Electric Cars vs. Conventionals

The future is coming. To car manufacturers, the future means going all-electric. Now if you're like most people, you're probably skeptical or concerned about what the future of personal transportation is going to look like. Will car manufacturers stop producing my beloved diesel engine? How will I get to from 0 to 60mph without all 8 of my sports car's cylinders growling and howling from a stop? Will I have to sleep overnight at a gas station to be able to charge my car on road trips?

Have no fear! I'm writing here in an attempt to alleviate some of your concerns and hopefully inform you along the way!

I've been working in the automotive industry for almost 5 years now, and it's been interesting to see the focus of the OEMs as well as consumers change from traditional ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles to this new, developing method of propulsion using electricity and electric motors. Of course, with big change comes big questions and in the article below I'll explain the top three reasons why you shouldn't be worried, and why electric cars are actually better than traditional ICE vehicles!

1. Electric Cars are Better for the Environment (In General)

The first reason why electric cars are better than other types of cars is because they are more "green". Not physically more green, but better for the environment! Over the useful life of a traditional vehicle, there is generally a higher amount of carbon emissions than those generated by the production of an electric vehicle and its battery. In the video below, Engineering Explained goes through an objective numerical analysis comparing average emissions of ICE vehicles from production to end of life to those by electric vehicles.

Now it's worth pointing out, like Engineering Explained does in the video, that determining where the power for your electric car comes from plays a significant role in how beneficial driving an electric car would be. In different parts of the country, power is generated in different ways, and everyone gets their power from different sources, some of which are much less environmentally conscious than others (e.g. use solar power over coal-generated power). So when you go out and buy yourself a shiny new electric car for the sake of saving the environment, make sure to be aware of where your power is coming from and you too can save the world!

In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy has a useful tool located here to help you find out where a majority of power comes from in your area. The tool also indicates what the relative emissions for different types of vehicles would be on a relative basis in that area (i.e. hybrid, electric, gasoline, etc.).

2. Electric Cars Have More Performance

If I didn't convince you that electric cars are better because of their smaller environmental impact, surely I can convince you that they're better by the sheer performance of these bad boys! A modern-classic example of an electric performance car is the Tesla Roadster. Setting the record as the "quickest car in the world," the roadster boasts a 0-60mph time of a mere 1.9 seconds - that's 0.6 seconds faster than a Lamborghini Aventador according to Motor Trend!

Based on their electrical architecture, there are a few reasons why electric cars could beat your fancy gasoline sports car in a drag race any day.

• Low Center of Gravity - Due to the density of battery cells, and their general placement along the bottom frame of electric vehicles, these cars' centers of gravity are often much lower than traditional vehicles. This allows them to grip the road to take turns faster than a top-heavy car.

• Instant Torque - Where most traditional cars have to wait for their automatic transmission's torque converter to lock up, electric vehicles often have direct motor-to-wheel gearsets which, in combination with extreme responsiveness of electric motors, creates instantaneous and powerful torque upon the driver's request.

• Independent of Altitude - Combustion engines require massive amounts of air to fuel their conversion of gasoline into mechanical energy to propel the car forward. Thinner air often causes cars to have less power when climbing windy mountain roads than when they're down in a valley below sea level.  Electric cars don't have to worry about breathing at all, and therefore can achieve consistently high performance regardless of barometric pressure and (to a degree) temperature of the air outside!

3. Electric Cars Are Just ... Better, Higher-tech Cars

So maybe you're not a gear-head that cares about performance, but also not especially concerned with your vehicle's impact on the environment. To those stuck in limbo, here's a few notes on the things you really care about: function, comfort, and technology.

First, electric cars have significantly fewer mechanical components than those of their traditional counterparts. Less hardware means less maintenance and more money in your pocket! Not only the cost savings, but this means there's also a significantly reduced chance of getting stranded on the side of the road due to hardware malfunction.

Secondly, since many electric cars are positioning themselves in the luxury segments, the interiors are as comfortable as any conventional car, while winning in quiet comfort over their gasoline and diesel competitors. The lack of combustion engine in electric cars allows for stealthy, almost silent operation - less noise and vibration to annoy the driver with during a daily commute! In fact, electric cars are SO quiet, that many of them require additional low-speed pedestrian alert systems to let people walking through parking lots for example, know that there is in-fact a car in the area and they should watch out. This is often done with a chirping or "electric" sound that's generated on the outside of the vehicle.

Finally, but definitely not least, is to comment on the vast amounts of technology these cars can be equipped with. The trend in electric cars is to have the largest touch-screen displays with the most amount of exterior cameras, ride-height adjustments, active damping suspension, hands-free driving, and much more! With all the available features and functions, you'll fell like you're in a spaceship!

So whether you're out to buy a green machine, do a burn-out, or just get some great value for your money, take a look at the electric options on the market and know you won't be disappointed!

References:

• Are Electric Cars Worse For The Environment? Myth Busted, Engineering Explained, 31 Oct. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RhtiPefVzM&ab_channel=EngineeringExplained.
• Leanse, Alex. "The Quickest Production Cars Motor Trend Tested in 2019." Motor Trend Group, LLC. 2 Jan. 2020, https://www.motortrend.com/news/quickest-cars-motortrend-2019/.
• U.S. Department of Energy. 2020. Emissions from Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles. Retrieved 10 Nov. 2020 from https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_emissions.html.