How good are electric cars compared to normal ones? How do they work exactly?

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Awesome Po

I'm 17, I'll get a car soon, I'm just wondering how electric cars stack up next to a regular car...pros and cons?

Answer
Electric cars come in hybrid and pure-electric forms. Hybrids use gas engines in combination with electric motors, and may or may not have to be plugged in. Pure electric cars need to be plugged in, and the time it takes varies.

This explains the variation in charge times: http://www.plug-in.com/charge-times-how-long-to-fill-your-battery/

If you only plan on driving your car short distances between recharges, then an electric car will save you money in the long-run. However, since you're young and might want to take road trips or travel to college, you might want to wait until prices for electric cars go down.

Performance-wise, they can be pretty equal if you are willing to pay the right price. The available options are less, however, and you should put a little time into researching a car before you buy it. I'm sure you already know to be safe once you get your car. Congrats and Good luck!

How would the environment change if everyone drove electric cars?

jaredbiunn

Just having fun speculating and such, how much better would the environment get if the world drove electric cars.. would we physically see a noticeable change?.... I mean, this is obviously not possible in the near future, the whole word driving and being comfortable with electric cars won't be reached at least for another 50-100 years, but just to satisfy my curiosity.. how much will this benefit our planet?

Answer
How would you describe the change? It would be hard to fix an actual percentage. You might listen to the inspirational beginning of an EV world podcast: http://www.evworld.com/evworld_audio/gpastor_shanghai-to-paris1.mp3 You could read a nonfiction book on the subject: http://www.amazon.com/Future-Drive-Electric-Sustainable-Transportation/dp/155963328X or you might see a movie that featured electric cars or watch a youtube video interview:

Minority Report
http://www.youtube.com/siemens

But if you wanted to fix a percentage it would have to start with the pollution given out by the vehicles of today. How much does auto pollution presently damage our planet? You would have to look at each element of pollution separately. Also, are we counting all harmful substances or only those that will be metabolized in a fixed or variable amount of time? How do we determine how much time.

We can say with some certainty that approximately 60 to 70% of crude oil's refined products are used in transportation. The pollution will be found in the air, our water and our soils. Oil pollutes during its production1, exploration (the BP well was an exploratory well), transportation (tanker spills), refining (energy usage and byproducts, transportation and storage again (road and pipeline spills ) pumping (ground and water contamination at gas stations, and use (air pollution, water and soil pollution from "lost" oil 2) Of this we can probably attributed 50% to ground transportation that would be replaced by electric cars and trucks. (I would assume you may include trucks in you overall assessment.) This source determines the tonage per vehicle of greenhouse gas emissions: There are over 200 million vehicles on the roads in the US alone producing 1 billion tons of CO2. Refineries would add to this amount.

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Have products become more unreliable, or is it just my bad luck?

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fmckin1

I first heard the term "planned obsolescence" in the 80's. Now I think it's the first thing a manufacturer builds into the product.
I had a high-end refridgerator that required 8 service calls the first 18 months.
An electric stove that caught on fire due to a bit of biscuit dough falling on the coil.
A car with an ongoing "check engine" light that no amount of repair could solve. "It could actually be something as simple as a loose gas tank lid," I was told.
My parents had fridges that went for 40 years without a single repair, electric stoves that lasted the distance, and cars that were actually worth something after being driven off the lot.
For consumers, is there any effective way to deal with this (I'm getting a gas stove with NO electronic controls whatsoever to replace the electric one), or are we simply at the mercy of manufacturers. Are we allowing manufacturers to turn out lousy products because we want the latest and the greatest?

Answer
A doctor was listening to my kids chests, showing me the stethoscope (is that what its called?). She said it was 40 years old. She's gone through tons of them since then, and nothing's held up to that one.
I think you're right. They have us at their mercy. And if God forbid you have a fridge thats even 8 years old, manufacturers are telling you that you need to replace it to save electricity. Have you even taken a lighter to a BIC pen lately? It's plastic now, it melted.
I think that the best investment is to choose brands that you know will last it out based on personal experience. And stay away from discount retailers like walmart and sams club. You might save money there, but keep in mind that they want to save money too. They'll cut corners where ever possible in order to save a buck themselves...even if it means, "fixing" a returned damaged item and putting it back on the shelf. Which leads me to advising to check your boxes, and make sure they've never been opened before.
But to a degree, I must agree that things just aren't as solid as they used to be. We bought about 4 different hand can openers, all good brand names. Not a one of them lasted 2 weeks. It's sad really.
Good luck, i hope you find a better stove, and car as well.
In Christ

Moving to Florida help?

I really want to move to Florida. I have heard amazing things about Tampa FL and St. Pete. I am so miserable where I live. People are so mean, and the weather is terrible. I actually feel depressed where I live. I want to leave the "bubble" of New England. There is nothing to do here. Seriously its always cold! and Summer is only 3 months long! My boyfriend of almost 7 years doesnt want to leave, he likes it here. His family is here, and his parents also never left New England. I guess its in the genes. Anyways, I really want to convince him to leave somehow. I am just so miserable and for my own sanity I need to leave. I love the warm weather.

Can you tell me more about St. Pete and Tampa? Also do you think Florida is a good place to live for a young couple? ALso how is the economy in these areas?

I was also thinking I would surprise him with a trip to Orlando and St. pete or tampa for our anniversary. Where would you suggest to stay? Also where would you suggest to go for sites?

Answer
I have lived in Tampa, FL for 10 years. Now i'm in graduate school and i moved this past august to Harlem, NY and i hate it. Everyday i commute to NJ to go to grad school, and in NJ the majority of people on the road are pricks, and they drive like maniacs. I have probably paid over $300 in parking tickets in NY.

I miss florida for many reasons. The weather is good, and i like that because i can ride my motorcycle year round. And in florida you don't need insurance on a motorcycle if it is paid off. So i save a ton of money and get extremely good gas mileage. Many people ride motorcycles and scooters. In the summer it rains extremely hard for about 3 hours everyday, then it drys up quick. So i ride my motorcycle to work, and it rains during my shift, and at the end of my shift the rain is gone. It is also VERY HUMID, your hair will puff. But everyone deals with it by turning the AC on all the time, that can peak your electric bill in the summer as it usually gets to 90 degrees.

In the summer i cool off by swimming almost everyday. Most apartment complexes have swimming pools and fitness centers. I like to go to the beach in St. Pete (called North Beach- in Ft. Desoto Park) It is a gem.

In the spring, the NY yankees have spring training in Tampa, FL. My fav team is the Toronto Blue Jays, and i drive to dunedin or st. pete whenever they have spring training games. There is an NHL hockey team in Tampa, and if you're not a Lightning fan, you can always go to a game when your fav team is in town. I always go for practice in the morning and get autographs from players because they walk from the hotel to the St. Pete Times Forum (Ice rink), the hockey tickets are cheap too, compared to NYC for a rangers game. Your bf might like that.

The cost of living is less in Florida. I pay $1500 in harlem, NY for a 2 bedroom apartment, whereas i can get a luxury apartment in Tampa for that price. There are also tons of super walmarts and super targets to shop at. Which means you need a car in order to get around, the bus is not the greatest system. And as far as driving, people aren't maniacs, like in NJ. The police are on the streets making sure the roads are always safe.

St. Pete is kinda run down, and tends to be crime ridden. The nicer places in St. Pete are extremely expensive, and are mostly for retiree's (like around Ft. DeSoto). In downtown tampa, it's also a bit run down in West Tampa. So if you're on a moderate budget, move to the 'town and country' area, if you have a bit more check out 'carrolwood' or 'temple terrace'. University of South Florida is in Temple Terrace, it's a descent place with college kids.

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