Electric Cars

Cars of the Future – Electric Cars

It’s a relatively unknown fact that electric cars have been around since long before gasoline powered cars. The vehicles, which were both heavy and slow, were the first attempts at creating electric powered vehicles that were designed for a mainstream market. A few of these vehicles were designed and introduced in the 1800s.

Once the internal combustion engine was figured out the attention turned away from the electric vehicles and the world began to evolve based around the gasoline engine. Today, in an ironic twist of fate, the eyes of the world are once again on electric vehicles as a possible replacement for gasoline based transportation.

The Costs

Running an electric car is quite inexpensive when compared to a gasoline engine. The technological showpiece of electric vehicles, the Tesla Roadster, is a shining example of how an electric vehicle can be exciting, high performing and incredibly economical. The Tesla, which can rocket from 0-60 faster than most Porsche sports cars, costs only $0.01 per mile to run.

Electric vehicles are currently rather expensive to purchase. This is mostly due to their relative rarity, there is no competition among manufacturers to keep price down and the demand so far has greatly exceeded supply. The Tesla Roadster, for example, costs over $100,000 to purchase. However, once it has been purchased the running costs become quite minimal, there is no fuel or oil to consistently replenish.

You will not see the cost of an electric fill up come out of your wallet during your day to day driving. You will see it, however, on your monthly home power bill. The electric vehicle needs to be plugged in at night to receive its charge and it will draw the power from your home. Your power bill may be excessive, but think of how much more money is sitting in your wallet because you haven’t been filling up with gas.

The Future for Electric Vehicles

With battery technology constantly advancing, the future for electric vehicles looks bright. The batteries that power modern electric vehicles are smaller and more powerful than ever before, allowing the designers and manufacturers of electric vehicles to pack more juice into a smaller and lighter space.

However, the biggest challenge will be from the public; will we, as a community, accept electric vehicles as a viable and legitimate alternative to the internal combustion engine?