If you are thinking about buying an electric car, then you may have been put off by some of the myths and rumours which surround these green vehicles. While they were originally seen as something that only the rich or totally dedicated to green issues (e.g. treehuggers) would use, the modern green vehicle is being designed by some of the biggest car makers in the world, including General Motors, Toyota and Citroen.
The manufacturers and the governments are pumping crazy amounts of money into both technology and infrastructure. Some of these new cars are designed to be more pleasing to the eye of the buyer, but they are still suffering from many of the myths which grew up during the long period when electric cars were an unfamiliar sight.
Myth 1: The Electric Car Can't go Far
The biggest myth grew up in the 1990s, when all the electric cars were either DIY projects or experimental models running on heavy and inefficient led-acid batteries. The technology was in its infancy, so it shouldn't be very surprising that the early years of the electric car were ones of small gains.
In the past, the electric car could only go about 10 miles before the battery was exhausted, leaving very little room to move. Now, there are modern green vehicles that can go between 65 and 100 miles on a full charge. Some experimental models have even covered 200 miles and more on a single charge. While this is still not as much as the gas vehicle, it is a big improvement.
Myth 2: They can Still Damage the Environment
Arguments about the relative 'green' credentials of different electric cars will go on for years. The biggest slander against the e-car is that it uses electricity, which is produced by burning gas or oil. It is partially true, however, with more power being produced by renewable resources, electricity is becoming greener. In some areas, it is also possible to use a combination of solar panels to provide the electrical power.
What electric vehicles can say is that they will not pollute the surrounding environment with greenhouse gasses, lead emissions, and other pollution which gas cars do produce. And electric motors are more efficient than internal combustion engines, so electric vehicles will consume less energy and contribute to less CO2 emissions.
Myth 3: Hybrids Offer a Better Alternative to the Electric Car
A common misconception is that the same advantages are also shared by the hybrid, which is a combination of gas and electric drive. These are seen as the best of both worlds, and in a family with more than one car, an electric car and a normal car could be the best way to manage your transport problems. The hybrid in a single car, however, can only get larger as it grows popular, and this will mean that it will need to either have a larger battery source, or more gas-power in the engine.
This will ultimately lead to one of the fuel sources becoming obsolete, and the hybrid might then become a traditional gas or electric one-note car. It is only a theory, though, and the most likely scenario is that electric cars and hybrids will develop and exist simultaneously over the next couple of decades.
Are you ready to accept electric cars as part of your daily life? Maybe even drive one? Sooner or later the internal combustion vehicles will become too expensive to maintain because of the high fuel prices. What alternatives are we left with at the moment...?
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