Electric CarThere are many manufacturers developing an electric car including Mercedes, Mitsubishi, Nissan and GM. Some electric cars are available now but distribution is limited. Retrofitting a petrol car by removing the engine and replacing it with an electric motor and batteries is an option. Plug in Hybrids Electric Vehicle (PHEV) contain an electric motor and a petrol motor with the electric motor is used as preference. If recharged regularly and short trips are done then the petrol engine does not have to operate at all. An advantage of PHEV is that it has a longer range compared to an electric vehicle if required. The battery setup costs are the most expensive component of an electric vehicle at the moment. One example of an electric car is the Think from Norway. Specifications for the Think City car are: Electric Car Running Costs | Total Charge (kWh) | Charger Efficiency | Total Power to Charge (kWh) | | 28.3 | 0.85 | 33.3 |
Electricity Supply Cost $/kWh | Total Charge Cost | Cost per km | Cost per 100000 km | $0.08 | $2.66 | $0.01 | $1,332.00 | $0.10 | $3.33 | $0.02 | $1,665.00 | $0.12 | $4.00 | $0.02 | $1,998.00 | $0.14 | $4.66 | $0.02 | $2,331.00 | $0.16 | $5.33 | $0.03 | $2,664.00 | $0.18 | $5.99 | $0.03 | $2,997.00 | $0.20 | $6.66 | $0.03 | $3,330.00 | $0.22 | $7.33 | $0.04 | $3,663.00 |
Other benefits Approximately 1 to 4 cent a kilometre to run No stopping at petrol stations No oil changes or exhaust maintenance No power wasted when idle unlike petrol engines Very little noise
The Smart ForTwo car now has an equivalent electric version with 100 vehicles being test driven in the UK. The next stage is for 1000 vehicles to be made with some being exported. The expected price in Australia is $30000. Mitsubishi i-MiEV (electric car similar to Mitsubishi Colt) will be one sale for $30,000 in Australiain 2009. Compare the costs of a similar sized efficient petrol car, Toyota Yaris 3 door. City / Country fuel economy value used. Petrol Car Running Cost | Consumption litres/100 km | litres / km | Yaris 3 door | 6.1 | 0.061 |
Fuel Cost per litre | Cost per km | Cost per 100000 km | $1.20 | $0.07 | $7,320.00 | $1.40 | $0.09 | $8,540.00 | $1.60 | $0.10 | $9,760.00 | $1.80 | $0.11 | $10,980.00 | $2.00 | $0.12 | $12,200.00 | $2.20 | $0.13 | $13,420.00 | $2.40 | $0.15 | $14,640.00 | $2.60 | $0.16 | $15,860.00 | $2.80 | $0.17 | $17,080.00 |
The comparison shows that electric cars should have a lower running cost compared to a similar sized petrol car. If peak hour traffic is encountered regularly then petrol fuel consumption would be worse. The differences are greater when compared to larger petrol vehicles. Factor in the trend of increasing the price of petrol over the life of the vehicle. Suggestions: Charge at night using off peak power rate if possible. Choose a vehicle size that suits your needs and check its economy before purchase. Consider alternative energy production to lock in your future transport energy costs. Consider green power to eliminate all your electric generation emissions. Link to Calculator for petrol versus electric car costs
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