There are numerous rumors and misconceptions around the ecological benefits of electric cars stating that most of electric cars are not environment friendly as much as they claim to be. This is owing to the fact that it is claimed that electric cars have a much increased rate of emission during the period of their manufacture and that they use electricity with their own carbon footprint. However, such generalized comment can be put to rest by arguing that electric cars have a higher likelihood of saving the planet than it’s petrol and diesel competitors. Contribution to pollution is also largely dependent on the fuel which is used to put the vehicles in motion and therefore, the below aspects will help understand how electric cars are meant to help the planet.
Emissions from Electric cars
The electrical car manufacturing technology is relatively new in a commercial level. Numerous critics have pointed out the fact that the emission caused during the manufacturing of electric cars is considerably high. However, the electric car manufacturing industry is dealing with myriad issues such as the cost, mileage and charging speed. So far, there has been commendable improvement on reducing carbon emissions, reducing noise pollution and overall improving the air quality. Therefore it is universally accepted that electric vehicles are not perfect and there are a number of aspects which can be improved. But as far as carbon emission are concerned, electric cars are much ahead of fuel powered vehicles.
Cost Effectiveness
Electric cars require you to plug in to an electric socket for a few hours for the vehicle to be fully charged. There are numerous power charging stations which ensure that your electric vehicle is charged within a couple of hours. The running costs of electric cars are fairly low with most of these variants emitting such less amount of carbon dioxide that they are exempted from paying the road tax and the London Congestion charge in the capital. And electricity is way cheaper than petrol or diesel.
However, the demand of electric cars is not on the rise owing to choice made by the consumers to continue driving fuel empowered vehicles. This is after a generous subsidy which was offered by the Government both in the UK and the US to promote the sale of electric cars. This could possibly be for a number of reasons such as the hassles of overnight charging and the driving range.
Electric cars – the way forward
Imagine if you were to be ridden off the worries of charging your electric car and instead if it would have automatically recharged itself at a wireless charging pad to begin your day the next morning? Or let us say that if you did not have worry anymore about the driving range of your electric vehicle, would that encourage you enough to vote for electric cars?
No, it is no longer a far-fetched dream. Much evolution has already been brought into the overall look and feel of electric cars which render a rich driving experience just like their fuel counterparts. Some of the top electric car manufacturers of the UK such as Nissan are already working on the requisite technologies to bring to you a more revised and improved version of the electric car technology, some of which are stated below.
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Wireless charging
Using the inductive technology, the concept of wireless charging is the way forward. The charging pads will be set up in such a way that electric cars can top themselves up while waiting at the traffic signal.
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Use renewable energy
For the electric cars to be completely clean and green, use of renewable sources have to be made such as solar energy.
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Recycle
The batteries can be topped up at a renewable supply and later plugged in at home to power the house. Older batteries to be recycled as a affordable and scalable storage for solar arrays. However, there needs to be a sound mechanism in place to store the solar energy after sunset.
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Multiple charging
Several autonomous cars should be able to charge themselves wirelessly through a single portal. Charging time should be greatly reduced i.e. 90% charging should be completed in five minutes. This will be an excellent endeavour especially for urban areas where it could be difficult for a single car to occupy a single charging point for hours.
It is now a widely accepted fact that Electric Vehicles are definitely the future of the automotive industry however what is yet to be answered when they will become the primary means of transportation for the general people. It is also a matter of concern to understand whether this change will arrive in time to curb the irreversible levels of pollution created by petrol and diesel cars.
Electric cars in the UK
In the UK, the popularity of electric cars have gone up considerably in the past few years. Up to June 2016, about 90000 electric vehicles have been registered in the UK as compared to only 3500 in 2013. The numbers have been boosted owing to the Government’s Electric Car Grant of 25% towards the cost of new electric vehicles, capped at £4500 and guaranteed until 2018. A number of electric cars are slated to be launched in 2017. This has only been possible with the public’s attitude largely shifting towards attempting to render a cleaner and greener environment. A constantly improving electric car recharging network has also instilled the confidence into motorists opting for electric cars over gas fueled vehicles.
Despite the rapid growth and popularity of electric cars, they represented only a meager 0.1% of the total one billion cars on the roads of the world. However, the future looks optimistic as numerous countries are adopting progressive technology to promote the use of electric cars. It is universally recognized that electric cars will help save the planet by meeting the global environmental challenges we are facing currently. However, the presumed question is by when?
Let us hope that it happens soon.
