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.

It was expected that by December 2010 Chevrolet Volt will be available in the United States though in limited numbers. This is a unique car which is powered by Lithium-Ion battery pack by 1.4 liter four cylinder engines which has a long life and can works flawlessly for many years.

There is lot of noise about this vehicle and Chevrolet Volt has laid the foundation for future technology which General Motors terming it be Voltec technology.

What is so special about this new technology? There are many things GM can boast of a technology where it has introduced modern electric car. This was back in 1990 that GM started working on the car which was named as EV1, but the project was abandoned. After abandoning the project there was lot of hue and cry and criticism for killing the electric car project.

Some people even dubbed it to be a conspiracy due to the pressure of oil companies. Even putting conspiracy aside, the cost of the EV1 was very high and the technology was not advanced that has been given to Chevrolet Volt.

The main reason is that Lithium-Ion battery pack is much superior to the nickel-cadmium pack which was used in EV1, this has increased the range and use of lighter material. GM has tested Chevrolet Volt both in the hot deserts of Arizona and freezing conditions of Minnesota winter.

Battery Powered Road Vehicle

The Volt has the same set of underpinning which has been used in Cruze but even then the two models are way different than one another. Volt has a unique body and the aerodynamics of the vehicle enhances its fuel economy at all the times.

The design allows the Volt to run on battery for first 40 miles before the gas engine steps in. The extended range of electric vehicle should cover around 340 miles on full tank of gas and much more after refueling. The overnight charge will replenish the battery and the car will operate only on electric mode.

The big question is that why should people buy Volt as compared to the hybrid options like Toyota Prius or Honda Insight. The reason is fuel economy which is quite superior in Volt, consuming 50% less of gasoline as compared to hybrid vehicles.

When Volt runs on electric mode there is almost zero emission, this has not been claimed by the hybrid models. The Chevrolet Volt has a price tag of $41,000 which may limit number of people to buy it, but the good thing is, there is a rebate of $7,500 offered by the federal government.

In some states there is an additional $5,000 rebate such as in California. This means that Volt will cost $28,500 with all the amenities. The fuel saving could be around another 500 gallons annually for a person who drives 15,000 miles annually. This means a huge saving of $15,000 in ten years. Volt cost can be recovered say in a time of say 15 years, you are the best judge to decide what is good for you.

When do you do with all the used batteries on pure electric cars? This is a big question that once the life of batteries on electric cars is over, where to dump these batteries. This is a big worry for the electric car manufacturers and these companies are looking for practical solutions.

It would not be wise to simply bury the batteries in some landfill as it could be hazardous to the environment and would not be acceptable to the car manufacturers and the car owners. Many big automobile companies have started looking for alternatives, these companies are seeking help from companies who have skill and know how on mass recycling and reuse of the dead batteries.

General Motors have already made it public that they have already collaborated with the Swiss company ABB, this company is a leader in power and automation technology and is the largest supplier of grid system in the world.

ABB has devised a plan to re-use batteries from Chevrolet Volt and develop a plan to use the second life batteries for the electric grid storage grid system. The company has a plan to develop several pilot projects and examine the Volt’s 16-kWh lithium-ion batteries for re-use.

ABB is looking into the possibilities of using the studies of renewable energy storage, grid load management, and backup power supplies for communities and time of use management. GM Executive Director of Electrical Systems, Micky Bly said that Volt’s battery will have significant capacity to store electric energy even after the automotive life of battery is over.

In other words after the normal warranty of eight years or 100,000 mile offered by the Volt, the battery will still have some energy which can be utilized for some other purpose other than running the vehicle. This is the reason why recycling of old batteries is being studied.

The main purpose and goal of GM in having partnership with ABB is to find a viable and economical solution to maximize the life of the batteries that will improve the country’s electric grid.

Across the Pacific, Nissan Corporation has also started studies on electric battery recycling options. The company has entered into agreement with Sumitomo Corporation to do research on the used lithium-ion batteries.

The joint venture has been named as 4R energy and the main purpose is to Reuse, Resell, Re-fabricate and Recycle the same batteries used to power their Nissan Leaf electric car. Nissan will soon start conducting demonstration tests and look for the means to commercialize the project.

The California electric sports car maker, Tesla Motors, has made an agreement with Solar-City, who are leaders in solar design and installation, to investigate re-use of car batteries which are outdated. This research is being done with the help of University Of California.

This trio team is developing a system which can combine Tesla electric car battery system with Solar-City monitoring platform. This will help to develop advanced grid-interactive Photovoltaic (PV) and stationery storage product which can be installed in buildings.

This will help in battery energy storage and will collect excess PV power thus reducing the dependency on power plants. Will the projects launched by the automotive industry to solve the problem of used batteries become successful? If it does, we will see a new battery recycling market spearheaded by the automotive players with a clear foresight.