The Principles Behind The Working Of Electric Cars

There’s a Choice Out There

Owning a vehicle is a huge investment.  In times of need, you can sell it and use the money for something more important or emergency situations.  Thus, if you invest wisely you can take advantage of a convenient, safe and cost-efficient traveling. What then are things to consider when buying a car? Which one would you prefer; an electric car or gasoline car? Let us take a look at how electric vehicles work and their benefits.

The Electric Cars

Electric cars look like gasoline powered vehicles with the exception that electric vehicles do not have engines or tail pipes.  They typically produce less than half the global warming emissions of a gas car. They are cleaner because more and more electricity is being produced by renewable sources of energy.

Moreover, electric cars do not require oil changes because no oil is used since they have electric motors instead of internal combustion engines.  This is also the reason why these cars are so quiet. Since electric cars do not require oil changes and have many fewer moving parts, they have considerably less maintenance.

The most striking feature of electric cars is that they are energy efficient.  According to the US Department of Energy Website, for a conventional fuel car, the combustion engine loses 62.4% of fuel as heat, only 15% of the energy stored in the gas tank is used to move the car.  Electrical cars convert chemical energy to electrical energy at a rate of 90% efficiency.  As has been stressed in a blog by the Union of Concerned Scientists, that efficiency translates into a different level of “cleanliness” for an EV depending on the by region. That’s because it is dependent on the source of the electricity on which it runs. In most of the U.S., the typical EV gets much better mileage than a comparable gas car, though it’s less in some areas that are still dependent on coal. No wonder due to such high gasoline prices, the electric car market has grown drastically over the past years. Many people prefer buying an electric car since they can be powered by wind and solar energy.

The Gasoline Cars

So, how about Gasoline Cars? Are they really out of fashion? Ninety-five percent of drivers still prefer having a gasoline-fueled car.  Gasoline cars have many and more accessible service centers to deal with more frequent break down compared to electrical cars. Car companies have begun producing more fuel efficient vehicles, allowing the gasoline car owners to save on gas. In addition, gas stations are very accessible anywhere, and anytime so, if the driver runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere, his or her car can easily be towed to the nearest gas station for fuel.

Final Thought

Cars, in reality, are dangerous machines.  What makes them dangerous is their size, weight, speed, their momentum, and maybe the thought that they have a tank full of gasoline. As of this writing, there have been a handful of electric car fires, but no personal injuries have been recorded compared to much more frequent issues with gasoline cars.  However, before buying an electric car, a prospective car buyer must consider the fact that these cars use large arrays of lithium-ion batteries, which have their own safety issues.  In saying this, both gasoline cars and electric cars have their own risks to take depending on how careful their drivers are.

When buying a car, the buyer should also consider his or her daily route and location. In rural areas, where electric charging stations are scarce, it is not advisable for anyone to drive an electric vehicle since charging the batteries could be a challenge.

If you want to make your life easier, find a reliable mode of transportation. Whether it is an electric or a gasoline car, always drive safely.