Electric cars have been part of the automotive scene for as long as there have been cars. They have never been able to match their liquid-fueled brothers for popularity however, owing to significant shortcomings in range, weight, and ability to make that vroom, vroom noise that we’ve all come to know and love.
Still, electric-powered cars have their advantages- far fewer moving parts, instant and potentially monumental torque, and an RPM range that negates the need for a transmission. Plus they don’t make that awful vroom, vroom noise that we’ve come to find so annoying. But of course the biggest problem with the electric car today continues to be the fact that a storage battery – whether lead-acid or lithium-whatever – is, pound for pound, still far less efficient a means for containing potential energy than is a gallon of dead dinosaur. And, most of them take forever to charge.
Some companies are attempting to change all that. Tesla is not only in the market of selling electric cars, but also of selling the idea of the electric car as a viable all-around vehicle. The applaudable range of their cars, along with the installation of quick charging stations and future battery exchanges means that the infrastructure to support them is now making the electric car a more viable mode of transportation for more than just weirdos like Ed Begley Jr.
The question for today then is, with the tipping point seemingly on the horizon, and cars like the Tesla and Nissan Leaf on the market, does the idea of owning an electric car – and the potential of laughing ’til you fart over next summer’s $7.00/gallon gas – start to make sense to you?
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