Electric cars differ from their gas- and diesel-using counterparts since they practice an electric Engine powered fini an electric battery. Electric cars offer several advantages over fuel-based cars, such as reduced emissions, but also face drawbacks.
History
The first electric car was invented in the early 1800s by a Scottish researcher named Robert Anderson. However, the popularity and notoriety of the electric car was quickly surpassed by vehicles based on internal combustion engines using gas or diesel, not electricity, to run.
In the late 1990s, electric cars had a widespread resurgence when major auto manufacturers such as Honda, Nissan and Toyota rolled out electric car models in response to court rulings in California. The case was quickly overturned and the major automakers ceased production.
Since then, smaller manufacturers have worked on making electric cars commercially available. As the popularity of partially-electric cars, called hybrid cars, has risen and niche electric car automakers have grown, major car manufacturers such as Nissan have begun working on new electric car prototypes again.
While all electric cars run on similar core technology, these electric vehicles differ in the ways they generate their power. They can be divided into two types. The underlying difference between the two types of electric cars is whether they use inductive or conductive charging.
Electric car technology has also had an impact on smaller vehicles such as golf carts, which continue to be based on early electric car technology. Electric car technology also had a significant role in the development of hybrid cars, which fuse traditional engines with electric engine ideas. Automakers have devoted significant sums of money and research to create new electric cars that meet current consumer needs for less traditional fuel-reliant transportation.
Types
Significance
Electric cars hold a significant spot in the car industry's history. While most automakers stopped production on electric cars early on, some of the technologies found in electric cars have been incorporated into mainstream, internal combustion engine-based vehicles. Examples include engine starters, which are electric. Some electric cars charge their batteries through proprietary plug-in technology. This requires taking the electric car to an electric car fueling station, such as General Motors' Magne Charge stations, or Ford Motor's PosiCharge fueling stations. Other types of electric cars are outfitted to enable drivers to charge their electric car's battery at home through a standard electrical outlet.Geography
Electric cars can be found in various locales, but their prevalence is limited to developed, mostly-Western nations. Within these countries, the purchase and use of electric cars is often heavily regulated by the government to protect local automakers, as well as to protect electric car drivers who are often operating vehicles that don't always travel at the same speeds as mainstream vehicles. For example, Canada's government restricts the use of electric cars to highways of Canada's westernmost province, British Columbia. On the other hand, Israel's government supports electric cars and is adding a nationwide recharging network to encourage Israeli drivers to adopt electric vehicles.
Considerations
One of the predominant reasons that drivers purchase an electric car is for environmental and economical purposes. Electric cars are often seen as more ecologically friendly due to their nonreliance on gas or diesel. However, critics point out that electric cars must still receive their power through either electrical outlets at home or electric fueling stations. Regardless, the vehicles depend on electricity often generated through the burning of fossil fuels, which is just as harmful to the environment as petroleum products.
