Dream car preview

Within the next year or two electric cars, or zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as they are sometimes referred to, will be an everyday sight on streets right across the planet. The stuff of science fiction books will have become science fact.

Basic electric vehicles are already available to motorists in some places and are due to become dramatically more sophisticated and widespread in the next few years.

The concept of an electric car is nothing new, it has been around for many years. However, the pressing need to decrease carbon emissions in an attempt to slow global warming has sped up the development of this next generation of road transport.

Affordable electric vehicles and ZEVs are already being made and will shortly be widely available in car dealers around the globe. We are already familiar with hybrid cars, which have been on the streets for many years. These cars alternate between electric and gasoline propulsion to aid in the reduction of emissions. Electric cars take clean motoring to the next level, in that they have no emissions at all – they don’t even have a tail pipe. The benefits of this are likely to be dramatic, particularly in polluted city areas, as electric cars and ZEVs become the norm.

So how does the electric vehicle work? Electric vehicles use electric motors and motor controllers in place of the traditional internal combustion engine. Rather than standard gasoline, these cars are powered by electricity from battery packs, although cutting edge methods of energy storage are being developed that will probably replace battery packs in the not too distant future. As we speak, special filling stations for the electric vehicle revolution are springing up on roadsides around the world where car owners can stop and refuel their electric vehicles, just like at a normal filling station.

However, for a lot of people, the transition from the traditional gasoline car that we all know and love to electric cars and ZEVs will require a huge leap of faith. However, electric vehicles have so many things going for them that the transition should be a pretty easy one.

Running costs – The fact that electric vehicles are more economical to run and cost less to keep on the road will likely convince their fiercest detractors. Motorists will get a lot more miles for their money and the cost of maintaining these cars will be significantly cheaper than servicing a normal car.

Global warming – As electric cars become more common, the advantages to the environment will be very significant. This is particularly the case in large city areas where smog and air pollution at street level presents a serious health hazard to residents.

A few concerns do remain over electric cars, such as how long it takes to recharge batteries, the top speeds and acceleration of the cars, and concerns such as handling and performance. However, as car manufacturers invest more and more money into perfecting these vehicles, these concerns are likely to be dealt with sooner rather than later.