EV Facts

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EV Facts
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How far will they go?
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Typical electric vehicles (EVs) with lead-acid
batteries have a useful range of 50 to 90 miles
on a single charge, depending on the vehicle. An
EV with the more expensive nickel-metal-hydride
batteries can have a range of 100 to 200 miles.
Prototype vehicles have driven over 300 miles on
a charge, under realistic driving conditions.
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How fast will they go?
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Fast enough to get a ticket. Most commercially
produced EVs have an electronic governor that
limits the speed to 80mph. Electric racers
commonly exceed 100mph. Electric dragsters have
turned in times under 10 seconds and over 150mph
in the quarter mile. The T-Zero can out
accelerate most exotic sports cars. An EV has
exceeded 200mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
How fast do you want to go?
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How long does it take to recharge?
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That depends on the capacity of the electrical
connection used. Commercially built vehicles are
generally designed for a charger connected to a
240 volt, 40-amp service (similar to an electric
stove or dryer) this will provide a full charge
in 4 to 6 hours. An ordinary household outlet,
120 volts, 15 amps, will provide a full charge in
10 to 12 hours.The most common use of an EV is
to drive during the day, then come home and
recharge overnight. It takes only a few seconds
to plug in, in the comfort of your own garage.
Then your vehicle recharges while you eat, watch
TV, and sleep.Fast charging is really only
needed if you are expecting to exceed the range
of the vehicle during the day. 15-minute fast
chargers have been demonstrated.
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Are EVs practical?
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For many, if not most people, yes. Studies show
that most cars are driven less than 40 miles per
day. This is well within the range of a typical
EV. Other than the limited range, electric
vehicles can do everything that a
gasoline-powered car can do.
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But I cant drive it to the beach.
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No. An EV is not well-suited to long trips.
(Although if there were a few fast chargers at
the fast-food restaurants along I-40, you could
drive to the beach.) But it is common for a
family to have more than one car. An EV makes an
excellent second car.
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How much do they cost?
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At present, EVs are being made in quantities of a
few hundred at a time, essentially hand-built
vehicles. Their price is typically in 30,000 to
40,000. If made in similar quantities to
gasoline-powered vehicles, the price would be
similar as well. After all, an electric motor is
much simpler than a gas engine.
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Wont my electric bill go up?
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Yes, some. But your gasoline purchases will go
down by even more. EVs are more efficient than
gasoline engines, and cost less per mile to
drive.
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What about summertime power shortages?
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If you charge your vehicle at night, you will not
contribute to the peak loads during the after
noon.
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What about these new hybrids? I hear they are
electrics that you dont have to plug in.
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The Toyota Prius and Honda Insight and Civic
hybrids are very nice cars, and they get great
gas mileage. They use electric motors and a
small battery pack to achieve this efficiency.
However, they should be looked at as very
efficient gasoline-powered cars the only way to
put energy into them is at the gas pump. They
are not zero-emission, and they will not go far
without the engine running. A pure electric
vehicle is even more efficient, and can be
recharged from renewable sources like solar and
wind. Hybrids are only half of the solution.
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What about fuel cells?
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Fuel cells are exciting technology. They make
electricity from a chemical reaction (as do
batteries), and you can continuously feed in more
chemicals, so the range of the vehicle is limited
by the size of the fuel tank. The primary
reaction uses hydrogen, but there are systems
that can take a hydrogen-rich fuel such as
alcohol, natural gas, or gasoline.But it will be
several years yet before fuel-cell vehicles are
on the road. Battery powered vehicles can be
built today. And fuel cells themselves are not a
magic bullet. You still need to provide the fuel
to go into the cell.
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Can I put solar cells on the car and drive for
free?
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Sounds great doesnt it? But solar cells need to
be big and flat and slanted towards the sun. The
amount of space available on a car is really not
very much. The solar power you could collect on
a sunny day would be enough to drive only a few
miles.A better arrangement is to put solar cells
on the roof of the garage and use them to charge
batteries.
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Can I put a generator on the other wheels and
recharge as I drive?
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No. Sadly, the laws of physics dictate that
there is no free lunch. The generator on the
rear wheels would slow the car more than the
motor on the front wheels would move the car.
(The same goes for windmill on the roof, and
other such ideas). What you can do is use a
generator to slow the car in conjunction with the
brakes every time you stop you recharge the
batteries just a little. This wont make a
dramatic increase in the range of the car, but
every little bit helps.
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Where can I buy an Electric Vehicle?
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Although all the major manufacturers have built a
few EVs, none are offered for sale in this area.
Most have been made available for lease only,
under various restrictions, mostly in California.
The manufacturers are being cautious, at best,
about introducing electric cars.You can buy used
electric vehicles at reasonable prices, though
you have to be prepared to maintain them. See
the TEAA web page for addresses of these
companies and ads for used vehicles. You can
also buy electric bicycles and scooters from
several vendors.
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Can I build one myself?
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Yes. You can convert a car or pickup to electric
for 5,000 to 10,000 in parts plus about 150
hours of labor, plus the donor car. For very
popular vehicles, the Volkswagen Rabbit/Golf and
the Chevy S-10 pickup, complete kits are
available.
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Where can I get more information?
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Visit the Triangle Electric Auto Association's
website http//www.rtpnet.org/teaa/There you'll
find links to lots of resources.
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Exam Review
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