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Asked by olivia10 on 15 Nov 2017. This question was also asked by chloe09.
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Craig Allison answered on 15 Nov 2017:
Honestly, for most car journeys that happen today electric car batteries charge level/ distance is sufficient already.
The problem is there is no real benefit currently in shifting to pure electric cars, as they lack infrastructure support, performance and are incredibly expensive compared to petrol/hybrid vehicles.
There is the argument that electricity is greener, however, unfortunately this isn’t really the case, as emissions due to electricity generation is the developed worlds highest source of greenhouse gas emissions, as we lack established renewable infrastructure. Either the power station is polluting or your car is, either way driving is currently not good for the environment.
Will we see greater influx of electric cars onto the market, yes, and hopefully we will see a corresponding increase in infrastructure and fast charge stations.
I think its the required infrastructure and science behind fast charging that make the biggest difference to the feasibility of electric cars, and the price which will determine whether they become the norm
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Miriam Ricci answered on 16 Nov 2017:
Most electric cars on the market can already go for over 200-300 km on a single charge (if you believe the car makers…) so probably that’s enough for most of us. For longer distances you can simply re-charge or, better, take the train! For shorter distances there should be no problems and really we should get on our bikes or walk more rather than using a car 😉 but I agree it is better to use an electric car rather than a petrol/diesel one if you cannot cycle/walk/take the bus.
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Rhys Phillips answered on 16 Nov 2017:
Expensive to purchase but the fuel costs would mean you could claw that back quite quickly – at an average of 2 pence per mile, it would cost £6 to do 300 miles in an electric car. I get approx. 300 miles out of my fuel tank and it costs around £50 to fill up each time.
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Andy Woods answered on 16 Nov 2017:
I’m actually looking into replacing my current car with a Nissan Leaf. To replace my car with something new is about £17K and a Leaf comes in around £20K for a similar spec.
From my workings my fuel cost is about 8p per mile while electric is around 3 per mile. I drive about 20,000 miles a year so I would save about £1,000 a year in fuel. This doesn’t take into account reduced tax and servicing costs.
I drive 60 miles for my commute so would need to charge every other day but the newer Leaf which is about to be released has a range which may get me to three days.
I would swap my car if I could charge at work because I can’t charge at home as I park on the street. My employer is thinking about a charging point so I am hoping it will be soon!
The electric car is here people just need to embrace it!
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Omar Mustufvi answered on 16 Nov 2017:
As others have mentioned there are cars out there today with very large battery packs to meet the range requirements car owners expect of a conventional car (300-400 miles). The challenge for us automotive engineers is to reduce how much those battery packs cost and weigh. There is also an infrastructure challenge to develop a charging network which will make it easier to travel long distances by charging as you go along.
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Eleanor Sherwen answered on 17 Nov 2017:
My local car club has 2 totally electric cars available which travel 124 miles on a single charge, with fast charge capability. That’s a larger range than me before I want to stop driving, stretch my legs and have a coffee, by which time it’ll be recharged. I use the Ecotricity electric highway, fast chargers at loads of motorway services. https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/for-the-road/our-electric-highway
So I’d say timescale: completed!
Comments
olivia10 commented on :
Thanks Craig, I currently have a Hybrid (C Class Mercedes) the range states 20 mile but in reality it’s more like 12 miles, which is great for short journeys. It. It exactly economic when it switches to petrol, I have now ordered a Volkswagen GTE, twice the range, hopefully it should be more convenient, with the expected decision to cease manufacturing Diesel engines and as you state th entries cost to generate electricity would any consider properly designing a Hydrogen engine?
Craig commented on :
From my experience, car manufacturers tend to be quite conservative with their ideas, or at least in their press release of ideas, seeking improvements rather than significant change. This is until one of their competitors start proposing slightly more radical ideas, and then you very quickly see a bandwagon effect.
Hydrogen fuel cells is a possibility and I know several manufacturers are exploring this option. I worry as long as petrol is as available and cheap as it is we won’t see the major social pressure to change. To put this into context, in the USA, petrol is cheaper than bottled water, and the USA their greenhouse gas emissions just from cars is greater than all other individuals countries total emissions, except China.
olivia10 commented on :
Thanks guys, i really appreciate your answers and the time taken to do these workshops.
emily300608 commented on :
cool