The Trouble With Electric Cars

Electric transportation has been around since the early 1800’s, but of course not in the form that we consider a car today.  Electric cars, also called electric vehicles, are zero emissions vehicles that produce none of the greenhouse gasses and emissions that a gasoline powered vehicle produces.  They are so good for the environment that the state of California actually tried to pass a bill which would set consumer quotas for owning and driving electric cars.  This bill was shot down by lobbyists for the motor companies and oil companies.

Today electric cars are being sold, but at a price that makes them unattainable to most people.  An affordable electric car can be had in the United States, but their range between battery charges top out at 110 miles, which is double the range of most of the affordable electric cars sold in America.  The more expensive electric cars being sold for $100,000 to $400,000 will take you about 200 miles between charges.

The problem with the popularity and sales of electric cars could be that there are few public places in which to charge the battery.  Very few states have strived to make accommodations for drivers of electric and hybrid cars.  For example, in California many shopping mall and grocery store parking lots have outlets on light posts in the parking lots so that people can plug their cars in while they shop.

Maybe if more states would make these kinds of accommodations, more people would opt for electric cars.  At this point it would be very difficult, if not impossible, for a family to travel across the country by car on vacation if they have an electric car unless they tow a generator along behind them.  Of course, even at the maximum of 200 miles between charges, it still wouldn’t be feasible even with a generator.

While electric cars do save on greenhouse emissions, how much do they actually save on the total carbon footprint?  How much electricity needs to be generated in order to charge an electric car?  Could the increasing costs of electricity be another reason why electric cars haven’t caught on?  Perhaps someone is working on a solar powered electric car.