I sometimes hear people comment that electric cars still produce CO2 from the source of electricity to power their motor. However, electric cars, even when getting their energy from the most dirty source, coal, are still emitting under half the amount of CO2 that a normal gasoline car emits. That’s a significant reduction. Furthermore if the energy is harnessed from a renewable source such as wind, the car will produce zero emissions.
Another common stereotype associated with electric cars is that they are slow. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Have a quick search on Youtube for fast electric cars and a large number of videos appear showing projects from homemade racers to full dragsters proving their speed. In many ways, these backyard mechanics have paved the way for commercial brands to move in on the market.
If you haven’t heard of the Tesla Roadster you must have been living under a rock. Tesla is an American company that is producing electric cars for sale for use on public roads. The Tesla Roadster, a small coupe based on the Lotus Exige uses only lithium batteries to supply energy to its motor. It has blistering performance, with 0-100 in about 3.7 seconds. Automobile Magazine, an American publication was lent a Tesla Roadster for a week. The Magazines West Coast Editor is quoted as saying,
I’m hit with the realization that the world’s first electric sports car is fast in a whole new way: it explodes off the line, pulling like a small jet plane….It’s like driving a Lamborghini with a big V-12 revved over 6000 rpm at all times, waiting to pounce – without the noise, vibration, or misdemeanor arrest for disturbing the peace.
While the Tesla roadster is the first, there seems to many other Electric car companies that are now commencing production of their vehicles. As well as this, major industry leaders such as Nissan and Honda are all planning electric car releases. Mitsubishi released its MIEV mid last year and the Nissan Leaf starts selling later this year in America.
Japan has recently stated that it will stick to the 25 percent cut of 1990 levels in greenhouse gases in order to satisfy the Copenhagen summit. This is a fantastic step by Japan. In order to achieve this goal, its been suggested that the government predicts that electric cars will take on 50 percent of the Japanese car market within the next 20 years.
Sources
Automobile Magazine Tesla Review
Edmunds auto site – MIEV review
Must see videos of electric cars!
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