O.K. lets start with an issue that's been the subject of both sides lately. Mainly the electric vehicle. First off I will tell you this, anyone who thinks the EV isn't here to stay hasn't done their homework. The batteries that bring you your portable electronic devices has enabled the EV to finally become a viable form of transportation. In just a few years, most EVs will be capable of traveling 150 miles on a charge. Don't mistake this for cars that really aren't EVs. Even though you can plug in a Chevrolet Volt doesn't make it an EV. If it still uses gasoline it is a hybrid, plain and simple. Everything else you want to call it is marketing hype. And since most people don't drive 150 miles on a daily basis you will find that no matter how many EVs are on the road, the public charging stations will remain unused. Why you ask? Its really quite simple. You charge your car at home at really cheap rates and leave in the morning with a full charge. If you know you have enough charge to make it home, why would you bother messing around with a public charger that will only overcharge you for the electricity?
What then are the benefits of an electric vehicle?
O.K. lets start with the obvious. You no longer need to worry about what the cost of gasoline is. An EV will travel 100 miles on 2 or 3 dollars of electricity. How much money does it currently cost you to go 100 miles?
Hows this one? Are you a car nut or just love the power of a big performance engine? You will love EVs. The fact that an electric motor produces peak torque from a dead stop means it will pull off the line like nothing you've ever experienced. The throttle response and start up torque is nothing flat of amazing.
Next we have lifespan. I mean the life span of the car. An EV has no engine, and most do not even have a transmission. The number of moving parts in an EV are so much fewer than in a traditional car you can almost count them on your hands. Compare that to your current car which probably has a few thousand moving parts. With so many fewer parts to go bad the EV will be a car you can keep around for a lot longer.
What about the batteries? Well the chemistry for these batteries are always changing, but one thing remains the same. The lithium content in all of these new batteries is almost always less than 10% of the weight of the battery pack itself. Combine that with the fact that, when used up, the batteries will be re-purposed for use in battery backup systems and what-not. After that, believe it or not, they will still be recyclable. When enough of these cars find themselves on the roads, the price will start to come down as well.
If you want a larger vehicle then an EV is probably not for you at this time. The battery pack needs of a larger vehicle makes it impractical for large vehicles at this time. Not that it isn't possible, it is very much possible to make a large SUV totally electric and have power and go 80 miles. Problem is this, AMP Electric Vehicles located in Cincinnati, Ohio is about the only one I know of selling a vehicle like this. It is a Jeep Grand Cherokee and can be yours if you have a spare 90 thousand dollars or so floating around. But how many of us are driving a five seat vehicle that doesn't have to be as big as a house?
Here's another one. If you are patriotic, an EV will most definitely cut our dependence on foreign oil. Don't worry about where your electric comes from, here are two important facts for you.
1. We currently burn off large amounts of " off peak " electricity produced at night nobody is currently using. In other words, we could charge several million EVs with no additional load on our electrical grid.
and
2. EVs are 7 or 8 times more efficient than gasoline cars, so you are immediately cleaner off the bat. Never mind the fact that nobody gets their electricity from coal 100%
Finally here's one to ponder. Still don't think EVs are here to stay? Even if they weren't cheaper to operate, cleaner, quieter, smoother, more powerful and may last several times longer than your current car. Go drive one. Trust me, after driving a well built EV you will not want a vehicle ever again that uses internal combustion technology. It will be comparable to steam engine technology when gasoline cars started to become viable after the electric starter was invented.
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