Car Stuff: Electric Cars...are we there yet?

Electric Cars...are we there yet?

The concept of electric cars have been around since the late 18^th century, the allure of instant power and cheap running costs have held mans interest till today. Now, back in the early days the electric cars were just as efficient to run as the combustion engine equipped cars were, this is where the main problem lies. While the combustion engine has made leaps in terms of efficiency and build quality the electric engine and its lifeline the “battery” haven’t come far enough.

There really are only three main reasons why people buy electric cars, lets analyse them a little:

·      Environmentally friendly

·      Cheap running costs

·      The “cool” factor

Environmentally friendly:

The main argument for people who purchase electric cars is that they are “doing there part keeping mother nature alive”. Lets look at is this way; sure the electric car doesn’t produce any emissions and thus keeps the pink spotted tree frog thing alive but what they fail to take into account is the amount of energy that is being used to create these cars. Electric cars don’t use the same production lines as normal combustion engine cars so a new factory and production line has to be built. They use huge battery packs which contain nickel (it is widely known that there is not one nickel producing factory that has NOT destroyed its surrounding ecosystem) then are shipped from a neighbouring country who makes them without any environmental standards, put together somewhere in Japan or in a couple of cases America. What about all this pollution that is being caused by the build process!

A lot of energy goes into building the car, over the long term many studies have concluded that such cars are doing more harm then good. Don’t get me started on the 10-year average life span of batteries, what do we do with them when they have to be discarded?

Cheap running costs:

Today you can buy a mid-priced Volkswagen Golf Bluemotion which on a full tank is good for around about 1000kms (with C02 emissions being the lowest of any combustion engine car out there), buying the best all electric car out there will put a hole as big as the ozone’s in your pocket and take you to the local shops…you probably will have to push it back home along with your soy milk and organic mushrooms.

My point is that electric cars aren’t great when it comes to driving distance, the best electric cars these days can only do 155kms, that too if you drive like monk. Normal driving will probably only get you 70% of that claimed figure. Then there is the notion of charging the damn thing; it would be ok if it took you a couple of hours but no! It takes an average of 8hours! And if you run the battery down all the way you are looking at a good 15-16hours. Imagine you live in Penrith and head towards beautiful Shoalhaven to spend time with your family over the long weekend, the journey is about 175kms away…see what I mean, you would have to stop the night and a 2hour trip would turn into a minimum of 10!

Not only can you not get anywhere, you have to shell out huge amounts of cash (upwards of $55K) and still not get such a great piece of machinery. Not to mention with all the frequent stops and long trips you will end up with a divorce and your wife would take what little money you had left. Just to mess with you, she would let you keep the car.

The “cool” factor:

Eco-ism is cool. There is no doubt about it anymore, all the celebrities are promoting it, the good man Al Gore kick started this amazing revolution but it seems that the actual message he was trying to convey has been twisted into a more “lipstick” version. I mean, now you see big A-List celebrities in their eco-cars and eco-outfits, all they are really doing is piggy backing on this movement to get noticed a little more. These are also the same people who drive range rovers and other gas guzzling beasts, but then you’d think that I’d be pleased with it…but im not, the reason is that unfortunately trends are very heavily influenced by these public figures and they have made eco-ism cool for the rest of us.

That’s all it is though, and if that’s what your doing it for then shame on you…it will get you the good looking girlfriend…just make sure she enjoys walking long distances and lives close by.

Generally nowadays petrol heads like me are ancient, we aren’t “IN” anymore, hardly anyone these days looks at a big block Chevy with ITBs and salivates over it. People now cringe at the smell of unburned fuel coming from the back of a vintage racer, gone are the days when a mans heart beat at the same pace as he took his roaring vehicle around a corner with a hint of oversteer. Gone are the days when little kids had posters of crazy hyper-cars with a naked woman laying on top if it. Gone are the days when we would take a ride through the back roads just to hear the engine roar and the burble of the exhaust when letting off the gas. We, the petrol heads are a dying breed.

It makes me sad that factors such as the environment, economy, political crisis and the unrelenting war on speed will bring a complete end to this generation and its cars, nothing more then pieces in a museum and shards of memories.

(Sorry for the sidetrack back there) The electric car as a concept is great, but until the boffins working on batteries can make them last longer; they aren’t a great option other than very limited local use. Don’t think I’m not in favour of electric cars, I love them!, The instant torque band and the power on tap feature with no carbon emissions and ultra cheap running costs, its awesome! But, more needs to be done to make them commercially viable for the average user on the large scale.

Should you buy one?....maybe not right now. Until then, do yourself a favour and get your self an open-top V8!