Electric cars have been around for decades, but it was not until recently that they have been controversial .

The Government of the United States , as well as cities and states like Colorado , New York and influential California is committed to increasing the number of electric cars we buy and drive. The reasons are to reduce C02 emissions and reduce the country's dependence on oil by tapping into natural gas and coal vast reserves of the U.S. , which are the two sources of power supply larger plants electric .

But how they work are not exactly ? What 's it like to own one and live with it? Are they as powerful as petrol cars ?

What is it?

An electric vehicle is powered by a battery rather than an internal combustion engine . They have been around a long time. Most electric cars, we saw hit the market were powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery. It is battery technology that has been widely used for digital cameras, etc. . In fact, most rechargeable batteries, you can buy at Radio Shack were nickel -metal hydride . But more recently , the battery technology has changed where automakers use lithium -ion batteries. These batteries have a longer range than - nickel-metal hydride batteries, and are considered the future of electric vehicles. Lithium ion has been used in recent years to supply most laptops and cell phones.

How does it work ?

Between the batteries and the motor, it is a device called a "controller" . The controller takes power from the batteries and delivers it to the engine. The accelerator pedal is connected to a pair of variable resistors (called " pots " ) They provide the signal that tells the controller the amount of energy that is supposed to provide . The controller can deliver zero power when the car is stopped , the full power when the driver floors the accelerator pedal , or any power level between the two .

Pure electric vehicles

There are a handful of pure electric vehicles on the market today or coming in the next few months : Ford Focus Electric Ford Transit Connect Electric and Nissan Leaf , Chevrolet Spark, Tesla Model S. Running on batteries alone . Leaf , for example, has a range of about 80-100 miles. When the battery is exhausted, you must stop and recharge . For this reason , the car is much better for people who almost always lead to less than 100 miles per day and have re- chargers at home and at work.

Electric vehicle extended range

An electric vehicle is the distance that is powered by a battery , but it also has a gas engine aboard . Now do not confuse these cars with "hybrid" . In extended range EV goes some distance to an electrical load . In the case of the Chevrolet Volt , for example, the car will be about 35 miles on a charge. When the battery is low , the engine blows gas and continues to power the battery, which in turn the car. This engine does not recharge the battery, but it keeps the battery in progress. Because the gas engine , there is never any chance the driver will fail due to lack of power . This approach eliminates " range anxiety ," which is a concern from a driver that their car will run out of juice with no place to recharge .

Where can I recharge ?

EV owner can charge anywhere there is an electrical outlet. But it is advisable to have access to at least a 220 volt dedicated charger in his garage. The cost of these chargers ranges from $ 1500 to several thousand dollars. Utilities , however, have generous discounts on these chargers. A growing number of companies and parking garages / structures , malls , airports , universities, libraries, mass merchandise stores , public buildings are equipped with electric chargers . There are smart phone applications that tell you where shippers. The ideal situation for an owner of EV is to have a new home charger , and a provision to their workplace. There are 4400 charging stations nationwide , but that number is growing. Here is a link to find charging stations.

Is it profitable ?

It depends on everything. Here is an example of mathematics you need to do if you buy one. A Chevy Volt recently rented for $ 189 per month , with about $ 2,000 , down after down payment deposit / security fees, etc. If you buy, the MSRP of the Volt is $ 39.995 . But there is a federal tax credit of $ 7500, the price hit $ 32,495 . California has an additional $ 1,500 credit on the Volt. In Colorado, the state tax credit for a 2012 model is $ 5.896 . This could bring down the price of $ 26.599 . This makes the Volt , which we compare favorably with vehicles such as the Audi A4 Lincoln MKZ or the equivalent of the price of a Honda Accord or Ford Fusion generally equipped . The added benefit is that the owner of Volt - and the owners of all electric vehicles and electric vehicles longer range future - can lead in the way of high occupancy vehicles in metropolitan areas . And time is money .

Electric vs Gas Power

Acceleration and power in an electric car is much better than one might expect. These are not golf carts . The electric motor 149 in the Chevy Volt horses , for example , accelerates intelligently to its limit of 101 mph hours . 0-60 Our speed was 8.8 seconds on the total electrical energy - about the same as the Chevy Sonic. We found it perfectly adequate .

Gas against electricity

This is a difficult comparison and varies with individuals . But it can be found to this problem .

Say you're a university professor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor , Mich. , and driving your Nissan Leaf 35 miles on campus. The cost of your refueling (when rates are cheaper ) was approximately $ 0.11 per kilowatt- hour. Charging the Leaf will cost about $ 2.64 to reach a full charge. The teacher should be able to make a trip without recharging , and the cost compares to $ 4.00 + per gallon for gasoline at this time. Two and a half gallons of gas for a Nissan Versa would be 10.00 . Add to that the fact that the calculation of the University of Michigan, and a number of companies have without reloading many parking spaces. Thus, free- refills, as they last , can really benefit from adopting the beginning of an EV .

All buyers will too have a different set of variables, but it is fun to calculate .

Are electric vehicles for everyone?

We would say No Would you be surprised to learn that the average American driver passes within 30 miles a day in their car? This statistic suggests that electric vehicles would be perfectly adequate for millions of drivers. But people are worried about the days they must travel 75, 100 , 125 or 150 miles per day or more. Consider making an EV or EV Range- extended the second car in a household of two cars. The number of households where both drivers need to take cars off a battery EV are very few.

Bottom line:

Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and electric vehicles with extended range as the Chevrolet Volt represents a new way of driving . Depending on driving habits , the agreement into force of the automobile, and the cost of gasoline , electric vehicles and recreational vehicles with extended range can make a lot of sense. But owning one is a bit of a lifestyle choice. Have a stress-free and make the most of free spaces loading takes a bit of planning , commitment and organization .

There are arguments and debates all the time whether these vehicles pay the return conductor based on the higher purchase price. Find out for yourself , however, takes a sheet of paper , a pencil and a calculator. Here is a link for more on the incentives of the state. And here is an online calculator that allows you to determine your cost based on your driving habits and the car of your plan .