Electric

=Electricity=

Contrary to popular opinion, electric cars are not new technology. Before Henry Ford's assembly lines brought the combustion engine to the world, electric cars were one of several "horseless carriages" jockeying for the top spot among American consumers. Near the turn of the century, electric vehicles had many advantages over their gasoline-powered counterparts; they were smoother, quieter, and emitted no exhaust. New York City even had a platoon of electric taxis (May). Electric cars boasted 50% efficiency, compared with 15% from a gasoline engine (booth, however, were bested by the horse, at 70%) (Gardner).

However, technological innovations made the gasoline engine experience more enjoyable, and mass production drove down it's cost, while electric cars remained pricey. It's inability to travel long distances without recharging was also a concern (May). Electric technology languished until the oil crisis of the 1970's, when automakers began to consider the future need for alternative fuels (Gardner).

Types of Electric Cars
There are three major types of Electric Vehicles in production: Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, and All-Electric Vehicles.

Hybrid vehicles use a combustion engine and a battery. The battery does not plug in, but uses recharges using energy that is normally lost during breaking.Hybrids fall into two categories; Mild and Full. Mild hybrids are not strong enough to run the car on electricity alone. Their primary benefit is the ability to allow the engine to shut off during stops and provide extra power during acceleration. Full Hybrids can use their battery alone to power the car for short trips at low speeds. Full Hybrids are generally more expensive, but have better fuel economy (US Department of Energy).

Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles also combine the use of conventional fuels and electricity. They use a battery which is plugged in to recharge, and can power the car for trips of 10-40 miles. . After the battery is expended, a conventional engine takes over. Plug-in Hybrids are usually more expensive than other hybrid vehicles. Many models also use regenerative breaking to supplement recharging, which operates during deceleration by capturing energy normally lost from tire axle rotation and braking force.(US Department of Energy).

All-Electric Vehicles are the most expensive of all three options, but eliminate the use of conventional fuel. They use a large battery which plugs into a power source to recharge. They are considered zero emission, however, that does not consider electricity production. Most electric models and concepts have a range of about 100 miles. (US Department of Energy). There is currently only one model available for retail, but many others are planned for production (Consumer Reports). Some examples:



Tesla Roadster: 245 mile range, 3.5 hours to recharge, starting price $111,000 available now

Nissan Leaf: 100 mile range, 8 hours to recharge, starting price $33,600, available December 2010

Ford Focus EV 2011: 100 mile range, 6 hours to recharge, available in 2011

(Consumer Reports)

Infrastructure
A major concern about the proliferation of cars dependent upon plug-in electricity is the ability of electric grids to handle additional demand. Most experts agree that cars would likely not be charging during peak consumption hours, and therefore electric grids would not become overstressed. Some electric companies currently provide charging plans to owners of electric cars, which lay out when charging batteries is the least expensive, times which often coincide with lulls in electricity use (Consumer Reports).

However, many still believe the need to return cars to an electric source will ultimately limit their use. Several companies have begun to provide public charging stations, bringing an electric source to cars instead of requiring cars to return to a source. Britain-based Elektromotive has over 300 of its Elektrobay charging systems in the U.K., and has systems in other European countries and Asia (Hargreaves). In the summer of 2010, General Electric unveiled its Watt Station (image below) in the U.S., which is currently being tested in select markets and will be available commercially in 2011 (Motavalli).

Criticism
However, in 2007, New York City began testing PT cruisers adapted to lithium-ion battery power, but abandoned the project after the cars never reached a range greater than 91 miles, never lasting a full 10-hour shift, and had trouble in cold weather (Soraghan).

There are also concerns about the dependence upon lithium-ion batteries. In addition to their cost and charging time, some believe that mass production will lead to dependence upon China for "rare earth" elements, such as Lanthanum, neodymium and dysprosium, necessary for hybrid vehicles (Bryce).

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Images
Historic Car: http://www.american-automobiles.com/Electric-Automobile-Manufacturers.html Regenerative Braking: http://webpages.eng.wayne.edu/~az0131/Quiz%201.html WattStation: http://www.livingprinciples.org/fuseprojects-electric-vehicle-charging-station-for-ge/