A+-+electric+cars

Q & A Wednesdays Jordan Shnier Q: Why don’t we all drive electric cars? I chose the question “Why don’t we all drive electric cars,” however, I think the question should be rephrased to “why wouldn’t we drive electric cars? This is because many of us do not know about the cons to hybrid cars or full electrics, all we hear are the pros. A ground vehicle made mobile by a motor that is powered by electrical energy from rechargeable batteries. As a consumer purchases an electric or hybrid vehicle to reduce their carbon footprint, they are not aware of the huge carbon footprint left behind by their new car. - The electric car houses a series of cells that is extremely heavy and not user friendly. The battery is huge due to the amount of energy needed to be stored. This giant battery must be charged, which is another extreme inconvenience. - The average charging time for all electric cars is approximately 12 hours! This means it must be done overnight which is very impractical and risky. - Owners of electric cars must calculate how far their next trip will be and if their electric engine will hold enough energy to make it the whole way and back. - The range and top speed of electric cars are not even comparable to that of the petroleum powered cars used by many today. - To build a battery you have four basic overarching battery components including the casing, chemicals, electrolyte, and the internal specialized hardware. - The chemistry and specialized hardware include raw materials such as cadmium, cobalt, lead, lithium, and nickel along with other rare earth elements. - Manufacturing of the batteries and electric cars themselves creates more pollution than one person would in his or her lifetime. - The mining of the metals used in these large car batteries promotes the destruction of nature as well as the pollution caused by shipment methods. - Shipping the batteries always causes a great deal of pollution because the needed minerals are quite far away. - The minerals are shipped from one of the 6841 different mining stations in the U.S. to Asian countries for processing because it is cheaper, and the minerals are then sent all the way back to the U.S., creating huge amounts of pollution. - A lot of e-waste (waste made by electronics) is also shipped from the wealthier countries to poorer countries, where it is processed. - Electric cars are almost 3x the price of normal petrol powered cars. - How much would you pay for an electric or hybrid car? - What traits about petrol powered cars and the internal combustion engine would you want in an electric or hybrid car? - Do you think any hybrid cars or electric cars are appealing enough to buy? Most big automakers have a "pure' (not a hybrid) electric vehicle for sale. Here's a line up of the major models, along with their battery technologies, driving ranges, and prices. Chrysler EPIC Electric Minivan  Battery type: Advanced lead-acid Driving range: ** 68 miles ** (combined city and highway) Price: Not available  Ford Ranger EV Pickup  Battery type: Lead-acid (changing to nickel-metal hydride) Driving range: ** 58 miles ( **Federal Urban Driving Schedule) Price: $32,795  General Motors EV1  Battery type: Lead-acid (changing to nickel-metal hydride) Driving range: ** City 70 miles; Highway 90 miles ** Price: $33,995  General Motors 8-10 Electric Pickup  Battery type: Lead-acid Driving range: City 40 miles; Highway 45 miles Price: $34,289  Honda EV Plus  Battery type: Nickel-metal hydride Driving range: ** 60-80 "real world miles" ** Price: Not available  Nissan Altra EV  Battery type: Lithium-ion Driving range: ** 120 miles ** Price: Not available Toyota RAV4-EV Battery type: Nickel-metal hydride Driving range: ** 118 miles ** Price: $42,000 402 km is the average driving range of a midsized sedan (petrol powered)

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