Your Questions About Electric Cars Pros And Cons

admin answers:

Pros: no smog, hardly no noise, uses almost all of the energey that it stores unlike gas when it is burned the energy is released with heat and friction, enviromently friendly, no oils or messes *this meens no oil changes every 2 months*.

Cons: not as powerful as gasoline cars, *but catching up*.

Electric cars are much lighter and cleaner because they require no oils anf fluids to keep it lubricated, theres also no need for any of the other stuff like fuel lines, or combustion cylinders, or any of that. Take a look at your vacume cleaner… That engine thats inside is the same thing thats in an electric car…just its bigger. Electric cars are cheaper to run because electricity is cheaper then gasoline.

If you need more info feel free to email me at [email protected]

ps. Sorry about the miss spelling

admin answers:

Cons: uses electricity… Has to be plugged in… MORE emissions from COLE FIRED POWER PLANTS, higher electricity bills… No way to dispose of the lithium battery (bad chemicals in there), with lower gas usage, refineries go out of business, price of gas goes up (which will affect about everything considering the goods you buy had to be delivered there in trucks and use gas), people lose jobs…

This is assuming that they sell the way people think they will… But, I don’t think they will do very well, so none of this is really relevant.

admin answers:

Electric cars have many advantages. But like everything they also have some downfalls. If the the pros outweigh the cons is a matter of opinion and depends on your driving requirements. But as a happy Nissan Leaf owner i think the pros do outweigh the negatives. One of the major negatives is that electric cars have a limited range. (often around 100 miles) so if you have to make trips over 100 miles often then a Nissan Leaf or other Ev is probably not for you. If you have a second vehicle this is not a problem.
The next disadvantage of electric cars is the cost. Most electric cars are more expensive than some gasoline counterparts. But if you factor in the $7500 tax credit then the prices are not to bad.
To read more about the cost of various electric cars:

http://thecarwatt.com/electric-car-price/how-much-are-electric-cars-prices-of-electric-cars

Now EVs have many advantages. (to many for me to list) but i will go over some of the major advantages of electric cars.

Lower Cost of ownership.
If you buying any kind of economy car the biggest thing you should consider before buying is the cost of ownership. If cost of ownership IS NOT one of the most important factors to you Why are you buying a economy car in the first place?
Not only do electric cars cost less to fuel but sense electric motors have less moving parts they are more reliable and have lower maintenance costs!
To learn more about the cost of charging electric cars vs gasoline cars

http://thecarwatt.com/electric-car-price/how-much-does-it-cost-to-charge-an-electric-car

Lower Emissions
a Ev produces no emissions. However your local power plant might. Even if your local power source produces pollutant the amount produced is still significantly less and if you have a clean source of electricity then you produce literally Zero emissions.

Ev’s are more efficient
Gasoline engines are about 20% efficient
Electric motors are about 75% efficient
enough said…

Http://thecarwatt.com/electric-car-price/pros-of-electric-cars

Last but not least.
Believe it or not electric cars are actually fun to drive. They are quiet and have extremely smooth handling and acceleration.
You need to test drive one and check it out

admin answers:

The one EV car we currently have (have 2 vehicles that run on hydrogen also, 1 Ethanol & 1 Biodiesel) we converted from a vw bug & is free to charge. As The Ranch is completely off the grid all electricity comes from solar panels & wind generators, which we also built ourselves.

However I did charge up at Costco charging station in Carlsbad California (I actually only drove up there to fill up) if I remember right it was around $2.00

Not sure if you’re interesting in doing it yourself, but I’d be willing to walk you step by step threw the conversion. I’ve converted 3 of my own cars (a datsun truck, ford van, & a vw bug) & a few for neighbors. I’ve also converted cars to run on hydrogen, ethanol & biodiesel, by far EV is the easiest.

If you’re interested here’s what it would entitle…

- The engine compartment is first cleaned out of any gasoline components.
- Electric components are then installed in exchange.
- A battery bank is built & incorporated.
- Existing starter & driving systems are connected.
- Turn the key, step on the gas pedal sending more energy to the electric motor, & thus more power to the drive system, which in return creates more speed, more acceleration.
- The system has normal automotive top speeds & acceleration, typical to the vehicle your modifying. If your top speed was 85 mph & your acceleration was 1 mile per min, then this will be what your left with after the conversion.

The methods are extremely simple, making the process possible for anyone, everyone, ANYWHERE.

Typical tools, hardware & supplies are used, making access to parts available for all.

Electric Conversions can be easily accomplished in ANY model vehicle, even tractors, Generators, types of machinery, etc.

Project lengths range from 1 day to 1 month.
If you’re interested I wrote a guide on it which is available at www agua-luna com

My last EV conversion ran me about $1400. Everything is available online. Here’s a list of what you’d need…

Advanced DC Motor
The motor is an 8″ Advanced DC series-wound motor. It weighs 107 pounds & is rated at 68 peak horsepower. These motors are available in several sizes.

Adaptor plate
The adaptor plate mates the motor to the transmission. It is constructed of 1/2 inch aluminum & is pre-drilled with bolt hole patterns for both the motor & transmission. An aluminum spacer is also used for proper spacing between the shafts of the transmission & motor. Adaptor plates are available for many cars.

DC Motor Controller
The controller regulates current going to the motor. It is a solid-state device that uses a pulse width modulator (PWM) that sends short bursts of current to the motor at a rate of 15 kHz. Controllers are available from both Curtis & DCP.

Potbox (Potentiometer)
The potbox is a 5K ohm throttle between the controller & the accelerator, similar to the way a sewing machine pedal works. The potbox’s lever arm is attached to the existing accelerator cable.

Main Contactor
An electric relay that serves the same purpose as the ignition switch in a gas car. When the key is turned to the start position, the contactor closes the circuit to allow current to flow to the controller.

Circuit Breaker
A safety device that shuts down power for servicing or during an emergency. The circuit breaker is installed under the hood & can be switched both off & on from the drivers seat with an extension or cable.

Main Fuse
The main fuse protect the system from high voltage spikes. A fuse should be installed at each battery box or group of batteries.

Shunt
A shunt is placed in series within the wiring as a means to connect meters. Shunts are available in different sizes for both high & low power configurations.

Charger interlock
A relay that keeps the circuit open so nobody will inadvertently drive off with the charge cord plugged into the car.

DC/DC Converter
The DC/DC converter is similar in function to a gas car’s alternator. It charges the 12 volt accessory battery by chopping voltage from the main battery pack down to 13.5 volts.

admin answers:

Long extension cord

admin answers:

Pros: much cheaper to fuel, better for the environment, lower maintenance, higher resale value

Cons: higher cost up-front, fully electric vehicles don’t yet have very good range

See the link below for further details. Right now the best bet is the Toyota Prius, but in 2010 there will be a number of plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars available. It might be worth waiting until then (see second link below).

admin answers:

Well in the 1970’s they told me 20 years in the 1980’s they told me 20 years in the 1990’s they told me 20 years and surprise in 2000 they told me 20 years, so say 20 years.

Unless they are talking about fuel cells just about any car today can be modified to run on hydrogen, and it doesn’t cost that much.

Right now hydrogen is going for 2.00–$3.00 per gallon of gasoline equivalent, but you’ll have to spend millions if not billions of dollars building re-fueling station, and that’s not going to happen until there is a demand for hydrogen, and there won’t be a demand for hydrogen unless there are hydrogen powered cars, and there won’t be hydrogen powered cars until there are refueling stations. Also even if a small percentage of cars were switch over to hydrogen the price of hydrogen will go way up.

Ethanol is a basically a creation of the government and the corn lobby, it will drive up the price of food and there is no way for ethanol to even replace a small percentage of our fuel.

I don’t know where go got the idea that electric cars are unreliable, most are far more reliable then gas powered car, they suffer from a range problem, but they are reliable.

Con for hydrogen expensive to produce, energy wise, you lose 34% of the energy you put in just breaking water apart. There are other ways to make hydrogen but they are not clean or efficient. Storage is a problem. I could go on and on.

Hydrogen is a pipe dream until someone come up with a cheap, efficient and clean way to produce it.