people may be asking…If you are using pure electric cars, aren’t we transferring the [tag-tec]carbon emission[/tag-tec] from the gas producers to the power stations?
The electricity used to charge EVs typically comes from coal-fired power plants. But even if that is the case, the emission from the power plants are lower compared to the carbon emitted from internal combustion engines (ICE).
Secondly, EV are much simpler compared to a gas driven car. There are thousand of moving parts in a ICE. When multiple parts are moving, rubbing against each other and producing heat, there are bound to be breakdowns. Electric car having less moving parts, chances are, it will break down less.
Thirdly, even with gas price at $1.50, it still cost less to fully charge an EV. With an equal drive mileage, the cost per mile for an electric car is definitely much cheaper compared to fossil fuel.
Why don’t we see many pure electric cars on the road?
The main drawbacks of EV is the cost of batteries. The best battery technology for electric vehicle is lithium-based. However, it is still being developed and the costs are high. As today’s prices, a lithium-based battery large enough to power a pure electric car will cost more than $10,000.
Electric car also has a limited driving range. The top end EV from the manufacturer would have a mileage of about 250 miles. That is half of the traditional gasoline powered car.
A more affordable EV model would offer about 40 miles. One option to extend the mileage is to install a small gasoline engine on the EV. However, doing that will increase the weight and cost.
Finally, an EV would need time to fully recharge its battery. Most DIY electric car will use deep cycle battery to save cost. This kind of battery will need a minimum of 8 hours to recharge.
A lithium-based battery may need only half an hour to recharge. But the cost to use them is too expensive.
Related blog posts:
1) GreenSmart Notebook – Tom Larsen: An All Electric Car Ahead of Everyone’s Time
2) Discovery News: Material World: Wide Angle: Electric Car Grid
3) Green Car Congress: Better Place Enters Electric Car Network Partnership with Ontario