Electric Cars Essay

Abstract

Electric cars are the latest development in the automotive industry. The cars are made in a manner that positively contributes toward a stable and healthy environment. Electric cars have both a number of advantages and disadvantages associated with them, but clearly, the advantages overshadow the disadvantages.

Advantages include:

• No gas required
• Cost
• No emissions
• Popularity
• Safety
• Low maintenance
• Reduce noise pollution

Disadvantages include:

• Availability of gas stations
• Cost of electricity

Short driving range

• Longer recharge range and speed
• Silence, among others.

Introduction

The concept of electric cars is relatively new in the automotive industry. There are certain specific companies that have already based their car production on being proactive and using electricity. Other companies are currently producing hybrid vehicles that use both gas and electricity. The companies indicate that electric cars not only save money but also help contribute to a stable and healthy environment. Usually, normal cars release carbon emissions which make people vulnerable to pollution and greenhouse gases effect. The first move toward preventing environmental pollution is the use of electric cars. Actually, the government is encouraging people to make use of electric cars by giving them subsidies each time they purchase an electric car (Poullikkas, 2015). However, there are still a few disadvantages that are associated with electric cars. Even though electric cars cost a little bit more than non-electric cars, the benefits associated with electric cars overshadow the negatives.

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Advantages of electric cars

In modern-day technology, there are so many reasons why one should purchase an electric car (Težak, Sever, & Lee, 2016). Electric cars usually save so much money that could have otherwise been spent on gas. Some of the common advantages associated with electric cars include:

1. Gas is not required - electric cars depend entirely on electricity which means therefore that no gas is needed. Fuel is one of the most expensive commodities which results in some people using public transport means rather than fueling their own cars. Especially while traveling for long distances, too much fuel is consumed. An average American spends $2000-$4000 annually on gas alone. Despite the fact that electricity is not free, an electric car cannot consume this much money.
2. No emissions - electric cars are very eco-friendly since they depend on electrically powered engines. They do not emit any toxic gases to the environment since they run on clean energy. Electric cars are even better than hybrid cars since hybrid cars make use of gas which produces emissions. By driving an electric car, one directly contributes to a healthy and green climate.
3. Cost - electric cars are fueled at very cheap prices and hence they help save the extra cost that could have otherwise been used to purchase gas for ordinary vehicles. Besides, immediately after the development of electric cars, they were very expensive but with technological advancements, both the price and the maintenance of electric cars have reduced. Different companies are currently producing batteries and the new tax incentives have helped reduce the cost of electric cars.
4. Low maintenance - electric cars do not require one to lubricate the engine since they run on an electrically powered engine. One does not have to frequently take the car to a service station as like one does with normal gasoline-powered vehicles.
5. Popularity - with time, electric cars have become very popular. There are different types of electric cars in the market and hence the customer has a wide variety to choose from.
6. Reduce noise pollution - electric cars produce very little voice as compared to normal gasoline-powered vehicles. The cars are designed in a manner that they can provide a smooth, quiet drive, with higher acceleration over a very long distance.
7. Safety - electric cars usually go through fitness and testing procedures that any other car goes through. In case of an accident, there are airbags that open up and the electricity supply is immediately cut from the battery. This helps in preventing any serious injuries not only for the driver but also for any other passengers in the car.

Many owners of electric cars have confirmed that they spend very little on the maintenance of their vehicles. As the supplies of oil continue running out, the price continually increases (Hofer, Jäger, & Füllsack, 2018). Hence, chances are that normal gasoline-powered vehicles will spend so much money as compared to electric cars. Nissan and Tesla are among the companies that offer some of the greatest models of electric cars. Besides the cost, purchasing an electric car is also a move towards conserving the environment which directly affects the economy positively.

Disadvantages of Electric Cars

Although it’s clear that electric cars have huge benefits, there are some challenges that one has to take into consideration before choosing to buy an electric car (Matthews, Lynes, Riemer, Del Matto, & Cloet, 2017). Some of the common disadvantages include;

1. Cost of electricity - if one does not carefully consider the points, electric cars can cause one to pay a very high electricity bill. Before purchasing a particular model of an electric car, it is important to consider the amount of power it consumes. Some electric cars require a lot of charges for them to function. This means therefore that one has to pay a very electricity bill.
2. Recharge points - there are not so many electricity fueling stations as they are still in their development stages. Hence, there are some areas that one might go and there is no electricity fueling station for the vehicle. In this case, one might get stuck whereby one is on a long trip and has run out of charge.
3. Low recharge time - it takes about 4-6 hours for an electric car to get fully charged. This is central to gasoline-powered vehicles which take only a few minutes to get to a full tank. Hence, there have to be dedicated power stations in order to effectively serve customers.
4. Short driving range and speed - range and speed are the main factors that limit electric cars. Electric cars can only go up to 50-100 miles and you have to recharge them again. Currently, one cannot travel a long distance with an electric car, but the manufacturers indicate that this will improve in the near future.
5. Silence - the silence from electric cars has been termed by most people as dangerous. This is given the fact that one can hardly hear the car from behind and hence increasing the chances of car accidents.
6. Capacity - most electric cars that have been developed are very small. They can only accommodate two people and hence they cannot accommodate an entire family. Adding an extra third person will make the trip uncomfortable.
7. Battery replacement - most batteries for electric cars require to be changed after every 3-10 years. Hence, a certain cost has to be frequently incurred for the car to perform effectively.

Not suitable for areas with a low power supply- electric cars are only suitable in areas where there is a consistent power supply. The car needs to be charged up frequently and hence it would be of no use to purchase a car where there are acute power shortages.

Not all governments provide monetary incentives that are meant to encourage people to purchase electric cars. Besides, some electric cars are still too expensive due to the kind of technology that was used while assembling the vehicle.

Simply because there are some disadvantages that are associated with electric cars, this does not mean that the cars are entirely bad. The key issue is the fact that electric cars help curb environmental pollution issues and the fact that the car is cost-effective. Besides, electric cars are safe to drive which is the key factor that every customer has to consider. The only issue is that one cannot purchase an electric car in areas where there is a poor power supply since they require frequent charging.

References

1. Hofer, C., Jäger, G., & Füllsack, M. (2018). Large scale simulation of CO2 emissions caused by urban car traffic: an agent-based network approach. Journal of cleaner production, 183, 1-10.
2. Matthews, L., Lynes, J., Riemer, M., Del Matto, T., & Cloet, N. (2017). Do we have a car for you? Encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles at the point of sale. Energy Policy, 100, 79-88.
3. Poullikkas, A. (2015). Sustainable options for electric vehicle technologies. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 41, 1277-1287.
4. Težak, S., Sever, D., & Lep, M. (2016). Increasing the capacities of cable cars for use in public transport. Journal of Public Transportation, 19(1), 1.