Buying an electric car is one way to help you help the environment.
For those interested in a fuel-efficient vehicle, a battery-powered vehicle is an excellent choice. The majority of electric cars on the market are converted gasoline cars. Thus, a highly affordable alternative could be to obtain an old car with a poor engine but a good body. One would then strip the engine as well as all gasoline components are stripped out and install an electric drive train.
More Details on Conversion
Most consumers decide to convert a car they already own, or buy a car which has already been converted by a small businessman. A converted battery-powered vehicle of this type can be obtained for as little as $5000 USD. Prices almost never get as high as $20,000 USD. Hobbyists often build their own batter powered vehicles by converting existing production cars to run solely on electricity. There are several cottage industries supporting the conversion and construction of BEVs by hobbyists. The University of California, Irvine builds custom electric or hybrid-electric cars from scratch.
Electric Car Usability
Most of these cars are based on old battery technology; while adequate battery technology has been around for several decades, newer battery technology is protected by patents. Converted battery-powered vehicles will still be able to drive at freeway speeds, though the driving range may be limited to less than 100 miles – or even less than 50 miles, depending on the type of battery. Nonetheless, these battery-powered vehicles are still adequate for most commuting and day-to-day driving tasks.
Brand-Name Electric Cars
Several automakers are mass-marketing electric cars in 2010, including Volvo (the C30), Nissan (the Leaf), Mitsubishi (MiEV), REVA (the NXR and the NXG), Tesla (the Roadster and the Model S) and Ford (the Focus BEV). They should be available outside of specialty markets by the market’s fourth quarter.
