A Primer on Electric Cars

A Primer on ELECTRIC CARS statistics and facts about electric cars What is the difference? What is it? An electric car is powered by an electric motor instead of a gasoline engine. One major difference between the typical gasoline powered car and the electric car is the impact on the environment. Com- pare the features of each below: The energy is stored in its rechargeable batteries, which are recharged by electricity. Electric car x Gasoline car The structure of an electric car No tailpipe emissions Creenhouse gases 100+/- Mile range 300. Mile range Electric Hours to recharge Minutes to refuel Controller motor - Rechargeable batteries 2 cents per mile 12 cents+ per mile Electricity does not just power electric cars, it also helps power hybrids. But what is the difference between electric cars and hybrids? Shocking facts • Measurements of atmospheric Co, from the Mauna Loa observatory show that concentrations have increased from about 313 ppm in 1960 to about 389 ppm in 2010. The electric car is powered solely by electricity The current observed amount of Co, exceeds the geo- logical record maximum from ice core data. • Reduction in co, emis- sions depends on ge- nerating electricity used to charge the vehicles. Renewable energy, which comes from natural resources such as sunlight is a great green alternative. The hybrid is fueled by gasoline and uses a battery and moton to improve efficiency. Electric car timeline 1900 The electric automobile is in its heyday. 28% of the 4,192 cars pro- duced in the United States are powered by electricity. -1832-1839 Electric autos represent about one third of all cars found on the roads of New York City, Boston and Chicago. Robert Anderson invents the first electric carriage powered by primary cells. Despite their relatively slow speed, they did not have the vibration, smell, and noise associated with gasoline cars. 1835 Thomas Davenport is credited with building the first practi- cal electric vehicle: a small locomotive. 1897 The Pope Manufacturing Company of Connecticut becomes the first large- scale American electric auto- mobile manufacturer. 1899 Thomas Alva Edison begins to create a long-lasting, powerful battery. 1891 William Morrison builds the first successful electric auto- mobile in the USA Many new automobiles found their first commercial applica- tion as New York tais. He makes some improvements in the alkaline battery. 1920 While gasoline-powered cars increase in popula- rity, electric cars cease to be a viable commercial 1912 Charles Kettering invents the electric self-starter, eliminating crank-starting and making gasoline vehi- cles practical for all. 1908 Henry Ford introduces the mass-produced and gasoline- powered Model T, which have a profound effect on the USA market. product. 1970 Concerns about the price of oil and a growing environ- mental movement result in renewed interests in elec- tric cars. 1972 Victor Wouk builds the first full-powered, full- size hybrid vehicle for the 1970 Federal Clean Car Incentive Program. 1988 Roger Smith, CEO of Gen- eral Motors, agrees to fund research efforts to build a practical consumer electric car. 1997 Toyota unveils the Prius, the world's first mass-produced and marketed hybrid car. About 18,000 units are sold during the first year. 2008 Barack Obama says he will push to have one million plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles on America's roads by 2015. 2009 The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocates $2 billion for development of electric vehicle batteries. - 1997-2000 A few thousand all-electric cars (such as Honda's EV Plus, GM.'s EV1 and Toyota's RAVG EV) are produced by big car manufacturers. Green numbers The decrease of co2 emission How big is the impact? -30% 40% 19% CO. Given the current energy mixes in other countries, it has been predicted that such emissions would de- crease by 40% in the UK and 19% in China. With the U.S. energy mix, using an electric car would result in a 30% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. UK China The big players Car companies and their best electric models Think Global Aurskog, Norway Car: Think City Top speed: 65 mph Mitsubishi Tokyo, Japan Car: i-MIEV Top speed: 81 mph Tesla Motors- Palo Alto, California Car: Tesla Roadster Top speed: 125 mph Nissan Tokyo, Japan Car: Nissan LEAF Top speed: 90 mph Reva Bangalore, India Car: Reva NR Top speed: 65 mph 1///// Sources: PeS, Creen Car, Wipedia ///// information provided by autoinsurance.org