Pros And Cons Of Electric Cars
The buzz now is about clean and renewable energies. After witnessing the ill-effects of climate change on weather, environment and health, various countries are rethinking how best to use latest technologies to opt for alternative energy. Electrical vehicles (EVs) are a step in this direction with some countries (France, the UK, China and India) already in the process of ending diesel or petrol-based vehicles by 2040.
China is in the lead as the largest maker and seller of EVs. As a world leader in electric technology it has made impressive technological advances to manufacture electric cars in promoting clean energy and putting them on road. China has sold as many as 300,000 cars this year — three times more than the US and more than the world combined together. Further, by 2025 it hopes that one in five cars shall be run on alternative fuel.
Pros Of EVs
*Due to increasing traffic congestion and density on city roads, EVs are cheap and convenient for short distances whereas fast railways are meant for long distance commutes.
*The main advantage is the cost of electricity used, which is one-fifth of the cost of gasoline — although the initial price of an electric car is high, there is no smell of oil and noise from the engine. Besides, it accelerates faster.
*A big advantage of EVs over conventional gasoline-powered vehicles is the ability to mold the shape of the power train to the vehicle’s design, improving performance. Batteries can be mounted on the floor of the vehicle, which leads to a few performance advantages inherent to all EVs.
*Modifying batteries for performance can also give EVs the ability to distribute weight evenly which increases performance.
*Another major advantage of EVs is their acceleration. Electric motors naturally have higher torque than traditional vehicles, which gives quick zero-to-60-mph times. EVs aren’t going to beat any top speed records with torque alone, but unless one is on a race track, it’s probably not legal to go over 75 mph anyway.
Cons Of EVs
*The real disadvantage with the battery-electric cars are still the ones that have bedeviled their proponents since the beginning — that batteries are heavy and expensive and take a long time to recharge. But costs are coming down, albeit still high and it still takes a lot of heavy batteries to give good range.
*The recharging factor is arguably the biggest disadvantage of batteries, and may end up limiting mass adoption of battery-powered cars. It takes hours to fully recharge an electric car, and nobody has yet found an efficient way to overcome it.
*These design advantages are fundamental to EVs and will be built into vehicles in the future. Yet, as with any newly emerging technologies there are some challenges. Critics say that initially there will be more pollution and transition costs as electricity is mainly derived from coal plants.
*Moreover, major investment, building of refuelling infrastructure, long charging time and minimum range of 700km are other limitations.
The argument for batteries over a modern, efficient internal-combustion engine isn’t yet clear-cut as both have pros and cons. And as long as internal combustion continues to have a massive infrastructure and refueling advantage, as well as a still-significant cost advantage, most of us will still be hitting the gas station for a while longer.
All in all, EVs are becoming a global phenomenon and here to stay while their pros and cons are being debated. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The budget spent per year on diesel and petrol can be diverted to renewables such as solar, wind and geo-thermal energies.
Pros Of EVs
*Due to increasing traffic congestion and density on city roads, EVs are cheap and convenient for short distances whereas fast railways are meant for long distance commutes.
*The main advantage is the cost of electricity used, which is one-fifth of the cost of gasoline — although the initial price of an electric car is high, there is no smell of oil and noise from the engine. Besides, it accelerates faster.
*A big advantage of EVs over conventional gasoline-powered vehicles is the ability to mold the shape of the power train to the vehicle’s design, improving performance. Batteries can be mounted on the floor of the vehicle, which leads to a few performance advantages inherent to all EVs.
*Modifying batteries for performance can also give EVs the ability to distribute weight evenly which increases performance.
*Another major advantage of EVs is their acceleration. Electric motors naturally have higher torque than traditional vehicles, which gives quick zero-to-60-mph times. EVs aren’t going to beat any top speed records with torque alone, but unless one is on a race track, it’s probably not legal to go over 75 mph anyway.
Cons Of EVs
*The real disadvantage with the battery-electric cars are still the ones that have bedeviled their proponents since the beginning — that batteries are heavy and expensive and take a long time to recharge. But costs are coming down, albeit still high and it still takes a lot of heavy batteries to give good range.
*The recharging factor is arguably the biggest disadvantage of batteries, and may end up limiting mass adoption of battery-powered cars. It takes hours to fully recharge an electric car, and nobody has yet found an efficient way to overcome it.
*These design advantages are fundamental to EVs and will be built into vehicles in the future. Yet, as with any newly emerging technologies there are some challenges. Critics say that initially there will be more pollution and transition costs as electricity is mainly derived from coal plants.
*Moreover, major investment, building of refuelling infrastructure, long charging time and minimum range of 700km are other limitations.
The argument for batteries over a modern, efficient internal-combustion engine isn’t yet clear-cut as both have pros and cons. And as long as internal combustion continues to have a massive infrastructure and refueling advantage, as well as a still-significant cost advantage, most of us will still be hitting the gas station for a while longer.
All in all, EVs are becoming a global phenomenon and here to stay while their pros and cons are being debated. But the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The budget spent per year on diesel and petrol can be diverted to renewables such as solar, wind and geo-thermal energies.
Still a long way to go before we can talk of adoption in Nigeria. This one that there's no electricity to charge phone not to talk of car.
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