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So,
the world is warming up, the ice caps are melting, and we're using up
the once abundant supply of fuel we have. As a result, people, and I
am one of them, are starting to realise that we are going to need to
find alternative methods of powering the way we move around, since
the major fuel we use now just isn't going to last us. Enter the
electric motor. Its proponents claim that it wil revolutionize the
way we move from point A to point B, causing zero emissions, and as a
whole, just being generally better than gasoline or diesel. Or will
they? Some people aren't sure. They claim that the batteries just
cannot hold enough of a charge to be of any practical use, they're
too heavy, and take way, way too long to recharge, among a growing
list of complaints. Depending on personal circumstances, electric
cars work on a practical level for the average American.
One
of the biggest practical issues with the electric car is milage. How
far can I go on one charge? Obviously, if the owner works 50 miles
away, and for whatever reason, the car can only make it 49 miles
before needing a recharge, then no, it just will not work. However,
the average American only commutes 32 miles a day between work and
home. Meanwhile, the projected ideal milage from the three most
prominent commercially available electric vehicles are all over 100
miles. Again the critics cry out, fixating on the "ideal"
part of milage estimates. Nissan, at the very least, has an answer.
They subjected their Leaf to a handful of different scenarios
possible in the daily life of a car, to see how each situation would
affect the charge milage. So, could one get to work and back without
running out of charge before even making it to work in the morning?
Well, unless you're of a small minority of Americans who commute long
inter-city distances to work daily, yes. If you're one of those
Americans who do commute long distances into work, you'd be better
off looking at other options. Unfortunately, long trips in electric
vehicles still do not work as well as one would hope.
Weight
is always crucial in designing a car. The heavier a car is, the
harder it is to get it going, stopped, and to keep it in control
while in motion. Another downside to weight: the milage of the car
decreases, sometimes rapidly. Back to the Leaf, since it is the most
advanced and refined of the electric vehicles currently on the
market. The curb weight of the Leaf is 3,354 pounds. Compare that to
a similarily sized Nissan, the Sentra, which has a curb weight of
2,875 pounds, it is heavier by 500 pounds, most of which is due to
the electric drive system. However, compare it to Nissan's flagship
sedan, the Altima, and suddenly the weight doesn't seem so bad.
The
one area where electric cars get crucified the most, even over their
milage, is how long it takes to charge the batteries to full. Critics
claim that the sheer amount of time it takes to return the batteries
to a full charge state is ludicriously long, that they're just not
practical. If you're charging your electric vehicle from a 110 volt
circuit, then you'd have a point, charge times sail well beyond the
12 hour mark, some are even past the 24 hour mark. However, it must
be asked, would you buy a Ferrari 485 Italia, and then run it on
Regular Unleaded? It certainly would be cheaper. But, I wouldn't, I'd
be filling it up with Premium to keep it running better, and get the
maxiumum performance out of that V-12 engine. It's similar with
charging the battery. A 110 volt circuit is to Regular Unleaded, as a
220 volt circuit is to Premium. Yeah, putting in a 220 volt circuit
(let's face it, very few Americans have more than one 220 volt
circuit in their home) can be costly, but if you're going to invest
in electric, then you need to be willing to make the investment in
the proper infrastructure to power your vehicle as well.
The
fact of the matter is, the practicality of electric vehicles depends
purely on the person. When compared to the average, they do start to
make a lot of sense. Given the average commute distance of 16 miles
one way, cars like the Nissan Leaf, the BMW Mini E, and even the
Tesla Model S start to become rather enticing. The Nissan's ideal
average range of 100 miles, or the Mini E's 109 miles (for some
reason they couldn't get it to go the last mile and make it an even
110...), are plenty for your average American to go to work, get back
home, and grab the kids and dinner along the way. Even some longer,
inter-city commutes are possible, provided you live within 95 miles
of your desk, and that you have a charge point with a 220 volt
circuit available where you park your car while you're at work.
Having
the crucial 220 volt circuit available both at work and at home is
key. It drastically reduces charge time, and is actually reccomended
by the manufacturers themselves. Looking up charge figures, there are
multiple times, two 220 volt charge times with different amperages,
and one 110 volt charge time. Take the Mini's for example. Official
figures suggest that the Mini E can be charged in as little as 3
hours on a 220 volt circuit. Charge it on a 110 volt circuit,
however, and the charge time skyrockets to 26.5 hours.
Making
the decision to buy an electric vehicle is not an easy one. However,
when all you look at is practicality, it starts to make sense, when
you live within the car's range of your work. So long as we can live
without making long journeys, or are able to afford an alternate
method of making the journey, the electric car is indeed a viable
replacement to gasoline. It's when long trips are required that the
cars start to fall apart. The bottom line is, electric cars are
wonderful for daily commuters, to and from work.
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