My two volts' worth

With all of the recent news about hybrid-electric cars and pure electric cars, there are a lot of people that are totally slamming the viability of electric cars. I'd like to take some time to address some of the arguments being made to suggest that they are not a viable future as a transportation option for consumers.

First of all, a lot of folks suggest that switching to electric cars won't do anything to help the environment, because all we'd be doing is moving the pollution from the tailpipe to the power generating station. While this is partially true, there are a lot of other factors to consider.

For starters, it doesn't pollute the environment to transport electricity from the plant to the place where the car will be charging.

On the other hand, we burn fuel to move fuel from the gas refinery to the gas stations. Another factor many don't consider is that as long as it's electricity powering the vehicle, it doesn't matter where the electricity is coming from, we can use a variety of sources to generate the power, including wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, burning natural gas, coal, nuclear plants - take your pick. Not only are the sources more varied and numerous, but for those lucky enough to live in hot, sunny or windy climates, they could generate their own vehicle power. As fossil fuel becomes less available, the generating fuel of choice may change, but the end product (electricity) will not. Compare that to the situation that will arise once gasoline prices rise to all-time highs, rendering the fleet of gas and diesel powered cars expensive, and finally impractical.

Yet another thing people don't consider is the varying demands on the electric grid during the day and night. Since most vehicles will be charging during the late night period, when most demand on the grid has eased, it shouldn't be much trouble to provide the power
without increasing grid capacity. Don't forget, the power plants run whether the stoves are on or not.

Having thousands or millions of electric cars connected to the grid can also be used to the grid's advantage, as long as the connections to the grid are manageable and are converted to 2-way power capability (you can sell power back to the grid in times of need). One of the weaknesses of the modern grid is its inability to store any power. With millions of batteries connected, the grid can draw tiny amounts of power from battery-equipped cars, while the cars themselves don't allow the charge to drop below a certain level so that the driver can still get around. Smart car charging systems will also get to know when the car is likely to be used and when it is likely to remain parked, which will help manage the sharing of energy.

Another argument that is offered is that batteries are bad for the environment. Here's a newsflash for you - the whole car creation process is bad for the environment. Adding a huge battery into the equation doesn't increase the environmental impact very much, when you consider that most battery packs are being designed to last the life of the car and be recycled. Yes Virginia, batteries are being recycled.

People are suggesting that electric cars won't work in colder climates because of battery performance in cold weather. Although battery performance diminishes in the cold, the vehicle is still usable, it just may not have the range it would in warmer weather.

Also, one of the reasons we still use traditional methods for heating the vehicle cabin is because heat is a by-product of the combustion engine. Once electric cars become more commonplace, I expect technology will invent a new method of heating the cabin, perhaps using a chemical storage process.

Electric powertrains are more efficient for a number of reasons. Getting the motor(s) as close to the wheels as possible makes them immune to the losses inherent in a regular drive train. Plus, regenerative braking increases the efficiency further.

Need more good stuff? Say goodbye to muffler shops, oil changes, radiator coolant leaks, engine seize, tune-ups, emmissions tests, exploding gas tanks.