Our FAQs section is going to be a work in progress, so bear with us while we pull it together.
If you have a question to add, please email us here and we'll get moving on it.
Q. Why use an electric vehicle?
A. We've listed our top ten reasons here, but if you want a potted version, here goes. With a total lack of tailpipe emissions it's very eco-friendly, even more so if powered by green electricity. It's also extremely quiet and reduces noise pollution. Not only are they much cheaper to fuel and reduce our reliance on foreign oil, EVs need much simpler and less frequent servicing, as they have fewer moving parts.
Q. What about an EVs limited range?
A. Many production EVs can easily do 50+ miles on a charge, so they can handle normal driving without any problems and they're particularly suited to the stop-go-stop-go style of urban driving (school run-style?) that makes up many people's driving day. Remember, if you're doing 15,000 miles per year, that would be a daily average of 41 miles, so an overnight top-up would set you up with a 'full tank' each morning. At the moment most are used as the second vehicle in the household, so this range is quite adequate for the urban use described. As battery technology continues to develop, however, we can expect to see EV range increase considerably.
Q. Aren't EVs expensive?
A. Because EVs are currently being built in very small numbers, they are more expensive than internal combustion engine (ICE) powered cars. This is offset by lower running costs, as it is much cheaper to charge an EV than it is to use gasoline for a given mileage. To help reduce the additional cost and get the electric vehicle industry moving increasing local government incentives are being introduced in the UK. See Q/A about discounts available.
Q. Don't EVs just move pollution to power station location?
A. Depending on the method used to generate electricity there is some pollution involved. However, it is much easier to control pollution from a few hundred power generation facilities than it is to control it at millions of vehicle tailpipes. There are also many different ways to generate electricity and many of these such as solar power, wind and hydro do not create any pollution. Some EV drivers have taken the next step and installed solar panels at their home so that they can generate the electricity to run their vehicle without pollution. It is also important to understand that it is not just a question of how much pollution is created generating the power, but how much additional pollution is created by the act of charging the EV. As most people charge overnight when there is a surplus of electricity being generated that would otherwise be wasted, the amount of additional pollution created to charge the EV is zero. For example Southern California Edison estimates that there is enough surplus energy being wasted each night to charge about half a million EVs.
Source: EVFinder
Q. Aren't Electric Vehicles hard to Find
A. Yes they are and that is why EVFinder was created.
Q. What discounts can I get as an electric car driver?
A. If you're driving one in the UK most of the discounts and advantages currently apply in Central London. Find out here how you could save up to £8000 in a year on London parking and congestion charges while paying less than that to purchase an electric car.
Q. What is the difference between a "fuel-efficient" and a "low-emitting" car?
A. Higher fuel efficiency results in less global warming pollution; "low-emitting" vehicles release fewer smog-forming pollutants. The amount of fuel a car burns generally determines how much carbon dioxide (the major global warming gas) it releases. Air pollution control devices reduce other pollutants from modern cars, such as carbon monoxide, or smog-forming pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Choosing a car with high fuel efficiency won't necessarily help reduce urban smog (as in the case of diesel cars); consumers should also look for vehicles with low emissions. Truly "greener" cars such as electric cars address the problems of global warming, air pollution and our national dependence on oil through low emissions and high fuel efficiency.
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists
Q. Do hybrid vehicles offer “the best of both worlds?”
A. Hybrid vehicles, a mix between traditional internal combustion vehicles and electric cars, offer the potential to combine the clean and efficient operation of an electric car with the long range and fuel infrastructure of today's gasoline cars. However, the environmental benefits depend largely on how these hybrid vehicles are designed. Future hybrids could be the cleanest of combustion vehicles or only a modest improvement over today's cars. High-efficiency, low-emissions hybrids operating on renewable fuels will provide the greatest energy and environmental benefits of this type of vehicle.
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists
Q. What is the future for full battery electric vehicles?
A. Although full electric vehicles have range limitations (currently around 50-100 miles per charge depending on battery type and driving conditions) that have reduced their appeal, the fact is that most drivers travel less than 50 miles on most days, and electric cars could satisfy many driving needs. They are currently the only vehicle in the market that offers zero tailpipe emissions while requiring no catalytic converter or other emissions control system.
Q. What is a fuel cell?
A. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electricity from the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen. The only by-product is water. Fuel cell vehicles are similar to battery-powered electric cars in that the fuel cell produces electricity that powers motors at the wheels. But while a battery must be recharged after all of the fuel inside it has reacted, a fuel cell is a "refillable battery," in the sense that recharging the vehicle only requires refilling the fuel tank. The hydrogen fuel required to power it can be stored directly on the vehicle in tanks or extracted from a secondary fuel, like methanol or ethanol, that carries oxygen.
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists
Q. Won't it be too expensive to develop an alternative-fuel infrastructure?
A. Replacing the current gasoline infrastructure will be no small task, but it is imperative that our society shifts to cleaner alternative fuels. An important fact to note is that the oil industry currently invests more than $10 billion each year to upgrade or maintain the existing gasoline system. These investments would go a long way toward building a renewable-fuel future. From this point of view, the infrastructure hurdle is not one of limited capital, but one of investment priorities. Money is not the only challenge in an effort toward shifting to a “hydrogen economy.” Hydrogen is plentiful, but is never found alone in nature. It therefore must be extracted from some other source, be it from wind, solar, coal, nuclear, or even more radical sources such as the manipulation of algae. The current plan by the Bush Administration relies heavily on both fossil fuel and nuclear production of hydrogen, casting serious doubts on its long-term environmental benefit. Ensuring that the production of hydrogen is done in as environmentally sound a manner as possible will be a vital component in any fuel cell future.
Source: Union of Concerned Scientists
Q. Are today's electric cars a monumental risk?
A. This has been extensively covered on the Prius boards. The Hybrids mark their high voltage wires in bright orange and they are placed in a position where they won't need to be cut in a normal rescue operation. Emergency responders are being trained to handle these vehicles. Most are also fitted with an emergency cut-out that drops power from the traction pack in case of an accident. Even the Corbin Sparrow had this. It's just those folks who are scared of anything new that have to find a way to show that the sky is falling. There are now over a quarter million hybrids on the roads in the USA and exactly 0 injuries to emergency personnel caused by the high power system.
Source: Noel Adams
Q. How can Tesla expect to take a significant share of the established auto market?
A. Of course, an expensive two-seater like the Tesla Roadster isn't going to have much effect on an industry that sells 17 million automobiles in the US each year. Sure, every VC will have to get one, and George Clooney will probably be seen piloting one down Sunset Boulevard. But selling a few thousand cars won't help Tesla's founder Eberhard build a dominant 21st-century car company.
That's why he's already preparing a sedan, codenamed White Star, which could hit streets as early as 2008. Of course, the sedan won't be as lightweight or aerodynamic as the Roadster, so its range is likely to drop significantly. Eberhard's response: maybe with today's tech. But battery power is improving steadily, and several companies say they may soon double battery life. By the time the sedan comes out, he says, batteries will be ready to deliver: "We're going to ride that technology curve all the way home."
Source: Interview with Eberhard in Wired