EVs (electric vehicles), as they are popularly called are the newest things around the block. They are slowly gaining market share today as the search for alternatives to fossil fuel intensifies around the globe.
Interestingly, these cars have been around for quite some time but have become increasingly popular for reasons such as fuel shortage, fluctuating prices, and environmental concerns such as pollution and global warming.
Before now, they were basically prototypes in research labs and only a few individuals could boast of owning an electric car. It was not until the 21st century that they found their way into the commercial market and their use will continue to rise as prices for the vehicle and its infrastructure drops.
European countries are fast catching the EV fever and are leading this trend, with future plans to ban fossil fuel-powered cars in the very near future. According to Forbes, over 60% of the cars sold in Norway in March of 2019 were electric cars. Talk about market take-over!
Many of us associate electric cars with Tesla and Porsche, but today your favourite automobile brands including Toyota, Ford, Fiat, Kia, Hyundai, Volkswagen and Mercedes Benz can all boast of electric car models in the commercial market.
How it Works
The electric car has an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. It uses a large battery pack to power this motor and it must be plugged into a charging station occasionally to charge. Charging stations exist along the road, much like the filling stations, so the battery can be charged simply by plugging in, like you do your mobile phone.
Because it runs on electricity, the vehicle emits no exhaust from a combustion pipe (in fact, they do not have a combustion pipe) and does not contain the typical liquid fuel components, such as a fuel pump or fuel tank as a fuel-powered car.
Why an Electric Car?
If you care about the environment and the world we live in, and you should, you would consider the electric car as a better alternative to your fuel-powered car. The harmful effects of fossil fuel cars are on the increase and so we need to be more open to innovative technologies that have the capacity to curb this.
Also, by owning an electric car, fuel scarcity or the fluctuating fuel prices is no longer your concern. All you need to do is find the nearest charging station to you, and after a few charging hours (which could be parking hours), you are good to go.
Electric cars are preferred over fossil fuel cars today because they have a higher energy efficiency. This simply means that they require less energy to perform the same function, in this case, to set the car in motion.
Typically, many associate electric cars with very high prices. In fact, their cost today ranges from about $10,000 up to $100,000 depending on the model. Although these cars are more expensive to buy, their lower running costs mean that they are still an attractive alternative, considering fuelling and maintenance costs.
There has been a reasonable drop in their prices over the years as sales have increased. Reason being that as technology advances and is readily available, prices come down. So don’t let the price of an electric car stop you from having one. Sooner than you expect, it may be well within your pay grade.
