Rising gasoline prices may just make other forms of alternative means of transportation become more attractive. One of the ways not to be affected by the rising prices of gas is to have an alternative means of travel. Of course, saving up on gasoline use may help in some way, but such actions may still leave one affected with the rising prices of gas. A better way would be trying to use a mode of transportation aside from one that makes use of fuel aside from gasoline. One such example is the use of an electric car.

An electric car is one type of an alternative vehicle. It makes use of electricity as its primary power source. Instead of an internal combustion engine, the electric car, also commonly called as an EV or electric vehicle, has an electric motor to make the vehicle move. It is an alternative fuel vehicle that does not use refined fossil oil for fuel.

Electric cars get electricity for power by means of electric battery packs built on board. One of the advantages of using electric vehicles or EV’s is that they are environmentally friendly. Unlike fossil fuel that emits a number of pollutants into the air when being used, the use of electricity for power does not do so, except that the power plants that may produce them do. But with using electric cars, the emission of harmful pollutants may be reduced substantially. Less cars using fossils fuel and gasoline would help make this possible. And someday, when more electric power is sourced from nuclear, solar, wind and hydro-electric power plants, pollutant emissions will even be reduced more.

Performance-wise, electric cars offer smoother and noiseless operation that cars relying on gasoline. Electric cars provide stronger acceleration and the electric motor requires lesser maintenance than the internal combustion engines of cars using gasoline and other fossil fuels. By using electricity through batteries, energy conversion is more efficient. Electric motors makes use of 75 percent of the chemical energy converted into electricity to run the car. Internal combustion engines or ICE’s only are able to make use about 20 percent of the energy stored in gasoline to power the vehicle.

If most think that the electric car is a recent invention, then they are mistaken. The electric vehicle is in fact one of the earliest vehicles known to exist. Small electric powered vehicles even predate the development of the diesel and gasoline engines. The earliest electric carriage was built between 1832 and 1839. The development of other electric cars also increased for some time during the 1860’s along with the improvement of the storage battery. It was even the electric cars that held many of the speed and distance records during this time. But unfortunately, the advent of the internal combustion engines came during the early 1900’s, which led to the decrease in the use of electric cars.

With the appearance of the more powerful and affordable diesel and gasoline powered cars starting in the early 1900’s, the market for electric cars slowly disappeared. Although there were still electric cars being made, those that do exist were being produced for specialized applications. One of the most common use for the electric vehicle today may be found in the golf carts as a primary mode of compact transport in golf courses. But because of the rising gasoline prices as well as the worsening pollution, there has been an renewed demand for the less polluting alternative electric vehicles in recent years.

 NOVYAR

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Electric cars are not a new concept as we think, people hve been using them for a long time .In fact in the 1900’s people used more electric cars than cars run on gas.In the 1920’s when the popularity for cars was growing, gas was very costly.Starting a gas run car was also a very tedious process, there was no key to ignite the engine, in fact a rod used to fit into the front of the car which had to be turned round and round to get the car started.

Not only were gas run cars tedious to start , they emitted alot of smoke and were very noisy, as either the mufflers used were not good or there were no mufflers at all. Beleive it or not , at one point of time electric cars were so popular that there were about 50,000 electric cars running on the streets of United States .

As new discoveries were underway to make gasoline cheaper, electric cars started disappearing from the market. The discovery of the electric starter made way for the exit of the crank and the car was started with a key.A car run on gas could travel more distance than the electric car.Thus cars run on gas started getting more pouplar than the electric car.

Now, once again because of the awareness towards protecting the environment and reducing the dangers caused by the emission of the greenhouse gases ” green ” electric cars are once again getting
popularized.

Gasoline is not used to run an electric car, it runs on the energy stored in batteries in the car. 12,14 or more batteries may be needed to run the car.The operation of the electric car is similar to that a remote controlled one since both have an electric motor that turns the wheel and a battery that that runs the motor.

Charging of the batteries can either be done all night or some cars need to be plugged into a standard electric wall.There are some which need a large electric outlet, something like what is used for an electric stove or electric clothes dryer. These are the various ways electricity is stored in the cars.

The batteries used to run the cars have to be either lead acid batteries, similar to those used in torch lights or ni-cad (nickel-cadium) used to run portable viodeo recorders or video games , only much larger in size. A lot of work is going on to upgrade the batteries to hold more energy and last longer. By the time the fifth graders in 2001 are ready to drive we should have electric cars which will be able to travel 150 to 200 miles before needing to get recharged.

Manufacturers of cars and scientists are making constant endeavours to make better cars which will be more eco-friendly. The revival of electric cars and the challenge to make them more attractive is on in a big way and enticing more people to switch over to electric cars.

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Electric cars are shown up in the news nowadays. The hybrid vehicles and especially the electric cars are talk of the town. The electric car is the best alternative for the petroleum cars. The reason for this includes many statements. The electric cars have a lot of advantages over the old fashioned petroleum cars. The popularity of the electric cars has reached almost all over the world. We are taught in schools about the alternative sources of energy. The alternative sources of energy are solar energy, gas energy, electrical energy, etc. The electric cars are the cars which can run on electricity. Actually the petroleum cars can also be converted into electric cars. It is very easy to convert a petroleum car into electric cars. Most of the petroleum cars are being converted into electrical cars as electrical cars is cost cutting.

It is almost not difficult to understand how an electric car works. The architecture of the electric car is quite different then the petroleum car. A electrical car is consist of lots of wiring. The electrical car has following main components:

Electric Motor
Motor Controller
Batteries

An electric car is powered by an electric motor while a petroleum car is powered by a petroleum engine. This is how an electric car defers from the petroleum car. Instead of a petroleum engine an electric motor is placed inside the electric car. The electric motor gets power from the controller. Number of rechargeable batteries provide power to the controller.

The controller gets the power from the batteries and gives it to the motor. The accelerator pedal is tied with a pair of potentiometers (variable resistors), which provides the signal for the controller how much power it is to to deliver.

The 300 volts dc current is inoput to the controller from the battery and  controller converts it into a maximum of 240 volts AC, three-phase, and  sends to the motor. Inside the controller there is a transistor which turns onand off rapidly. A connector connects these two potentiometers and the padal, when you push on the gas pedal, The controller gets information about how much power to deliver to the electric car’s motor from the potentionmeters. There are two potentiometers for the sake of safety. The controller checks the readings of the both potentiometers to be equal. If they are not, then the controller stops operating. When accsilator is pressed, the controller turns the switch on, and when it is removed, it would turn it off.

The batteries are the main sources of power for the electrical car. Number of rechargeable batteries provide power to the controller. The motor can use both AC and DC batteries. Batteries  run by chemicals such as lithiuem. You can recharge the batteries by just plugging in the wire to the electric socket.

In this article we discussed about the architecture and working of electrical cars. Hope that this information increased your knowledge about the electrical cars.

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lectric Car Conversion Kits

Check the turning circle before buying the kit.

There are electric car conversion kits available from retailers and these can be fitted by someone with a good mechanical background. Before buying a conversion kit to fit to your car, it would firstly, be wise to check to see what type of car the electric car conversion kit is suitable for.

Most of the electric cars will do a mileage of between 30 to70, so if you have a daily average mileage that is within this range then having an electric car conversion kit fitted in your vehicle makes a lot of sense.

Another important aspect regarding the electric car conversion kit is to be familiar with which type of hybrid car model its best suited for having it fitted. Having one for short range travel and fitted to a light weight car would be ideal whereas a pickup van or truck is more suitable for utility purposes. Some of the more advanced electric car conversion kits have also been used in cars that can be used for short races and sportier driving, but these are few and far between.

A typical electric car conversion kit may enable a car to travel at speeds of up to 25 mph with a payload of between two and four passengers and costs less than ten thousand dollars.

The electric car conversion kit should be well designed and manufactured and should include the motor, controllers and battery chargers. Add to this the need to change the batteries every year which will add a further three hundred dollars ($300) to the cost. However, this is still considerably cheaper than costs for gasoline, anti-freezing, hosing, filters, belts, radiator repairs, exhaust system and tune-up of engines that ordinary gas driven cars entail.

At present, there are very few electric vehicles available and so converting the gasoline driven car with the help of an electric car conversion kit is a good choice to make as building your own electric vehicle is a fun-filled experience that is both rewarding and exhilarating and poses a challenge to the user.

Since electric vehicles do not pollute the environment they are a good alternative technology to the gas driven cars. There are a number of factors that need to be considered before settling on one particular electric car conversion kit.

* You may begin with selecting the driving range that you intend to travel with your electric vehicle and select a kit that will best serve your purpose.

* Secondly, there is the need to have proper and adequate set of tools and supplies along with an appropriate amount of free space where to do the conversion.

* Then, you need to be familiar with the components and know how to remove the ICE components and replace them with the electric vehicle components.

* Next, install the motor, components, battery box and batteries and also install the propulsion wiring, auxiliary power system and the traction pack changing system as well as displays and controls.

* Make sure that everything will have been tested before actually putting the electric vehicle in to normal use.

That’s it enjoy the pollution free and cheaper method of transport that is open to you now thanks to your purchase of a electric car conversion kit.

Thanks

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The growing market for electric vehicles in the west has been a positive sign for Indian car manufacturers lately.

Bangalore based Reva Electric Car Company (RECC),and Tata Motors are finalizing plans to launch their products in Europe and U.S. The companies stand to avail benefits of subsidies offered for environmental causes in these countries. A high penalty is levied emissions and stringent vehicle emission test are mandatory.

In future Tata Motors plans to launch the electric version of Indica Vista and RECC plans to step up its exports to several other European and North American countries. Tata Indica Vista will be introduced in Norway this year. Reva Electric Car Company has been exporting its products to Europe since 2004 and now wants to explore U.S. market. So far RECC has exported 1,500 electric cars to Norway, Germany, Switzerland and UK.  RECC has had a limited success in European countries, but the new U.S. government’s pledge for greener cities has encouraged it to across the Atlantic.

Recently, President Obama pledged to have one million electric vehicles on American roads by 2015. “That is where the huge opportunity awaits us” said Mr. Chetan Maini, Deputy Chairman and CTO for Reva Electric Car Company.

However, Mr Maini admits it is an uphill task to reach American shores as stiff safety standards for all cars and strict entry regulations, make things difficult. Mr. Maini will be required to enhancing the safety standards on his cars before introducing it in U.S. market. That could also involve structural changes to the existing model too. RECC is also looking at various option to enter the market either through a joint venture or on its own.

On the brighter side, U.S. provides incentives through tax breaks to electric car manufacturers and subsidies of about $ 7,500 U.S.dollars to these car buyers. Tax breaks are given at two levels, the federal government and the state governments. They also provide support for research and development on such vehicles. The government has allocated $ 22 billion U.S.dollars for research and development on zero emission cars.

In UK, buyers of electric cars or hybrid vehicles could get tax rebate of £ 5,000. Throughout Europe the rebate was €5000 euros. To encourage the use of electric cars, the UK government exempts electric cars from £8 congestion tax levied on large cars entering central business districts. Parking charges are exempted for these cars in these areas. Local authorities have set up recharge plug points near busy areas. Mr Maini estimates the market size for electric cars at 200,000 units annually in United States.

The Indian auto major Tata Motors had purchased the Norwegian electric vehicle manufacturer Miljo Gi last year, as part of its next-generation technology plans. The new company entered into a joint venture with Electovaya from Canada, to source licensed lithium ion battery technology for electric car. Electovaya has developed batteries that can provide a driving range of 200 kms in one charge. They can be charged within an hour and travel on longer distances.

Tata also plans to create electric Indica models for Indian car market. For the European markets, the car body frame is manufactured in India and shipped to Europe. This measure not only helps reduce expenditure but also cheaper price tags. Indian car manufacturers have the benefit of cheaper manufacturing costs resulting in reduced prices for its final products. Reva G Wiz is sold at 40-50 percent reduced price compared to similar car produced in United Kingdom.

The electric car mobility is the next form transportation across the world. There have been some path breaking research in several countries, but more needs to be done. Electric cars are yet to show the flexibility that petrol/diesel cars provide. Indian car manufacturers are making great strides in electric car manufacturing and huge opportunities lie before them.

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It seems that not so long ago, electric cars were a very distant possibility. However, in today’s world, electric cars are becoming extremely popular and may very well be a large part of our not so distant future. Electric cars have been produced, tried, and tested by many manufacturers and consumers are excited about the prospect. Let us take a look at the many positives that can go with the future of electric cars and why we should consider it as a possibility in our own future.

Electric cars are all together cleaner and safer for our environment. By driving electric cars, our generation will virtually eliminate air pollution and make the air cleaner for future generations. Cleaner air to breathe is a necessity and electric cars can work to provide that.

Electric cars are more affordable than fuel powered cars. Studies on electric cars have shown that for a passenger vehicle it will cost less to run the electric cars, than filling your car up every week with gas. In fact, for about $30, electric cars can operate for one full month. With the price of fuel on the rise at a consistent speed, electric cars would offer our finances a nice break. Maintenance is more affordable as well; you will not have to worry about changing the oil, submitting your car for a smog check, or having a tune up performed on electric cars.

Noise pollution is something we all complain about, especially within the bigger cities. Electric cars provide a quieter environment for everyone concerned. The future of electric cars mean no more 3 AM wake up calls by our neighbor’s loud cars. Furthermore, those that live close to busy streets and highways will sleep and live easier without the extra noises from the cars driving down the streets.

One problem about electric cars is at the present time it cannot travel extremely far without needing a charge. 25 to 60 miles on one charge is about all you can expect at this point in time. However, some areas offer “charging stations”, for example those in California can stop at a charging station and charge their electric cars for longer trips. It takes about three hours to fully charge the electric cars before you are ready to go again. The technology of electric cars is still being manufactured and research; we can expect great things in the markets in the future.

In the end, we all live here on earth and are all responsible for its preservation. Everyone needs to do their part, however seemingly small that may be. Use of electric cars is only one possibility to consider in preserving quality of life on earth for ours and future generations.

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Electric cars, as the name indicates, are vehicles that work on electricity and whose only source of power is electricity. They are also known as battery electric vehicles. The most advantageous feature of electric cars is that they are zero emission vehicles and so, do not pollute the atmosphere.

The number of parts in an electric car is also less as against other hybrid cars or cars that run on gas. The noise from electric cars is almost negligible. Basically, an electric car is made up of a simple frame, wheels, an electric motor, car battery and an electric on and off switch. The engine of the electric car is made up of a series of batteries that are attached to an on and off switch and it is in turn, attached to a motor that is electrically operated. Obviously, the electric motor drives the wheels and sets the car in motion.

The amount of electricity that goes into the motor is controlled to drive the vehicle in a controlled manner. There are solar cars available that convert solar energy into electricity. The electricity that is stored within the battery of an electric car can be generated from any source, apart from solar, like nuclear, natural gas, coal and petroleum. 

Since electric cars have a low center of gravity, the initial acceleration is quite rapid and can be handled quite easily. But, the fact of the matter is, that the lithium ion batteries used in cars are very expensive making the overall price of the car expensive and these batteries have to be replaced once in three or four years. In addition, the charging of the battery takes almost three or four hours to fully recharge and therefore needs prior planning, if the electric car is to be used for longer distances.

This also means that the batteries can be charged only from the initial point of journey because there may not be too many charging stations on the way. People also feel that the electric cars are not most suitable for driving long distances and can be nightmarish, if the car runs out of battery or in the midst of busy traffic.

Normally, an electric car offers the equivalent of twenty miles per gallon and the cost to run a mile is nearly three cents. Further more; there is no expenditure on tune ups, oil changes and the like in an electric car. So, people who are environment friendly and want to paint a greener world can opt for an electric car.

The choice would not only be appreciated by others but it would also fill the pocket of the owner because it saves a lot of fuel in the long run. Even though man affords to purchase oil what with soaring oil prices, oil is a depleting natural resource and it is our duty to save this resource for our future generations.

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Call it an electric vehicle (EV) or call it a battery electric vehicle (BEV), but a rose by any other name would still smell sweet if it utilized green technology. Electric cars flourished in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but limitations like low top speeds helped seal their fate. Advances in manufacturing processes of internal combustion engines, the starter motor, increased mileage ranges, and cheaper gasoline production methods all helped to nudge electric cars off the road. Of course there are those who say that big oil was behind the defeat of electric cars. There has been some credence given to these sorts of claims by the fact that GM had developed an electric cars in the 1980’s only to have it shelved after pressure from oil companies. With emissions from 600 million vehicles contributing to global warming, hybrid electric cars are the probably the next best alternative we have. Yet companies like Tesla have put pure electric cars back on the map. Not only are they beautiful to look at, they are a pleasure to ride. As time goes on more and more car companies will move first to hybrids, but then ultimately to fully electric cars.

Where are all those electric cars?

A completely electric car doesn’t yet exist for mainstream commercial use. There is a neighborhood class of electric cars, or personal electric vehicles (PEVs). While the battery can recharge overnight while you sleep, a 30 to 40 mile range isn’t likely to sit well even with the little ole’ lady from Pasadena.

What about Hybrid Electric Cars?

The practical solution for now is electric hybrids that utilize two fuel sources. Gasoline-electric cars are a cross between a gasoline-powered car and an electric car, and a mild electric hybrid has enhanced performance as a first priority and fuel economy second. 

The Chevrolet Volt, scheduled for production in 2010, is an extended-range electric hybrid car that will use gas or E85 ethanol. Its battery can be recharged while driving, and its estimated driving range is 640 miles. A full electric hybrid pursues optimal fuel economy, and cars like the Toyota Prius Hybrid and the Honda Civic Hybrid fall within this latter category. Since all electric hybrids use some gasoline, it is a compromise, but reduced emissions and minimized shortcomings of the electric car are a start, yet far from the ideal vision of a complete clean fuel car.

Hybrid electric cars also allow for the transition in terms of infrastructure to fully electric propulsion system. Hybrids just might be around until enough electric and /or battery stations are around in order to keep charging the fleet of electric cars. Ultimately as new sources for primary energy (like wind and solar) come on board a greater incentive for manufacturers and consumers to develop and buy pure electric cars may in fact occur. One can only hope as the world faces dire predictions of peak oil and global warming that these vehicles and infrastructure can be developed and built quickly and inexpensively.

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The concept of electricity as a fuel for vehicles has been one of the most interesting ideas since a long time. It gained high significance following the fluctuating petrol and diesel prices and increasing awareness about environment among the people. The environmentalists have been vehemently supporting electricity as an alternative fuel. Thus, electric vehicles in general and electric cars in particular are popular throughout the world. Consequently, many electric vehicles have been manufactured and are being widely used across the world.

The demand for personal automobile, especially cars is increasing day by day following the availability of car finance and rising income of the people in India. In this situation, the most innovative idea of a car that runs, not on the conventional fuel like petrol and diesel, but on electricity is more than welcomed.

An ideal electric car for India is a basic, simple and reliable vehicle designed specially for local conditions using cutting edge technology and which is modular to incorporate and absorb newer technologies. The electric cars with a top speed of 40-60 kmph and a range of 50-80 km generally cover the city mobility requirements in India.

Here’s a quick look into the world of electric cars in India.

Reva

Maini Reva is India’s first electric car launched in 2001. A highly economical and environment friendly vehicle, Reva is an affordable car with the lowest running and maintenance cost. The hassles of servicing, getting the components checked and repairs will be things of the past with the Reva. There is no engine, clutch, radiator, exhaust system or carburetor. Thus the maintenance is easy and inexpensive. Reva’s Energy Management system (EMS) diagnoses and rectifies the problem of over discharging and helps in better maintenance. Further, Reva has safety features like steel space frame, side impact beams, dent-proof ABS body panels, a low voltage system, and a dual-braking system. Reva is available in REVAi Standard, REVAi AC and REVAi Classe models. The non air-conditioned base variant delivers 80 km on a full charge, while the other two air-conditioned variants will give about 60 km. Cute and super compact Reva which comfortably seat two adults and two kids offered in six colours.

Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster is a high performance all-electric sports car manufactured by the electric car firm Tesla Motors and is the first car produced by the company. Tesla is the only production automaker already selling highway-capable EVs in North America or Europe. With 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Roadster outperforms almost all sports cars in its class yet is six times as energy efficient as gas guzzlers and delivers 244 miles per charge. It has 92% average efficiency and 85% at peak power.

The Tesla Roadster was developed with design assistance from Lotus Cars, who supplied the basic chassis development technology from the Lotus Elise. Launched on 19 July 2006, series production of the Tesla Roadster began on 17 March 2008. Tesla has delivered nearly 300 Roadsters, and nearly 1,000 more customers are on the wait list. Tesla Motors is now taking orders for the Model S, an all electric family sedan that carries seven people and travels 300 miles per charge. The Model S, which carries its charger onboard, can be recharged from any 120V, 240V or 480V outlet, with the latter taking only 45 minutes.

ZENN

ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise) is a two-seat battery electric vehicle manufactured by ZENN Motor Company designed to qualify as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle. It has a range of up to 40 miles (64 km) and does not exceed 25 mph (40 km/h). The ZENN is a three-door hatchback with a standard 110-Volt outlet plug-in, completely rechargeable in approximately 8 hours from empty. A storage space of 30 cubic feet is available.

ZAP electric cars

The California-based ZAP (Zero Air Pollution) manufactures and sells Alias, Xebra Sedan, Xebra Solar Panel, Xebra Truck, ZAPTRUCK XL and ZAPVAN SHUTTLE electric cars. ZAPVAN Shuttle is the first 100% electric passenger van, exclusively from ZAP. Designed for utility and large capacity, this 5-passenger vehicle quickly converts to an all-cargo configuration as well and features larger slider doors on both sides.

Chevrolet Volt

GM’s Chevrolet is planning to bring out Volt, which will use a lithium-ion battery with a gasoline-powered, range-extending engine that drives a genrator to provide electric power. The Volt, expected to be launched in 2010, promises to go deliver beyond 40 miles and will be one of the most aerodynamic vehicles in GM history.

Fisker’s Karma

The California-based Fisker Automotive’s Karma uses Q-DRIVE plug-in hybrid technology, developed exclusively for Fisker Automotive by Quantum Technologies. A fully-charged Karma burns no fuel for the first 50 miles. After venture further, the gasoline engine turns a generator to charge the lithium ion battery. Once the 50-mile electric range has been exceeded, the car operates as a normal hybrid vehicle. This balance of electric and gas range makes it entirely possible that Karma drivers who charge their car overnight and commute less than 50 miles a day will achieve an average fuel economy of 100 mpg (2.4L/100km) per year.

TH!NK City

TH!NK City is a modern urban car with zero local emissions and an energy efficiency three times that of a traditional combustion engine car. A Norwegian model, TH!NK City is an innovative, sophisticated, high-tech compact electric vehicle that can travel up to 112 miles on a single charge. The car is designed, engineered and produced to have the lowest possible carbon footprint with recyclable plastic body panels and a fully recyclable interior. U.S. production is expected to start in 2010, with the first-year volume of 2,500 units being available to pilot and demonstration fleet projects.

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