With the never ending increase in fuel prices, the amount
of harmful emissions that are produced by vehicles around the world, and
more stringent emission regulations being created, the demand for
alternative fuel powered vehicles is on the rise.
The question now for the average customer: Electric or
Hybrid? Both have interesting merits and limitations and we will be
discussing them here on Stain on Paper.
Electric Vehicles
Tesla Motors Inc.
The current poster child for electric vehicles (EV) is Paypal founder,
Elon Musk
(Yes, that is his name) and his electric car
company, Tesla Motor Incorporated. Their crown jewel, the Tesla S is what all
EVs want to be when they grow up.
The Tesla S has a driving range of 464 kilometers before it has to be
recharged. Despite its 3M PHp retail
price, twenty thousand units of the Tesla S have been sold in one year putting
to shame General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt EV and the Nissan Leaf EV. And in the looks department, the Tesla S
makes the other EVs look like soccer-mom vans. (Side note: the first person in
the Philippines to own a Tesla S as a gift? none other than current Meralco
chairman, MVP)
Not to be outdone, other car companies like Nissan-Renault,
Volkswagen, and GM are stepping up to the challenge of a mass produced EV.
Carlos Ghosn, Nissan-Renault CEO, promised that Nissan would bring affordable
autonomous cars to the public by 2020.
The Pros of EV
The advantages of EVs aside from their complete independence
from fossil fuel (yay! For mother Earth!) is because of the torque that's
instantly available when you push the accelerator. Steve Wickham, the
project manager for Toyota's EV effort at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,
agrees: "With current technology, the main advantage for an electric
supercar would be in initial acceleration for launch and corner exit… not
having to change gears." EVs have some performance advantages in the
packaging of components, too, he says. "These include
aero[dynamics] and also a lower center of gravity. Electric motors can be long
and thin, keeping the mass down, and batteries can be kept very low with
clever design such as Tesla has shown in the Model S."
The Cons of EV: Low Energy Density and High Manufacturing Cost
The current challenges faced by all these car companies are found in
the battery. Low energy density (amount of energy stored per volume of battery)
keeps the range of EVs lower than
those normally achieved by petroleum aided vehicles. The low energy density
means that a huge amount of the EVs total weight is attributed to the huge amount
of batteries installed thus affecting its performance, efficiency and range.
Another limit is the price tag of EVs due to the high cost of manufacturing
these batteries. The amount of time to charge these batteries is also a factor
to weigh in. Final thing to consider: the lack of infrastructure to support the
EVs such as charging stations.
Hybrid Vehicles
Toyota
The main proponent of hybrids is Toyota and their Prius. The world’s
largest automaker has declared that it is sticking to hybrids and fuel cell
vehicles for the car of the future. In Washington last Sept. 30, Toyota chair
Takeshi Uchiyamada said the reason why Toyota doesn't introduce any major
all-electric vehicle is “because we do not believe there is a market to accept
it.” He added: “Some people say hybrid vehicles such as the Prius are
only a bridge to the future. But we think it could be a long bridge and a
very sturdy one. There are many more gains we can achieve with
hybrids. The Prius has become the most important vehicle for our future.”
The Pros of Hybrids
Hybrid vehicles solve the range problem that plagues their EV
counterparts. These Hybrids focus more on efficiency in energy usage. By
offering the best of both worlds: range capability of engines and the torque
possible in electric motors, hybrids are the love child of a match made in
heaven.
According to phys.org:
“Another benefit of having the gas motor is it charges the batteries
while it’s running. The gas motors starts automatically when the battery gets
low and proceeds to charge the battery - a hybrid never needs to be plugged
into an outlet. Of course, if you forget to fill the tank…. Still, you can
carry a gas can a half mile while a tow truck is necessary in a straight
electric car.”
Right now they’re way cheaper than EVs. So as an owner you
would be happy that you’re making the environment better without having your
wallet to suffer.
The Cons
Higher maintenance costs. Hybrid vehicles also cost more to repair
because of the complexity of the dual compulsion system used in most hybrid
vehicles. Not all mechanics are trained or equipped to work on hybrid vehicles
and repair bills will be larger than with standard ICE vehicles. Also, because
of the increased weight of hybrid vehicles, you can expect to replace tires and
brakes more frequently as well.
Well Stainers! Hope this helps inform you about EVs and Hybrids.
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