electronic cars


Electronic vehicles seems to be on the move to take over from a conventional ones.
When you consider the advantages and disadvantages of electronic vehicles, you will agree with me that in no time, electronic vehicle will be the in thing.
let us consider the advantages and disadvantages of electronic vehicles as stated here:

"Advantages

1. No air pollutants are emitted directly by the vehicle. This potentially reduces urban pollution, and the vehicles may be used indoors. This does not take into account additional pollutants that are emitted if any fossil fuel power plant is used to create the electricity, though a centralized pollution source can be dealt with more easily. However, the refining process for oil into gasoline(petrol) uses large quantities of fuel and energy[citation needed]. It is estimated that most cars on the road today emit 450 to 500 grams of CO2/km[citation needed], once the refining and shipping of fuel are taken into account. A small (4 seater) battery-electric vehicle such as the Mitsubishi iMiev, charged by electricity generated only by burning coal, produces a total of only around 30 grams per km[citation needed].
2. The engine is much quieter compared to all sorts of internal combustion engines (and road traffic is the most common source of noise pollution in at least the rich coutries) – even if they don’t reduce tire noise.
3. No noise or air pollution while idling. This is a large advantage in densely populated cities, where average speeds are very low due to excessive congestion.
4. Gasoline is indirectly replaced by whatever is being used to generate domestic electricity, reducing dependence on foreign commodities (some countries, like Japan, have virtually no native petroleum resources). The electrical energy stored within the battery can be generated by any source, including renewable (hydroelectric, wind, etc.), nuclear, natural gas, coal and petroleum.
5. The efficiency is higher than for internal combustion engines (the efficiency of small-scale ICEs don't exceed 43 %) – especially if the vehicles do utilize e.g. hydroelectric power, but also compared to electricity from coal power plants[citation needed].
6. Charging can be done at home or at work, eliminating unnecessary time and fuel used to get to a refuelling station.
7. Unlike internal combustion engines, powerful electric motors are still very efficient. A sporty battery-electric vehicle such as the Tesla Roadster will not use much more electricity to drive a specified distance at the same speed than a much smaller car such as the Mitsubishi iMiEV or Nissan Leaf. The only reasons it may use more energy is due to drivetrain inefficiency, higher rolling resistance tyres or aerodynamic drag, and the higher weight, largely due to a heavy battery system (450 kg to provide 53 kWh in the Tesla compared to 135 kg for 16 kWh capacity in the iMiEV). As the more powerful electric motor has the same energy-efficiency, There is little trade-off between performance and fuel(electricity) economy.
8. Per distance travelled, BEVs are half the cost to run. Lithium ion batteries cost approximately $500/kWh at present and are good for around 2000 cycles. The price is expected to fall to about $250/kWh, but even this gives a cost that is not insignificant. The cost calculation is as follows: An electric car has a 24kWh battery and can therefore travel 100 miles on each charge (this is a generous assumption). The battery will last for 200,000 miles, so it will only see 2000 charges. This means that each one kWh unit will also only see 2000 charges. The capital cost is $500/kWh or 50,000c/kWh. Divide this by the number of charges and you end up with 25c/kWh just for writing down the capital cost of the battery per charge cycle. Now if you lease the battery you will need to add finance on to this the number and it will be even higher, say 36c/kWh - this prices is before you have bought any electricity. Once you add on the cost of the electricity (assume 12c/kWh), charge/discharge efficiency 85% (again generous) and you will find that the cost of your electricity is 14c/kWh of output. Assume that you can travel 4 miles per kWh (no air conditioning on) and your cost is 50c/kWh output then the per mile cost is 12.5c/mile or 8 pence/mile compared to about 16.6 pence per mile (12.6 euro-cents per km) for a petrol (gasoline) car in the UK (30 Imperial-MPG,24 MPG-US or 9.40 L/100 km, £1.10 per L). This final cost may vary depending on type of battery used (lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride).
9. Other than battery replacements, maintenance of an electric car is far cheaper than that of a fossil fuel burning one, as there is only one moving part, reducing wear and need for part replacements drastically.
10. Most electric cars lack a clutch and gearbox as electric motors have a very wide power band; it drives as easily as an automatic.
11. Due to the wide power band, there is no lack of power when the rotation speed of the motor (measured in RPM) is too low or too high. Maximum power is always available, at almost any RPM.
12. In many countries, battery-electric vehicles are given tax breaks to encourage their use. In the UK, there is a £5,000 subsidy on any BEV purchase. Also, BEVs are zero-rated for Vehicle Excise Duty and do not have to pay the congestion charge in London.

Disadvantages

1. Because of heavy battery weight, the vehicles are heavier than gasoline or diesel ones and do not travel as far.
2. The batteries are expensive which increases the total cost of the vehicle.
3. Battery cars are marketed as ‘’environmentally friendly’’ or ‘’green’’ but aren’t compared to bicycling or light rail.
4. Because of the batteries, producing and operating a battery car is at least as pollutant as gasoline/diesel cars of the same size.
5. The usual battery charge takes around 5 hours and is intended for overnight. Fast chargers may reduce this to 45 or 30 minutes, however, refilling a fuel tank takes only about 5 minutes. (If shared batteries were kept charged at a charging station, then empty batteries could be replaced with charged ones in the same time as fueling a tank of gas. This system would also allow an electric car to travel several times it's normal range in one day, but the infrastructure for this is almost non-existent.)
6. Infrastructure is lacking; charge stations are not yet popular. A fossil fuel vehicle can go anywhere in most countries and find a pay to refuel station with ease, recharge stations for electric vehicles are rare, despite near universal electricity availability throughout most developed countries.
7. The range of a BEV will slowly decrease over time as the rechargeable batteries lose capacity and eventually will need to be replaced. As of 2009, the Tesla Roadster's batteries cost around $30,000 to replace. Tesla however allow you to pre-order a battery now, to be delivered in 5 years time at a price of $12,000 ($2,400 per year for 5 years, ignoring capital costs) assuming battery prices fall as battery technology improves and mass production of batteries are reducing prices. This assumption is disputed - "unlike with tires or toasters, battery packs aren't likely to enjoy traditional economies of scale as their makers ramp up production, the scientists and engineers say" Wall Street Journal October 17, 2010 - in which case batteries will become more expensive as demand builds".


What can I more say, the world is ready for a continuous change.

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