What Are the Benefits and Considerations of Electric Cars?

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2 years ago
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Hybrid and plug-in electric cars help improve fuel economy, reduce fuel costs and reduce emissions.

Energy security

In 2019, about 3% of the oil consumed by the United States came from imports, and the transportation industry accounted for about 30% of the total energy demand and 70% of the oil consumption in the United States. The use of more energy-efficient vehicles, such as hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles, is an important part of continuing this successful trend of reducing oil imports. This supported the U.S. economy and contributed to the diversification of the U.S. transport fleet. In addition, the use of energy such as electricity for transportation can also bring elastic benefits. The multiple fuel sources used in power generation provide a safer and more domestic energy source for the electrification part of the transport sector. All these have increased our country's energy security.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) usually use less fuel than similar traditional vehicles because they use electric drive technology to improve vehicle efficiency by recovering the energy lost in the braking process. Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and all-electric vehicles (EV), also known as pure electric vehicles, can be completely driven by electricity. In the United States, electricity is provided by natural gas, coal, nuclear energy, wind, hydropower, and solar energy.

Cost

Although the energy cost of hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles is usually lower than that of similar traditional vehicles, the purchase price may be much higher. With the increase in production and the continuous maturity of battery technology, the price may be the same as that of traditional cars. In addition, initial costs can be offset by fuel cost savings, federal tax credits, and state and utility incentives. The federal government's qualified plug-in electric drive vehicle tax credit applies to the purchase of plug-in and electric vehicles from manufacturers who have not yet reached a certain vehicle sales threshold. It provides a tax credit of $2500 to $7500 for newly purchased vehicles, depending on the size of the vehicle and the capacity of the battery. Some states and utility companies also provide incentives, which can be found in the legal and incentive database.

Use the vehicle cost calculator to compare the lifetime cost of ownership of hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and traditional vehicles.

Fuel economy

Hybrid vehicles usually achieve better fuel economy and lower fuel costs than similar traditional vehicles. For example, the fueleconomy.gov website lists the city and highway fuel economy estimates of Toyota Corolla hybrids in 2020, 52 miles per gallon (MPG), while the traditional corolla (four-cylinders automatic) estimate is 34 miles. Use the find a car tool on gov to compare the fuel economy ratings of hybrid and traditional models.

Hybrid electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electric cars can greatly reduce fuel costs due to the high efficiency of electric drive components. Because plug-in and electric vehicles rely entirely or partially on electricity, their fuel economy is different from that of traditional vehicles. Miles per gallon of gasoline equivalent (MPGE) and kilowatt-hours per 100 miles (KWH) are common metrics. Depending on the driving mode, today's light electric vehicles (or plug-in hybrid vehicles in electric mode) can exceed 130 MPGE and travel 100 miles at only 25-40 kwh.

The fuel economy of medium and heavy plug-in hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles is highly dependent on load and duty cycle, but inappropriate applications, pure electric vehicles maintain a strong fuel cost advantage compared with traditional vehicles.

Availability of infrastructure

The advantage of plug-in and electric vehicles is flexible charging. Since the power grid is close to most places where people park, they can charge at night in houses, multi-unit houses, workplaces, or public charging stations. Plug-in hybrids add flexibility because they can also refuel with gasoline or diesel (or possibly other fuels in the future) when necessary.

Public charging stations or electric vehicle supply equipment are not as common as gas stations. Charging equipment manufacturers, automobile manufacturers, utility companies, clean cities alliance, municipalities, and government agencies are rapidly establishing a national network of public charging stations. According to the data of alternative fuel station locators, by 2020, the number of charging stations available to the public will reach more than 26000, and more than 80000 charging locations will be provided. Find a charging station near you.

Discharge

Compared with traditional vehicles, hybrid and plug-in electric vehicles have significant emission benefits. The emission benefits of hybrid electric vehicles vary according to vehicle model and hybrid system type. The exhaust emission of electric vehicles is zero, and plug-in hybrid vehicles have no exhaust emission in all-electric modes.

The life cycle emissions of electric vehicles or plug-in hybrid vehicles depend on the power source used during charging, which varies in different regions. In geographical areas where relatively less polluting energy is used to produce electricity, plug-in vehicles usually have life-cycle emission advantages over similar traditional vehicles using gasoline or diesel. Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles may not show strong life cycle emission benefits in areas that rely heavily on traditional power generation. Use the power source and emissions tool to compare the life cycle emissions of various vehicle models in a specific location.

Battery

The advanced batteries of plug-in electric vehicles are designed to prolong their service life, but they will eventually wear out. Several plug-in car manufacturers offer an 8-year / 100000-mile battery warranty. The prediction model (PDF) of the national renewable energy laboratory shows that the current battery can be used for 12 to 15 years under mild climate conditions (8 to 12 years under extreme climate conditions).

Please contact your dealer for specific model battery life and warranty information. Although manufacturers have not announced the price of replacement batteries, some manufacturers provide extended warranty plans paid monthly. If the battery needs to be replaced outside the warranty period, this can be a huge cost. With the improvement of battery technology and the increase in production, battery price is expected to decline.

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