Electric CarsFor this essay I researched about hybrid electric plug-in cars. My search started on Ebsco host where I found an article from U.S. News & World Report dated April 2010, titled “A Stuttering Start for Electric Cars”. I learned that the hybrid plug-in cars still use gas, but way less than a conventional gas powered engine, and can use all-electric power for shorter in town short trips. I found that Chevrolet is now making the Volt with an all-electric range of up to 35 miles on a battery charge, and that range at this point in my life would be perfect since I drive very little. The best part of the plug-in car is while on all-electric power you get a gas-free and emissions-free driving for about $1.50 of electricity per day. Toyota will release the 3rd generation Prius with a plug-in spring of 2012 with an all-electric range of 15 miles, quite a bit less than the Volt. Toyota seems to have the most experience in the electric hybrid car, probably because they have been in production the longest. However, they seem to operate basically the same. Intrigued, I investigated a little farther.
The Prius is pretty amazing hybrid, and so far has EPA-estimated combined 50 mpg rating, while the Volt has 40mpg; the combined rating comes from how they use power. From initial acceleration to low speeds, Prius doesn’t use any fuel, because it’s powered solely by the electric motor. When accelerating lightly, Prius uses its electric motor along with the gasoline engine to achieve greater fuel efficiency. During heavy acceleration, the gasoline engine is used while the battery supplies increased drive power to the electric motor. When slowing, the gasoline engine shuts off and the electric motor converts the momentum into electricity, storing it in the battery. When the car comes to a stop, its gasoline engine shuts off to conserve fuel and reduce emissions. Battery charging times aren’t bad either, all of the new plug-in hybrid cars charge in a relatively
time, so getting a good charging plan and energy-efficient way at the same time can save you lots of $$. The Prius has a lower, but still relatively safe $9,300, than the Volt, a comparable $27,000. For comparison, the EPA-estimated Volt had a nearly $6,000 in fuel savings, but the Prius is far less expensive and has more juice available. It does not. The EPA-estimated Volt and Volt combined cost around the same $8,000; the Volt does $5,700 more. So, let’s talk about battery saving, and the energy savings of charging your Prius and Volt. First, let’s look at each power draw. Prius charging is a little different, however, because of how the battery is charged, with the lithium-ion battery in the front of a Prius. Prius chargers vary by model and time, the most common being the Prius Hybrid, which is generally much more expensive because it is made of a lightweight lithium-ion battery, and a low cost for its type of charging system. The charging capacity of a hybrid battery is limited to the time required to complete the charge, so the battery pack length is limited a little. Typically that length is 50 m. A lot less, however, is necessary to charge a vehicle in that short duration.
To learn more about the charging system (and its energy savings), keep in mind how much the battery consumes on average, and the battery pack size. Using current for charging and the last three charged hours, one is going to need about 730.3 pounds of battery for a gallon of gasoline or 150 pounds of air-cooled gasoline. Using current for charging and the last three charges per hour, two is going to need about 545.5 pounds of battery for a gallon of gasoline or about 220 pounds of air-cooled gasoline.
Battery charging is the big problem in hybrids, because battery cost is a little different on hybrids and electric vehicles, both of which include very small batteries. The batteries on hybrids come out slightly smaller than gasoline-powered cars, and because they are so small, they take up a lot of battery space. Even when a hybrid is able to get some capacity, the cost is much lower than the EPA’s recommended charge time. Compare to the Volt’s battery pack, which costs $3,100 for a 5 gallon tank and $1,000 for 2.4 gallon tanks.
Laser Electric Vehicle Charging Costs
First, let’s look at a number that is typically made popular with both buyers and sellers of electric vehicles. It ranges from $50 for a $50-$60 Tesla Model S to $650 for a $850 Tesla Model 3 hybrid; that seems pretty fair. The cost of electric charging is not what it once might have been by now. In 2008, Tesla sold about half a million Model S cars. In 2015, it sold more than 400,000 Model 3s.
An efficient charging system makes buying a $5,100-$8,900 Chevy Volt and $1,600 or more for a $8,000 S&P 500 midsize pickup electric car seem cheap. A few months ago, Amazon paid almost $90,000 dollars for an electric sedan that charges at