Electric Cars: The Next Generation Of Transportation

Within the next year electric cars, or zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as they are sometimes referred to, will be an everyday sight on roads right across the globe. The stuff of science fiction films will have become science fact.

Basic ZEVs are already for sale to consumers in many countries and are ready to become significantly more sophisticated and widespread in the next few years.

The idea of an electric car is nothing new, it has been around for a number of years. That said, the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions in a bid to slow global warming has quickened the development of this next generation of road transport.

Consumer electric cars and ZEVs are already being made and will soon be widely available in showrooms around the globe. We are already familiar with hybrid vehicles, which have been on the streets for a few years. These vehicles alternate between electric and gasoline propulsion to help reduce emissions. Electric cars take eco-friendly motoring to the next level, in that they have no emissions at all – they don’t even have a tail pipe. The advantages of this are likely to be dramatic, especially in polluted city areas, as electric vehicles and ZEVs become commonplace.

So how does the electric vehicle function? Electric vehicles use electric motors and motor controllers rather than the usual internal combustion engine. Instead of standard gasoline, these vehicles are propelled by electricity from batteries, although modern methods of energy storage are being developed that should replace battery packs in the near future. As we speak, special filling stations for the electric vehicle revolution are springing up on roadsides around the globe where drivers can stop and refuel their electric vehicles, just like at a normal filling station.

However, for some motorists, the transition from the conventional gasoline car that we all know and love to electric vehicles and ZEVs will require a huge leap of faith. However, electric vehicles have so many advantages that the transition should be a pretty smooth one.

Running costs – The fact that electric cars are more economical to run and cost less to maintain will likely win over their fiercest detractors. Motorists will get far more miles for their money and the cost of maintaining these vehicles is set to be much cheaper than servicing a normal car.

The environment – As electric vehicles become more widespread, the advantages to the environment will be very significant. This is particularly true in large densely populated areas where smog and air pollution at street level presents a significant health hazard to people.

Some worries do remain over electric vehicles, such as the length of time it takes to recharge batteries, the top speeds and acceleration of the vehicles, and issues such as handling and performance. That said, as car manufacturers pump more and more resources into perfecting these vehicles, these concerns are likely to be solved sooner rather than later.