The prospect of using electric automobiles is an exciting one. The image of the electric car in the public imagination is one of cleanliness, cost-savings, and more than anything, energy-efficiency. Since the energy-crunch of the 1970’s, the widespread use of electric automobiles would seemingly have the added benefit of alleviating America’s “addiction” to foreign oil.
If electric cars really do offer all these benefits, why aren’t we using them today? Can the electric car really live up to the hype? With companies like Nissan, Ford, GM, and Tesla Motors preparing to offer a range of electric autos for the general public, these kinds of questions are growing in importance every day.
A Brief History of the Electric Car
In order to see why the electric car is not used as widely as one might expect, it will be necessary to take a short look at the history of the electric automobile in the United States. The first true electric car built in the U.S. was made by William Morrison in 1891. As automobiles became more popular, sales of electric cars surpassed those of steam and gasoline automobiles. Compared to steam and gas cars, electric autos were cleaner, quieter, and easier to start.
However, as the years passed, the gasoline-powered automobile gained market share. Two of the catalysts of gasoline’s rise to dominance were the invention of the turn-key ignition (which replaced the hand-crank) and the discovery of large crude oil deposits in Texas (which made gasoline more affordable for the average consumer). However, the nail in the coffin for electric cars was the increase in distances that drivers traveled in their automobiles. With improvements in the road system, people ventured farther and farther away from home until the charge of an electric car’s batteries was simply no longer sufficient to carry them all the way.
Problems with Battery Technology
Essentially, battery technology has never been able to catch up to the aforementioned problem of insufficient energy storage. Running solely on its electric charge, the upcoming Chevrolet Volt will only be able to go around 40 miles, according to the official website. A typical electric vehicle can go 50-100 miles per charge. Even this level of battery power cannot be purchased cheaply; the plug-in-hybrid Volt will run a buyer roughly $40k. An efficient nickel metal hydride battery pack alone can cost $20-30k. For considerable expense, a car can be designed to go somewhat farther, but the economics of doing so are not favorable.
Infrastructure
Currently, there is no large-scale infrastructure to support an electric car market. While home-charging stations can fill the demand for short commutes, the construction of various charging stations would be necessary to make longer trips possible. In this regard, electric cars suffer from a paradox caused by the “network” effect; people won’t purchase electric cars until there are more charging stations and companies will not build charging stations until there are more electric cars. The very nature of charging a car poses a difficulty in making charging stations; whereas the average owner of a gas-powered vehicle only needs to spend 30-60 seconds filling up their gas tank, around 4 hours may be needed to charge an electric car’s batteries.
The Future of Electric Cars
After reviewing their physical limitations, it is clear why electric cars are not in widespread use today. Nonetheless, some progress is being made towards a future with electric cars. Slowly, battery technologies are being developed which will allow electric cars to go farther. In the short-to-mid-term, it is far more likely that traditional and plug-in hybrids will make more significant inroads into the automobile market. However, don’t expect to see purely electric vehicles in widespread use anytime soon.
References
"The History of Electric Cars." About.com n. pag. Web. 13 Jun 2010.
Brain, Marshall. "How Electric Cars Work."HowStuffWorks.com n. pag. Web. 13 Jun 2010.
Engleman, Eric. "Can We Handle the Transportation Revolution?." Protfolio.com (2010): n. pag. Web. 13 Jun 2010.
Hiseroot, Ed. "The Problem With Electric Cars." NewAmerican (2009): n. pag. Web. 13 Jun 2010.
Matthew Holliday - I am a student of mathematics and computer science at Northern Michigan University. You can follow my writing on twitter here.
