What is the cost to run an electric car?

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Patrick

Doesn't most electricity come from generators that are powered by oil or even coal. If the price of oil goes up, won't the price of electricity follow? What is the cost per mile for an electric car?

Answer
Right now electricity is generated by nuclear , hydro , coal ,
oil , solar , thermal , and wind power. The USA uses more nuclear powered electric than any country in the world incuding France. Nuclear creates about 20 % of our electric power. Before clean coal electricity plants , most diesel electricity generation was created switching from coal to oil to reduce emissions. The cost per mile for an electric car is 8 cents a mile. The problem is the car will only run about 40 miles and it takes a long time to charge the battery. A better solution is to create hydrogen using electric power. Then fuel cells powered by hydrogen can run electric motor cars at speeds up to 90 miles an hour over 270 miles per fill up. see n1r.us for details. Right now if the cost of oil goes up , diesel generated electricity will become more expensive.

When will a major car maker sell a lithium battery plug-in car in the USA?

violinner

When will a major car manufacturer sell a lithium-battery based, reasonable range on a charge, pluggable 4-seat car in the USA, at a price comparable to a solely gas-powered 4-seat sedan? I recently went to Florence, and was "green" with envy seeing all the electric cars plugged into the parking meters. Why should they get all the fun?

Answer
I think they will probably go on sale in the US in 2010 or 2011. Lithium batteries are hideously expensive at the moment. I got some quotes on a lithium battery pack for my electric Tracker earlier this year, and the best price I could find was $20,000! That was a bit much for batteries.
I am hoping that EEStor is able to bring their battery solution to market soon. They intend to make and sell a 400-lb battery with about 50 kilowatt-hours of capacity for less than $4000. By contrast, I am using Deka gel-cell batteries, and they weigh 1100 pounds and only have about 20 kilowatt-hours of capacity, and cost $3100. (They were a poor choice, it turned out.)

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How are electric cars better for the environment when 95% of electric in the USA is generated by burning coal?

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Obama hood

So a gas powered machines uses gasoline. Electric cars use coal. Both pollute. Is electric pollution better than pollution generated by burning gasoline?
And Obama's new regulations are going to result in 7,000 less coal miners.
My mistakes 57% of electricity in the USA is coal generated. 95% of the power where I live is coal generated.

Answer
Shhhh the greenies will be upset with facts

Just like Obama said, the cost of energy will be going up with his agenda

How much pollution does the production of an electric car cause?

Lesley

I am finding this a difficult question to find the answer to but how much pollution is produced when an electric car is made? I mean the actual in factory production? Any help appreciated.

Answer
lets compare here:

these are the very basic steps on how the electric car is made

1: Lead (essential battery ingredient) is mined in africa (environmentalists scream bloody murder when its mined)

2: Nickel (essential battery ingredient) is mined in Canada (environmentalists scream bloody murder when its mined)

3: Nickel and Lead are turned into car batteries in the USA (fossil fuels were used to ship it there)

4: Batteries are flown to Japan, and put in Toyota's Electric cars

5: Cars are distributed all over the world for purchase

6: buyer purchase's his electric car from his local Toyota dealer, 50 km's from his house.

7: due to the lack of range, he gets 20 km/s from his house, and runs out of electricity

8: He plugs it in an electric socket, and after the 16 hour charge cycle is complete, he goes home. Now, before you say thats a price worth paying, lets not forget that the electricity put in the "tank" is from a coal power plant, which the environmentalists want torn down.

Now, lets see how a gasoline powered car is made

1: engine is designed and built in Japan

2: engine is placed in car, which was made in Japan

3: Cars are distributed all over the world for purchase

4: buyer purchase's his electric car from his local Toyota dealer, 50 km's from his house.

5: he gets home safely, has dinner, then goes and shows off his new car to his friends.

As well, top gear took a toyota prius (granted, its a hybrid, but the technology is very similar) and a BMW 3 series, and drove the prius at its grip limits (which are highway speeds, and put the beamer behind it, at the exact same pace. the prius ran out of gas 15 minutes before the BMW

as well, the best electric car (which is a prototype right now) can only do 100 km's, and as mentioned, needs 16 hours to charge, where the electricity is from the already heavily strained coal powered electricity system.

also, as a side note, the audi quattro won the WRC rally championship in 1984, and gets 30mpg. Most of 2011 electric cars get 34mpg, (if the math is done accurately & precisely) and the people are stunned by the incredible savings, and fuel economy?????? yyyyyeeeeeaaaaah. ok then.

conclusion: not only are electric cars harder on the environment than gas cars will ever be, but they have terrible mileage at the end of the day

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