Car Manufacturers | Best Electric Cars

Are Electric Cars Still the Wave of the Future?

With all the hype and then subsequent let down of the electric car movement many people are beginning to wonder if these cars will ever become mainstream or if they will remain the occasional oddity on the road. Many gas-electric hybrids by companies like Toyota, Ford, Lexus and Mercury are already enjoying some success, but true electric cars are still not capable of attaining the speed or traveling distance required to make them a viable alternative to the gas guzzling vehicles that many Americans are still driving. And the cost is still prohibitive for the average person as well. Saving money on fuel expenses isn’t likely to help the average household afford a vehicle in the $80,000 to $500,000 price range any time soon.

Keeping Kurrent in the Neighborhood

Still, electric vehicles are getting better and there are some inexpensive models on the road from independent companies like American Electric with their Kurrent selling for around $10,000. However, this is not a family vehicle as it only seats two people. It isn’t meant for cruising down the highway either, the manufacturers suggest that people need to “slow down” a bit anyway and tout this vehicle as a “neighborhood vehicle”. This would be perfect for college students or people who live a short distance from work, but it won’t replace your regular vehicle just yet. Meanwhile, countries like Norway have been driving electric cars like the Think which can go 112 miles on a charge at top speeds of 62 mph for years now and these vehicles are expected to hit US markets within the next couple of years for less than $20,000.

Innovations on the Rise

Most Americans aren’t ready to settle for driving 30-100 miles on a charge and then waiting many hours to get back on the go and so the car manufacturers are still working hard to overcome the obstacles and build better batteries and vehicle designs that will extend the driving distance and increase speed. Ideas being developed include hydrogen fuel cells and plug-in hybrid. Either manufacturers are going to have to find a way to create electric vehicles that are comparable in performance and price to conventional vehicles or Americans are going to have to alter their lifestyles by limiting the number of hours driven per day and their driving speed. Since the latter is unlikely in the near future, automakers will have to keep working on new designs.

Weighing the Options

There are several good, inexpensive electric vehicles on the market right now for people who travel short distances to work or to the grocery store like the Kurrent, the Fly bo (made in China), and the GEM. There are also more expensive electric cars like the Venturi Fetish that top out at speeds of 100mph and have an equally impressive price tag at over $400,000 in the US. Meanwhile, it will likely still be few years into the future before the electric car becomes a viable option for the majority of people in the United States.

The American Electric Car

GM is not the first and certainly will not be the last American auto manufacturers to create a mass marketed electric car. GM did it in the 90’s with the “EV” which was a success to the consumers, but not for GM as it was more of a test car. They are working on a car, the “Volt” which will be designed to travel 40 miles solely on battery power. Something like 75% of Americans travel less than 40 miles in their commute to work. So it can provide a clean means to travel and will have a small engine for those with greater distances. The Volt is highly anticipated to charge into American’s lives.

Gregg Camp is an experienced Santa Cruz real estate broker who has spent more than 20 years working in the beautiful Santa Cruz home market.

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Electric Car Conversion Kits – How to Choose the Best!

Sandra Maria Stammberger asked:

Electric car conversion kits can be used to convert an existing car, such as a reliable family vehicle, or they can be assembled as a part of a total “kit car.” Kit cars are designed to exclusively run on electric, and are sent to the buyer as a ready-to-assemble kit. Some larger car manufacturers have begun to convert their most popular models into electric cars, such as the latest edition of the Ford Ranger EV. Some independent vehicle dealerships are also purchasing new vehicles, minus the engine or necessary equipment, in order to create an electric car. Finally, some electric cars are totally manufactured, with half of the car being produced by one company and the other by a totally separate entity, thereby producing a complete, standard vehicle.

Most electric car conversion kits in North America are purchased by individual citizens, people who are environmentally conscious, who want to save money on gasoline, or hobbyists. These individuals often choose to convert an older model vehicle, especially if the vehicle does not have a working engine. These defective cars or trucks are very cheap, and sometimes, free. Hobbyists who have a larger budget may choose to do an electric conversion on a particular make or model of vehicle, a later model vehicle, or even the favorite family car.

When choosing to purchase and install one of the many electric car conversion kits, it is important to keep a number of factors in mind. These factors will help the hobbyist to make the best choices or related purchases when attempting a conversion.

First, the vehicle to be converted must be of the light-weight variety, such as a Ford Ranger, VW Beetle, or a Fiero, to name a few. Since electric conversion kits are designed to provide short range mobility, the lighter the vehicle, the more traveling distance is possible per charge. Likewise, a smaller vehicle will require less power to propel.

Next, the choice of battery is important, as they are the primary source of power. Common, affordable, and widely available batteries are of the lead acid flooded variety. AGM, or Absorption Glass Mat, batteries are the next most common battery, which provides more power but may cost more, and are virtually maintenance free. More exotic batteries, such as the Li-ion and the Ni-MH, are harder to find yet are light weight and last longer, are maintenance free, but more expensive. Finally, the latest technology in lithium batteries are providing an ever-increasing level of possibilities for the future of electric vehicles (EV’s).

Finally, when considering one of the electric car conversion kits, the charger, power controller, power conductors, accessory equipment, control circuitry, and instrument specifics are also important.

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Importance of Electric Car Parts in Hybrid car

Arindam Chattopadhyaya asked:

Electric cars are getting commonplace day by day thanks to the fact that they have become very efficient to run and very cheap to maintain but just like any other vehicle, electric cars also suffer the wear and tear of time and the electric car parts need to be replaced and repaired. This means that people are on regular hunt for electric car parts needed for repair and replacement work. Most of the electric car manufacturers and electric car kit makers also sell high quality electric car parts which are easily available now in markets because of increasing demands and improving supply streams.

Electric car parts are generally of two types firstly those which are meant for electric conversion kits and secondly those meant for factory made electric car models. In fact battery is one of the most sought after electric car part. Both types of products are easily available provided you look for them in the right places. Generally the quality is very good but if someone sells you electric car parts like battery at prices too good to be true, it’s the best option to stay clear of these products as they may either be totally substandard or their quality must be subject to suspicion.

The electric car parts for factory made electric cars are generally available from the original equipment manufacturers. These products go through a number of hard quality checks and also certified by many quality assurance companies. If brought from an authorized dealer, the genuineness of the electric car part is almost every time guaranteed. These kinds of electric car parts may be made using proprietary technology and may not be available in open market from other manufacturers, thus if the original equipment manufacturer stops making the product, these kinds of electric car parts may be very hard to find.

The other kind of electric car parts are those meant for vehicles using an electric car kit. Unlike the electric car parts meant for factory made cars, these kind of electric car parts are generally available from a bunch of makers unless its a specific part of the car kit itself in which case this kind of a part may only be available from the car’s electric kit maker. Being available in the open market from a number of manufacturers, these kind of electric car parts are generally easy to find but you must exercise caution and discretion while spending your money because the quality of the product is not something worth taking any risk.

It must be kept in mind that with proper market research and consultation of experts any one can buy an electric car part, what needs to be kept under consideration is that the quality of the product should not be compromised for a lower price and the buyer should always make every effort to make an informed decision.

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Disadvantages of Electric Cars

George Christodoulou asked:

With all the current emphasis on going “green” and protecting the environment, it is no wonder that the electric car has come center focus. Especially now with soaring gas prices, consumers want to know their options. Traditional gas powered vehicles have long been the focus of those concerned with environmental issues, and so invariably inventors and car manufacturers look to improve the technologies available on the electric car.

If you are considering the purchase of an electric car, you need to be realistic about their benefits. They’ve come a long way recently but they still have some significant disadvantages, and there are still limitations to their use and wide spread availability. Here are some disadvantages you may want to consider when evaluating if an electric car is feasible for your transportation needs:

1. Electric cars are expensive to own. If you’ve checked into the price of an electric car, you know they are not “low end”. It’s not so much the price of the car as it is the price of the batteries which they run on. If you’ve purchased batteries you know how the costs can add up quickly, and the batteries used in electric cars are lithium-ion, which are expensive. Also keep in mind that eventually the battery packs will need to be replaced, as they have a life of approximately 3 to 4 years.

2. The batteries will need to be recharged. A second disadvantage to an electric car is that the batteries will need to be recharged. This will require advanced planning because you’ll have to allow adequate time for the batteries to be fully charged. Now this might not sound like that big of a problem but if you are thinking of purchasing an electric car then you will need to make an honest assessment of how much you will use your vehicle. An extended or unplanned trip could be problematic if you haven’t had time to fully recharge the batteries.

3. Limits on driving distance. If you drive long distances, an electric car might not suit your needs, so you will need to consider how far you plan on driving your car. Most of the electric cars have limits on how many miles they can go before needing a recharge. Electric car maker ZAP recently announced that their electric car could travel up to 100 miles per single charge, but many people drive more miles than that round trip on a daily commute to work. This is definitely a limitation for those who intend to use the vehicle for getting to and from their place of employment. You certainly would not want to run out of batteries if you got stuck in a rush hour traffic jam.

4. Lack of power. Another disadvantage to the electric car is the lack of power, specifically quick pickup. If you do a lot of interstate driving there are going to be times when you will need to accelerate quickly to merge into traffic.

Electric cars have come a long way in recent years but still have to overcome a few more obstacles before becoming widely embraced as a solution for many consumers.

Best Electric Cars

Want to Live Extra Years?

Are Electric Cars Still the Wave of the Future?

Electric Car Conversion Kits – How to Choose the Best!

Importance of Electric Car Parts in Hybrid car

Disadvantages of Electric Cars

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Best Electric Car

Best Electric Cars

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