Plug-In Vehicles

Plug-In Vehicles

Presently, there are two main options for buyers looking to invest in electric-powered vehicles. All-electric automobiles have high performance batteries that store cheap and domestically produced electricity to power an electric motor that does not produce any emissions. Plug-in hybrid vehicles have more batteries than a conventional hybrid, and allow for local all-electric, zero-emission driving along with an internal combustion engine for longer distances.

RATIONALE

Electric vehicles provide an alternative to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. Shifting the nation’s dependence away from oil can have beneficial effects, including lower greenhouse gas emissions from cars, and may support locally-produced energy sources such as wind and solar.

EFFORT REQUIRED

Plug-in electric vehicles are still an anomaly in the car industry, so the main effort is convincing the market that the performance quality of electric cars is competitive with conventional cars. This can be easily accomplished by marketing the fuel efficiency of electric and hybrid electric vehicles compared to internal combustion engine cars.

BENEFITS

The main benefits of electric vehicles are their energy efficiency and lower environmental impacts. Lower fuel costs are easily calculated, allowing owners to track their savings continulously. The environmental benefits of electric and hybrid-electric vehicles are less obvious, but it is well understood that these cars emitt fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which can have a small impact on addressing global climate change concerns.

ACTION AGENT(S)

One way to encourage electric and hybrid electric vehicles is for federal, state and city governments to use them. The people in charge of purchasing government automobiles can choose to invest in these cars when buying new cars for facility use.

COSTS

In the past there has been limited commercial or political support for the advancement of electric-powered vehicles. This lack of support made these cars relatively unaffordable. However, recently the market has shifted towards hybrid electric technology, and popular brands such as the Toyota Prius start at about $20,000.
 
 
A term used for significant changes over an extended period of time in the Earth's natural environments. Climate change can be produced by natural processes (e.g. changes in the Earth's orbit) or by the impact of human behavior (e.g. deforestation). See GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.Energy efficiency is the process of using less energy to produce the same or increased functions. Often used mistakenly as a synonym for ENERGY CONSERVATION. Greenhouse gases are a part of the Earth's atmosphere and are both naturally occurring and the result of human chemical processes. The most common greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and chlorofluourocarbons. These gases trap heat and thus contribute to the warming of the planet. See also CFCS and GREENHOUSE EFFECT.Currently, these are vehicles that use a gasoline engine to drive an electric generator which in turn powers electric motors that drive the vehicle's wheels. The ability or potential of a physical body to do work. The most common forms of energy are heat, light, mechanical (moving parts), and electrical.

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