Green Focus: Benefit of driving an Electric Car

Why should you drive an Electric vehicle instead of driving a normal petrol driven vehicle? Here are just some of the reasons why you should.

1. Electric vehicles are very environmentally friendly. They produce no CO2 emissions at all. While the vehicle is stopped in traffic, the electric motor does not idle. It does not burn any fuel at all and the vehicle does not have a tailpipe. They are a lot quieter than a normal fuel powered vehicle plus they are a lot more energy efficient. They are able to convert at least 75 percent of the energy from the battery to drive the wheels whereas in a fuel powered vehicle and they are only 20 percent efficient. In the fuel driven vehicles, 80 percent is lost as heat in the engine and the drivetrain.
2. They are much more reliable. Because electric motors have very few moving parts and they do not require any fluids such as engine oil or transmission fluid or anti-freeze, they will require little maintenance and also they are far less likely to leak.
3. They are pretty inexpensive to operate. Electric vehicles may cost more upfront but in the long term they will save you money. A gallon of fuel in the U.S. costs an average of $2.70 whereas the average price for electricity is $.11 per kilowatt per hour. A full charge of an electric car may cost as little as $2.75. Most of the electric cars allow you to choose when you charge the battery. You can charge it only during off-peak hours which will bring down your electricity costs.
4. You are able to charge your vehicle at home overnight and you never have to stop at a fuel station to fill up. In Australia a company called ChargePoint is building charge stations at public locations which include workplace, curbside, rest stops and shopping centres. They have charging station which range in their capability to charge from 240 volts to 400 volts and even include charging at 500 volts. To use these stations, drivers will receive a charge pass which allows them to recharge their vehicle at any ChargePoint station in Australia.

How an Electric Vehicle runs The electric motor inside the vehicle is the size of a 5 gallon water bottle. This is connected to the transmission. There are batteries inside which are about the same size and shape of a normal car battery. The accelerator pedal is connected to a box which operate the electric controller and this delivers the power needed to run the vehicle. If car rental companies in major cities, like Sydney do start to move their fleets to vehicles which are electric then this would reduce their carbon footprint as well as helping to reduce their maintenance costs for their fleets and the need to refuel their vehicles. This would also reduce the cost for car rental in sydney.