ALT 8 Myths About The Electric Car

ALT 8 Myths About The Electric Car
by AMI CHOLIA on Friday, October 15, 2010 


Almost every car manufacturer is planning to bring out an electric car in the near future. While the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt will be the first to enter the market, Mitsubishi and SMART’s EVs will join the ranks soon. But as the number of cars increase, so do the myths about them. Here are ALT 8 myths about electric cars and the facts to debunk them.


MYTH 1: The electric grid will be overloaded if everyone plugs in at the same time
FACT: There have been a number of studies about the national grid’s ability to handle the onslaught of electric cars. A study by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), which is the utility industry’s research arm, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that since electric cars will be rolled out gradually, utility companies will have enough time to react to the load. Secondly, even without the introduction of Smart grid technology — where charging can be spaced out to off-peak hours — utility companies are providing consumers with several incentives to charge at night, when the grid is operating at a small percentage of its full capacity. In fact, with vehicle-to-grid capability (which should exist in the next couple of years) a plug-in electric car owner could sell electricity from a battery back to the grid.


MYTH 2: Electric cars will still harm the the environment
FACT: Because electric cars are more efficient, even with 52 percent of our electricity being generated by coal-fired power plants, plug-in cars reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and most other pollutants compared with conventional gas or hybrid vehicles. Besides, on a daily basis we’re moving towards using more renewable energy — wind, solar, hydro — to power our electricity.


MYTH 3: You will run out of range
FACT: Most Americans drive an average of 40 miles per day, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Almost all the new electric cars that are going to be launched in the next few years have a range of at least a 100 miles. The new Chevy Volt can go up to 300 miles on a single charge once its gas engine kicks in. Besides, any regular plug point can be used in an emergency, in case you forgot to charge your car at night. And public infrastructure that is currently being set up in most cities, can completely recharge your car in about 4-6 hours. Also, a computer screen on your dashboard will tell you how much charge you have left on your car, before you even start driving, so you won’t be left unawares.


MYTH 4: Electric cars are too expensive
FACT: Like all new technology, electric cars are relatively expensive. But as we mentioned before, in the long run you will make up the cost difference in terms of what you save at the pump and significantly lower maintenance costs (no oil changes, tune ups, filter changes etc.). According to Consumer Reports, “at about 3 miles per kWh (the rough efficiency engineers estimate for most of today’s EVs), that’s about 4 cents a mile. With gas costing about $2.80 a gallon, a car such as the Toyota Corolla, which gets very good fuel economy of 30 mpg, would cost about 9 cents a mile for fuel.” In places like California where gas is between $3 to $4 dollars, the savings are even more. Also, the government stimulus package includes a $2,500 to $7,500 tax credit for EVs. And states like California have an additional $5,000 incentive.


MYTH 5: There isn’t enough available public infrastructure
FACT: Experts predict that more than 80 percent of electric car charging will occur at home at night. And since these cars can be charged using a regular 120 V plug, you don’t need any kind of public infrastructure to help you get around. Besides, most urban cities are teaming up with charging companies to set up public-charging-stations.


MYTH 6: Electric car batteries are bad for the environment
FACT: According to the EPA, almost 90 percent of the electric car battery will be recycled. Kind of like the regular lead-acid car battery which is almost entirely recycled right now. Most research tells us that lithium-ion batteries will have about 40-50 percent of their capacity left after automative use, to be used for secondary purposes, mostly power storage.


MYTH 7: I’ll have to replace my battery often
FACT: While companies like Better Place have a battery swamp initiative in place — so you don’t have to waste time charging your battery, companies like Nissan and Chevrolet have increased their warranties on their cars to ease consumer fears.


MYTH 8: Electric cars aren’t fast enough
FACT: Most electric cars have a top speed of at least a 100 mph (which is far higher than any speed limit) and cars like the Tesla Roadster can go from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) in 3.7 seconds.


http://alttransport.com/2010/10/alt-8-myths-about-the-electric-car/


12 Myths About Electric Vehicles
Jan 5, 2010 
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/12-myths-about-electric-vehicles.html


Debunking Electric Car Myths
Oct 26, 2010
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/debunking-electric-car-myths.html