Electric Cars Facts

Archive for September, 2011

Family-owned Reva Electric Car company has finished designing and developing a new factory near Bangalore to mass produce the Reva, its two-passenger city hatchback. Priced just over $12,000, the Reva has been doing quite well in sales in India and Europe since its first induction into the market back in 2001. Reva’s factory has now become the world’s largest low-cost EV factory. Annual capacity is expected to be 30,000 cars by 2012.

But the Reva is sure to face some stiff competition from other economically friendly EVs. A growing list of electric car companies are planning to launch waves of all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles over the next several years. General Motor’s Chevy Volt was introduced last year. BMW recently began test-marketing its latest EV in Britain and other Western countries this summer. Renault-Nissan plans to release its own electric car by 2012. In fact, by 2020, a Frost and Sullivan study projects that 15% of all cars sold around the world will be electric.

The Indian company plans to leverage low production costs to build simple, cheap vehicles and mass sell them in its original country and Europe. If its popularity picks up, then Reva has hopes of expanding its business to the States and will brand the model as G-Wiz.

The Reva, which has received funding from Draper Fisher Jurveston and the Global Environment Fund, used to be powered by lead-acid batteries. Top speed was been recorded at 50 miles per hour, while the range of this EV was about 50 miles. While these statistics aren’t necessarily jaw-dropping, the Reva is an ideal car for short, daily commutes. If used in its ideal way, the Reva can easily save a working driver thousands of dollars a year.

Reva Electric Car has since switched to more powerful lithium ion batteries that has increased its range to 75 miles. This new model has a sportier look and upgraded electronics, and the company hopes that these specifications will glaze the Reva with more commercial appeal to consumers worldwide.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock these past couple of years, chances are you’ve heard about the growing trend of going green with cars. With each new season, there are more and more electric and hybrid vehicle startup companies coming into play. Here’s a list of five of some of the most promising EV companies to watch out for this upcoming year.

 

Tesla Motors – The Roadster

Tesla is by far the most publicized and hyped electric car company in town. Its Roadster is an all-electric speed machine with a top speed of 125 miles per hour and a range of 221 miles. First released back in 2008, Tesla’s EV luxury sports car is set at a base price of $98,000.

 

Think – City

A company that was well established even before it started developing green technology, Think is based in Norway and has been expanding to other industrial countries ever since. Their electric City vehicle is priced at an economical $16,000 for U.S. models. Its range is 112 miles and has a top speed of 62 mph.

 

Fly Bo – 6000/2

The 6000/2 bears a strong resemblance to the iconic Smart Car. It is produced and manufactured in China and distributed by the Spark company in the United States. The price is at an accessible $10,000. Fly Bo’s EV is an ideal local commute car with a range of 60 miles and a top speed of just 35 mph.

 

Myers Motors – NmG (No more Gas)

Aside from its clever acronym, the NmG is unique in its three-wheeled design and room for only one lone passenger. It may look like an odd thing on the road to you, but it’s been quite the popular showcase at car shows. The price tag starts at $35,000.

 

Venturi – Fetish

Yet another high end electric sports car, the Fetish by Venturi will be giving the Tesla Roadster some well-deserved competition. Watch out for pricey labor costs if you invest in a Fetish though. Venturi is in the process of developing two more models, the Eclectic and the Astrolab. Range for the Fetish is 155 miles and top speed is 100 mph.

Electric cars use one of two different types of motors: AC and DC. If the motor is the former, then it typically has a three-phase AC motor running at 240 volts with a 300 volt battery pack. However, if the motor is the latter, then it may run on anything from 96 to 192 volts. The majority of DC motors used in electric vehicles come from the electric forklift industry.

DC motors and installations tend to be more simplistic and less expensive in nature. Most DC motors will be in the range of 20,000 to 30,000 watts. One primary advantage of DC motors is that you can put the EV into overdrive, up to a factor of ten to one, for short durations of time. For example, a 20,000 watt motor will accept 100,000 watts for a short period of time while delivering five times its rated horsepower. This is a great feature for short bursts of acceleration. The only limitation with this technique, though, is that it builds up heat within the motor. Too much overdriving may lead the motor to heat up to the point where it may self-destruct.

The DC’s counterpart, the AC motor, allows the use of virtually any industrial three-phase AC motor. In terms of the installation, this makes for an easier process when finding a motor with a specific size, shape, or power.

Besides the motor, the most important component under the hood of an electric car is the battery by far. However, it is probably the weakest link of an EV. There are at least six major problems with current battery technology. For one, car batteries can be heavy: A typical lead-acid battery pack weights about 1,000 pounds.

They are also voluminous and take up a lot of room. Moreover, a typical battery has a limited capacity of 12 to 15 kilowatt hours of electricity, which gives its vehicle about 50 miles of range. Batteries have short life spans, perhaps three or four years with normal use. And, they are extremely expensive to repair and replace, with some lithium-ion batteries costing over $10,000.

Do you have any tips on maintaining the motor and battery of an electric car? How do you think EV engines compare to the internal combustion ones found in gas-powered vehicles?

Government tax credits and incentives are an excellent way to cut down on costs with your electric vehicle, but it’s also notable to look into the reductions through insurance agencies. Electric insurance coverage, however, is quite different than standard auto insurance in a number of ways.

First of all, it would be helpful to evaluate how motor vehicle organizations appraise the value of your EV as well as how they assess the risk variable. Most major insurers at the moment are still learning about the ins and outs of green car insurance. Thus, their guidelines may not be as concrete as their well-established gas-powered car coverage. Simply put, the best way to find the cheapest and most reliable EV insurance is to obtain an insurer that has the most experience with EVs—not necessarily the cheapest rates or the most popular company.

Scrutinize your electric car or truck’s value. Your EV may not be worth as much as a long-lasting internal combustion vehicle simply due to its battery. Changing its package could cost two to three times more of getting a secondhand electric car model. In addition, cross cars and trucks tend to be a bit more high-priced right now than other vehicles because they are a newer technology and considered a hot, rare commodity.

State Farm reports that while insurance rates for the category of electric vehicles has yet to be confirmed, auto insurance costs for hybrids are already well-established. In general, an EV insurance premium will depend on the following variables: collision damage, damage theft, and liability rating.

A price reduction with electric insurance policies can help you spend less when compared with a different organization’s insurance policy application. Just be sure to also ask for additional discounts. With a reduced operating expense, the entire running expense of an EV is typically 20% of a gas motor vehicle. In a five year insurance plan, it is almost certain that you’ll be spending less if you have an EV compared to a gas-powered vehicle.

This year in the auto market will see an addition to the tiny segment line of electric cars. As of this past spring, the Wheego company has released its first EV, the LiFe. It looks like a fusion of the Nissan Leaf and SmartCar, runs on lithium ion batteries like most EVs, and has a range of 100 miles on a single charge. Its top speed is 65 miles per hour and the LiFe is perfectly legal on freeways. It is an ideal car for routine commutes and leisurely local driving in cities and other urban areas.

Today, the Wheego LiFe has signed up across dozens of dealerships throughout the nation. The name of the vehicle was originally the Wheego Whip, but was changed to abbreviate lithium and iron (Li and Fe). It’s yet another American car that has its body and chassis manufactured in China. The LiFe has 60 horsepower in its electric motor and features a 30 kilowatt-hour lithium battery pack.

In addition, the Wheego is a two-seater that uses front-wheel drive, thus giving it a greater range. One possible setback for the Wheego is its cabin technology, which only includes a stereo head unit, CD slot, and one USB port. However, a plus is that since this is a subcompact car and weighs less than usual, this increases the LiFe’s range and mileage.

Test drives of the Wheego LiFe have concluded that the car’s driveability may be not up to par compared to other EVs hot in the market now. Evidently, there is a pause in the accelerator when you hit the pedal, reminiscent to how golf carts take off. The LiFe drives fine, but you will experience a slight pause even if you’re in performance mode.

The Wheego LiFe’s current price tag is set at $32,995. But, like any other green car, check for tax credits and incentives. You’ll most likely be able to knock off $7,500 from this original price.

In virtually any green vehicle conversation, the electric car is sure to be a prominent topic. Here are a few popular frequently asked questions about EVs as well as their respective useful answers.

 

Are electric cars really more eco-friendly than gas-powered vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen-fueled cars?

In general, yes. In order to run, electric vehicles must be charged with electricity, which may come from a coal-burning power plant. But even so, it’s more much environmentally friendly to control emissions on a single point of origin (the power plant) as opposed to the massive fleet of gas-guzzling vehicles on the road. Moreover, EVs can receive their electricity from renewable sources, including hydro-electric facilities and solar cells.

 

How far can an EV travel on a single charge?

This depends on the given model’s range. But, it’s typical for an electric car to be able to drive between 50 and 80 miles on one full charge. If you move a few notches on the EV hierarchy and purchase a Tesla electric sports car, the Model S will provide you with up to 300 miles on a single go.

 

How long with an electric car battery last me?

Again, this depends on the type of battery your EV uses. The most popular type of battery for electric cars is the lithium-ion battery, and this can last up to 10 years or longer. Lead acid batteries, which are common in the internal combustion engines of gas-powered cars, may not even last a full year.

 

Why are electric vehicles so pricey?

EVs are a fairly new presence in the automobile market. Each new model is often released in limited quantities, making the demand overwhelm the supply. This naturally spikes up the prices of electric cars. And, it’s also due to the fact that the most important component of an EV, the battery, is very expensive. Replacing one easily costs thousands of dollars.

 

Does it make financial sense to buy an EV instead of a “regular” car?

Right now, the pros and cons of each choice pretty much break even. Electric cars are more expensive than their traditional counterparts, but you’ll be spending a lot less on maintenance if you purchased one. Lithium ion batteries are expensive to uphold, but electricity is cheaper than gasoline and you’d be saving money on a per-mile basis. It also depends on where you live: California offers amazing tax incentives and rebates for consumers who purchase EVs.

All-electric and hybrid vehicles reduce the reliance on petroleum and reduce the emissions of pollutants. However, some studies have been conducted to evaluate whether there are hidden energy and resource costs in the manufacturing of these “green” cars that could result in more damage to the environment than in the case with gas-powered cars.

If such manufacturing damage exists, it probably lies within the battery. All vehicles on the road have batteries, but cars with an internal combustion engine have significantly more compact ones compared to the massive collection of battery cells required for EVs. This is because the battery power needs to sufficiently supply the motor in order to keep the car in motion while driving.

Take the Toyota Prius as an example. It uses a battery technology called nickel-metal hydride (NiMH). As the name implies, it’s based on the element nickel, which is considered a carcinogen. In order for manufacturers to use nickel to produce the battery in the first place, extensive mining must be done. This process is energy intensive, dangerous to the health of miners, and generates cancer-causing pollution. Not a very eco-friendly sounding procedure than what most people would think.

The good news, however, is that most popular EV models in the market today don’t use nickel-metal hydride batteries at all. Instead, the big name in electric car batteries is the lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, an advanced technology that is much more environmentally conscious than NiMH. Lithium mining is substantially less hazardous than other kinds of mineral extraction, including nickel.

All in all, electric motors are much more efficient than gasoline-powered cars. It would be useful to also think about other ways our daily routines have polluting effects, such as not replacing incandescent light bulbs with CFLs, using plasma TVs, and unnecessarily using hair dryers and heaters. Perhaps the next green technology to focus on is personal solar panels or even wind turbines.

So you’ve made the big decision to purchase or lease an electric car. One fundamental question you must now consider is whether or not your EV will be in the auto shop as much as the gas-guzzling sedan you just chucked.

Just like with a gas-powered car, you’ll have to find a reliable, honest mechanic that will commit the time and effort into keeping your EV in good condition at a fair price. Most automobile mechanics are trained in working with internal combustion engines and may be surprised to lift your hood and discover that there isn’t one. This means that you’ll probably have to take your electric car to the dealership for repair and tune-ups more often, unless you luckily find a great EV mechanic.

The motor of an electric car is much more simplistic and hassle-free than a regular vehicle. Thus, the dealership is going to find it difficult to charge you hefty prices when servicing a brand new EV because there’s not much that can be erroneous with it. An electric motor contains at most half a dozen parts, as compared to the hundreds of operational parts in an internal combustion engine. Bottom line: There’s not much an EV motor can wear out on itself, and when it does, it’s fairly easy to fix or replace.

According to some estimates by car experts, maintaining an electric car will cost about one-third the current cost of maintaining a gas-powered car. This isn’t to say, of course, that there will be wear-and-tear issues with your electric vehicle, just like any other car. And it’s important that you routinely check the interior, exterior, gauges, and under the hood to make sure everything is up and running.

 

But, not all is golden with EV maintenance. What you’ll have to keep your eye on the most is the battery. While it doesn’t require very much day-to-day maintenance on your part, it will gradually lose its ability to hold a charge. This is comparable to how cell phones and laptop computers slowly run out of battery no matter how well you handle your devices. Battery draining will begin right when you first turn on your EV, but the draining will be extremely slow in the beginning and eventually creep up in the vehicle’s later years. Electric car batteries don’t so much completely “die” as they fade away.

The typical lithium ion battery for an EV for most models will be in good condition for the first 100,000 miles of driving while maintaining a decent driving range. During these years, however, you might find yourself recharging your battery excessively, or taking your car to the dealership for some reason, or getting the battery replaced for an issue.

And that’s when your jaw will drop when you look at your battery bill. A battery package for the Nissan Leaf, for example, costs about $15,000. As an incentive for consumers to go green, the U.S. Department of Energy plans to bring down the cost of EV batteries by 70% by the year 2014.