Prospective car buyers now have to consider the long term effects of owning a car due to the increasing price of gasoline. This is the reason why most people are very much open to the idea of using the other means of transportation that are available to them rather than driving their own car. That’s how expensive it is to maintain a gasoline-powered vehicle nowadays.

Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem. As early as the 18th century, the concept of using vehicles that run on electricity has always been present and it was documented that sometime in between 1832 to 1839, the first electric-powered carriage was invented by Robert Anderson of Scotland. Since then, the world has witnessed the vast improvement of electric car technology. Automobile manufacturing companies have been constantly developing ways that are geared towards the advancement of the use of electric-powered vehicles.

Generally speaking, an Electric Vehicle or EV is a battery-operated vehicle that can be recharged. Other kinds of rechargeable electric vehicles can store electricity in ultra-capacitors or in a flywheel. There are even models that use both electric motors and another type of engine. They are what you call hybrid electric vehicles and are not considered as pure electric vehicles because they operate in a charge-sustaining mode meaning once the battery is discharged, the car automatically gets its power from the other source of energy.

It is true that buying an EV costs a bit higher as compared to purchasing a gasoline-powered car. There are even instances that a simple sedan that runs of electricity is more expensive than an all-power AUV that runs of diesel. This is one of the reasons why dealers of electric cars are having a hard time penetrating the market particularly those coming from third world countries.

But why buy if you can convert? This is where the electric car conversion comes in. Electric car conversion is the process of modifying your Internal Combustion Engine Vehicle or ICEV to an all-electric or plug-in EV. All you need is your car and you can start converting anytime you want.

There are many ways that you can do it. First option is to have others do it for you. Have your car’s manufacturing do all the work or hire a reliable company that specializes in electric car conversion. Either of the two will do.

Another option is for you to do it yourself. Read any material that has anything to do with electric car conversion. Ask around. I’m sure asking some people, here and there, won’t cost that much. Better yet, go online and buy your own guide to electric car conversion. I assure you. It will be worth it.

Ultimately, whatever option you choose when you finally decide to convert from a “fill it up” to a “plug it in” will depend on your financial capability. If you have the money, buy! If you don’t, convert! It’s that simple.

Ken Stevens knows how to turn YOUR vehicle into an electric car. Visit his electric car conversion website right now to find out exactly how to convert your car into an electric. Go there now –> Click Here To Get Your Own DIY Electric Car

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Stevens

To do the electric car conversion, we have to get the electric conversion kit. These conversion kits can make a gasoline powered vehicles into an electric vehicles. There are two types of conversion kits in the market, the ones which replace the present mechanism and another is installed along with the present fuel system. An electric conversion is the modification of a conventional internal combustion engine driven vehicle to battery electric propulsion, creating a battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid. Today, one can go for either hybrid electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Hybrid electric vehicles are those using both electric motors and other types of engines; whereas plug in hybrids electric vehicles are those vehicles with batteries that can be charged externally.

People have lots of misconceptions on electric car conversions. Some think that it will not only adversely affect their present car mechanisms, but also will reduce the pick up and speed of the cars. Both of these are baseless doubts in the minds of the people. One of the major advantages of electric car conversion is that not only they significantly reduce your fuel costs but also provide a totally pollution free driving experience. If you are installing a gas/electric car conversion kit, then you can get the benefits of both the fuels. So when you run out of gas, you can always rely on the battery power to take you to the next gas station or your destination.

The major disadvantage of completely electric vehicle is that you will only be able to drive about a hundred miles before the charge runs out. Also, it is a bit expensive to convert a conventional car to an electrical car. Other disadvantages of electric car are that, batteries have to be recharged every time, limits on driving distances and the lack of power. But without doubt, we can say that electric cars purely eco-friendly.

Clifton is a qualified mechanical engineer committed to finding alternative fuel sources that can be incorporated into everyday life. Alternative energy sources with reduced environmental effects will need to be discovered and used in order to generate the power requirements our lifestyle currently demands.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clifton_Zima

When you hear someone talking about hybrid cars, they are actually talking about a car that runs on a combination of gas and electricity (in technological terms, cars with gasoline-electric powertrains).

The batteries are recharged when the car is running on gas or when braking (using something called regenerative braking, which transfers the energy generated while braking back into the batteries, rather than dissipating it as heat as occurs in regular vehicles). Some hybrids also come with a plug-in-to-recharge option.

When going slowly, such as around town, these hybrid electric vehicles actually run solely on the electricity in their batteries, making for far more fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

However, in addition to hybrids, there are true “electric cars” – the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). These vehicles also work on electricity but, in this case, the sole power source is electric batteries. There is no other engine.

BEVs are considered zero emission vehicles because they give off no emissions when they run. They are quiet and have many fewer parts than either hybrids or gas-powered cars. Examples of current BEV cars are the Indian REVA and Tesla Roadster.

There are other types of electric powered vehicles as well, including what are called neighborhood electric vehicles. A golf cart is a prime example of a neighborhood electric vehicle, and golf carts are often used as transportation in over-55 communities.

There are, of course, downsides, to electric vehicles. Electric cars go much less far on a “full tank” of electricity than do cars on a tank of gas or other popular alternative fuels, sometimes less than 50 miles on a charge, and finding a place to “fill up” can be hard. While plugging in at night at home is easy, finding a place to plug on your car while away from home may not be. Not only that, but charging the car can take several hours.

In addition, replacing the battery packs for an electric vehicle is much more expensive than buying a new battery for your gasoline-driven car.

On the other hand fuels costs are extremely low as it costs much less to run a car on electricity than gasoline. Electric cars often average the equivalent of 20 miles per gallon and cost about 3 cents a mile to run. Not only that, but you won’t be spending money on tuneups, oil changes, new mufflers, and the like when you use an environmentally-friendly electric-powered vehicle.

Take Care,

Steve Longoria

Next, click here to discover how EarthShips can mean sustainable living for all!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_H._Longoria

Most of us have read the headlines and ads: “Coming Soon….2010, 2011, 2012…” the Chevy Volt or the plug-in Prius, or the Chrysler and Jeep hybrids, or whatever. What do these all have in common? They are Plug-in Hybrids (PHEVs), which means that you can plug them in at night and run for as much as 40 miles without using a drop of gasoline.  How about the Ford Focus Electric car or the E-Mini Cooper? These are pure electrics that have an electric-only range of 100 mi. or more. But then you either need to stop for a few hours while they recharge or you need a special facility to quick charge them or change out the battery packs. Then there are Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). You know, the ones that look like glorified golf carts or oversize mailboxes, are limited to 25 or 35 MPH and have names like Zap or ZENN. They fill a narrow niche, but are still popular and available today from companies like Global Electric Motors (GEM) and Feel Good Cars.

And what about storage? Batteries are the main problem with electric cars, at present. To pack enough energy in a small, lightweight, stable package is the boon of many a developer, and has been since the days of Edison. But rest assured. There are hundreds, if not thousands of scientists, inventors and developers working on that problem as we speak. Trust me, it will not be long before we have cost-effective energy solutions that allow us to store an immense amount of energy in a small package. In many ways the technology exists in Lithium-Ion, Lithium-polymer, Nickel Metal Hydride, etc. But it takes mass production to get the costs down. Once again, the chicken-or-egg thing. The more electric cars built or converted, the lower the prices will be. The same goes for solar panels. As they become more efficient and less costly, we will see them more and more on the roofs of electric cars.

My opinion, the hybrid is a weaning device. It is not an alternative energy vehicle. We will grow out of them just as quickly as we grow out of toddler pants with the quick-change snaps. Today’s so-called hybrid electric vehicles run on gasoline. Period. Even plug-in hybrids are a phase-out product (albeit longer term). Once we get a taste of freedom from oil companies, we will never want to go back. Does that mean pure-electric is the answer? Maybe, but maybe not.

What about the Honda Civic CNG or the FCX/Clarity? Are these the future, or are they merely a crossover into the future? Until the laws change, the EPA is the roadblock to CNG and similar conversions. In any case, these still emit toxins into the air, granted, at a much lower rate than gasoline. Hydrogen power may be a smarter way to go. About all you emit when burning hydrogen is water vapor. But there is still a lot of development yet to be done in that area. Honda has made huge strides in development, but they are holding their cards close, maybe waiting to see what happens in the market first. But let’s talk about that for a minute… If you look closely at the integration of the fuel cell in the Honda Clarity, you’ll notice that it’s actually an electric car. The hydrogen-powered fuel-cell generates electricity, which powers the electric motor that drives the vehicle. That’s the beauty of electric – it is efficient and versatile. So is the electric car a passing fad? Not hardly. I predict that because electricity can be utilized so efficiently and can be easily obtained from renewable sources, the electric car industry will drive all other alternative fuels (so-to-speak). The electric motor could end up being the platform on which all other alternative fuels depend. Even now, you can hook up a bio-diesel powered generator to your electric car to extend it’s range.

Right now, electric cars show the most potential for longevity and integration into the future of the auto industry. They have been proven effective in pure, hybrid and cross-platform implementation. To convert your car to electric today is not just a fad, it’s an investment into the future. The electric conversion today could literally become the hydrogen car of tomorrow. I’ve decided electric is the way to go. Give it a try yourself and join hundreds of others who enjoy a smooth, efficient, peppy, zero-emissions ride. Go ahead and tackle that electric Porsche conversion you’ve been dreaming about.

Check out my web site for some ideas on where to start. Technical specialist, Do-it-yourself-er and writer, J.D. Kennedy offers down-to-earth reviews and suggestions for everyday alternative energy products, books and DIY guides at http://www.CleanEnergySolutionZ.com. New reviews are constantly being added, so check back regularly or subscribe.

If you want to get a jump start on converting your car, truck or SUV to electric, the most up-to-date EV conversion book was written by Gavin Shoebridge, the New Zealander who converted his own car from scratch with no prior experience and posted it on YouTube. You can read my EV book review, or if you are serious about moving forward, you can go ahead and try Electric Conversion Made Easy .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=J.D._Kennedy

When you hear someone talking about hybrid cars, they are actually talking about a car that runs on a combination of gas and electricity (in technological terms, cars with gasoline-electric powertrains).

The batteries are recharged when the car is running on gas or when braking (using something called regenerative braking, which transfers the energy generated while braking back into the batteries, rather than dissipating it as heat as occurs in regular vehicles). Some hybrids also come with a plug-in-to-recharge option.

When going slowly, such as around town, these hybrid electric vehicles actually run solely on the electricity in their batteries, making for far more fuel efficiency and reduced emissions.

However, in addition to hybrids, there are true “electric cars” – the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). These vehicles also work on electricity but, in this case, the sole power source is electric batteries. There is no other engine.

BEVs are considered zero emission vehicles because they give off no emissions when they run. They are quiet and have many fewer parts than either hybrids or gas-powered cars. Examples of current BEV cars are the Indian REVA and Tesla Roadster.

There are other types of electric powered vehicles as well, including what are called neighborhood electric vehicles. A golf cart is a prime example of a neighborhood electric vehicle, and golf carts are often used as transportation in over-55 communities.

There are, of course, downsides, to electric vehicles. Electric cars go much less far on a “full tank” of electricity than do cars on a tank of gas or other popular alternative fuels, sometimes less than 50 miles on a charge, and finding a place to “fill up” can be hard. While plugging in at night at home is easy, finding a place to plug on your car while away from home may not be. Not only that, but charging the car can take several hours.

In addition, replacing the battery packs for an electric vehicle is much more expensive than buying a new battery for your gasoline-driven car.

On the other hand fuels costs are extremely low as it costs much less to run a car on electricity than gasoline. Electric cars often average the equivalent of 20 miles per gallon and cost about 3 cents a mile to run. Not only that, but you won’t be spending money on tuneups, oil changes, new mufflers, and the like when you use an environmentally-friendly electric-powered vehicle.

Take Care,

Steve Longoria

Next, click here to discover how EarthShips can mean sustainable living for all!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_H._Longoria

BEV – Battery electric vehicle, a vehicle which uses only batteries and one or more motors to provide the force that makes it go.

EV – Electric vehicle, any vehicle that uses electric power to provide some or all of its propulsive force.

FCEV – Fuel cell electric vehicle, an electric vehicle which uses a hydrogen fuel cell as its source of electric power.

HEV – Hybrid electric vehicle, a car or truck that uses both an ICE and an electric motor.

ICE – Internal combustion engine, the powerplant of choice for the dirty, inefficient vehicles of the 20th Century.

PHEV – Plug-in hybrid vehicle, a hybrid vehicle with a battery pack that can be charged from a wall socket.

Have you just developed an interest in electric vehicles? Are you looking to learn some EV fundamentals? You’ve come to the right place! Read on, and you will start your education on the wonders of EVs. In this article, I will introduce readers to some of the various different types of EVs and explaing some of the advantages and issues associated with each type. Note that this article is only an introduction. I will go into more depth on different aspects of the subject matter in future installments of the “EV Basics” series.

There are several different power trains available which use electric motors. The simplest of these vehicles is the battery electric vehicle or BEV. This is a pure electric vehicle which uses only a battery pack and an electric motor to store energy and create the power necessary to make the car or truck move. BEVs have been around for a long time. In 1835, Thomas Davenport built a railway operated by a small electric motor. In the early years of the 20th Century, BEVs competed quite successfully with ICE-powered vehicles. It was not until Henry Ford started building the Model T that gasoline-powered cars that BEVs faded from public view.

In the 1960s, BEVs began to make a comeback. Interest in electric vehicles has grown steadily since then as concerns about pollution and dependence on foreign oil have permeated mainstream consciousness. Currently, BEVs are being designed and built in a wide variety of styles and layouts, from electric scooters, to low-speed electric cars such as those produced by Zenn Motor Company, to high-power freeway burners such as the two-seat Tesla Roadster or the family-friendly, five-passenger eBox by AC Propulsion.

BEVs must face a few hurdles if they are to replace ICE-only cars as our primary method of transportation. Historically, they have had limited driving range, significantly less than the range of a gasoline-powered car. Additionally, BEV have generally taken several hours to recharge the battery pack. In a world in which people have gotten used to instant gratification, this poses a real problem. The good news is that many people are working on these issues, and dramatic improvements are being made in both range and recharging time. Current EV designs have achieved ranges of more than 300 miles and charging times have been brought down to two hours or less in some models charged with high-powered “smart” chargers.

In the 1990s, Honda and Toyota introduced the American driving public to the hybrid electric vehicle or HEV. These vehicles use both an ICE and an electric motor. There are different types of HEVs which layout the engine and the motor in either a parallel or a series configuration. In a series configuration, the ICE acts only as an electrical generator. In a parallel configuration the ICE again acts as a generator, but it also drives the vehicle’s wheels just as the engine would do in an ICE-only vehicle.

HEVs provide significant benefits over ICE-only cars in two distinct areas. Firstly, the electric motor allows engineers to operate the ICE more efficiently because an HEV can rely heavily on the electric motor at points in which the ICE would be operating very inefficiently. Secondly, the battery pack in an HEV can be used to recapture the energy used while braking. To accomplish this, engineers create regenerative braking systems which used the electrical resistance of a generator to slow the car down long before they mechanical brakes come into play. The energy from the generator is then stored in the battery pack for future use. In a car without regenerative braking, all this energy is wasted by creating heat and wearing down the brake pads.

HEVs also have some problems. Unlike BEVs, they require some gasoline or other liquid fuel to operate. Also, they are more complicated then either a BEV or an ICE-only vehicle because they require both types of drivetrain components under one hood. However, they eliminate the range and recharging issues associated with BEVs, so HEVs can be viewed as a good transition step to the vehicles of the future.

Recently, much attention has been paid to plug-in hybrids or PHEVs. In essence, a PHEV is an HEV with a larger battery pack, a plug which allows the battery pack to be charged from a wall socket, and a control system which allows the vehicle to be operated in electric-only mode. The wall-charging feature allows a PHEV to get some of its power from the utility grid (or from a local power source such as a photovoltaic array or wind turbine) and some of its power from gasoline. Recently, several companies and individuals have been working on creating plug-in versions of the Toyota Prius. These conversions allow the Prius to run in all-electric mode until it reaches roughly 35mph. They give varying traveling ranges in all-electric mode, depending on which type of batteries are used and how many extra batteries are installed.

While these plug-in Priuses are a good start, PHEVs as a genre have even more potential. General Motors recently introduced the Chevrolet Volt E-Flex concept car, a PHEV which can travel up to 40 miles in electric only mode. It has a large electric motor and a one liter, three cylinder ICE. PHEVs of the future could follow this trend even further, maximizing the electric elements of the drivetrain while reducing the ICE to a tiny power plant which gets used only as a last resort.

In the last few years, fuel cell electric vehicles or FCEVs have grabbed many headlines. These are electric vehicles which use a hydrogen fuel cell to provide power, eliminating the need for a battery pack. Proponents point out that hydrogen is the most abundant of the chemical elements and that the only gas emitted from an FCEV is steam made from pure water. Detractors point out that nearly all hydrogen currently available is made from natural gas, a petroleum product. Hydrogen is also difficult to store in quantities sufficient to give FCEVs adequate range and it can present safety hazards when pressurized in tanks. Finally, FCEVs currently require complex, bulky support systems which take up excessive space and result in power delivery systems which are far less efficient than those present in BEVs.

Fuel cells have some potential to become part of the overall energy scenario in the future. However, many feel that FCEVs have been used primarily as a distraction and a stalling device. Companies and politicians keep telling us, “We’ll have FCEVs in the near future, but until then keep driving your Hummers!” These tactics keep people from demanding BEVs as soon as possible. As one saying puts it, “Practical, viable fuel cells are ten to twenty years away, and they always will be.”

One other type of electric vehicle is the human-assist hybrid. The most common example of this vehicle type is the electric bicycle. These are commonly-available, inexpensive, and they give people the health benefits associated with exercise while providing an additional boost when needed. Legally, they must be limited to 20 mph in electric assist mode, and the electric-only range of electric bikes now available is almost always less than twenty miles.

However, readers should ponder the fact that a small, aerodynamic vehicle can cruise at 65 mph on a flat road while using only five horsepower. Imagine the roads covered with small, efficient vehicles that use tiny electric motors and human power to achieve freeway speeds without putting a significant burden on the utility grid. While no major corporations are working on vehicles like this, small groups of dedicated individuals are working to make this type of vehicle available to the general public. These low-power vehicles could become the ultimate transportation solution for an energy-conscious society.

So there you have it! You now have enough information to join EV-related conversations at your next social gathering. You can talk about the different types of EVs, letting people know what is available now and what is coming in the near future. If you are still curious for more details on the benefits of electric vehicles and the advances which are being made in the field, please see the other articles in this “EV Basics” series.

Forbes Bagatelle-Black
West Coast Contributing Editor, EVWorld.com
http://www.evworld.com

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