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was powered by twenty-four 12 volt batteries, with an operational cost equivalent of over 165 miles per gallon at 2005 US gasoline prices.]] 4 door sedan Neighborhood Electric Vehicle ]] 2 door seen here in Malta. More REVAs have been produced than any other currently selling electric car.While in the UK it's a full blown EV, in the US it is allowed only as Neighborhood Electric Vehicle with reduced top speed ]] Electrique vans of the ELCIDIS goods distribution service in La Rochelle , France]] of a Piaggio (rebranded Isuzu) vehicle by installing electric components, Seen in Rome Italy.]] The electric car, '''EV''', or simply '''electric vehicle''' is a '''battery electric vehicle''' (BEV) that utilizes chemical Energy stored in Rechargeable Battery Packs . Electric vehicles use Electric Motor s and Motor Controller s instead of Internal Combustion Engine s (ICEs). Vehicles using both electric motors and ICEs are examples of Hybrid Vehicle s, and are not considered pure BEVs because they operate in a Charge-sustaining mode. Hybrid vehicles with batteries that can be charged externally to displace some or all of their ICE power and Gasoline fuel are called Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and are pure BEVs during their Charge-depleting mode. BEVs are usually Automobile s, Light Trucks , Neighborhood Electric Vehicle s, Motorcycles , Motorized Bicycle s, Electric Scooter s, Golf Cart s, Milk Float s, Forklifts and similar vehicles. BEVs were among the earliest automobiles, and are more Energy-efficient than internal combustion, fuel cell, and most other types of vehicles. BEVs produce no exhaust fumes, and minimal pollution if charged from most forms of Renewable Energy . Many are capable of Acceleration exceeding that of conventional vehicles, are quiet, and do not produce noxious fumes. It has been suggested that, because BEVs reduce Dependence On Petroleum , they enhance National Security , and mitigate Global Warming by alleviating the Greenhouse Effect . Historically, BEVs and PHEVs have had issues with high battery costs, limited travel distance between battery recharging, charging time, and battery lifespan, which have limited widespread adoption. Ongoing battery technology advancements have addressed many of these problems; many models have recently been prototyped, and a handful of future production models have been announced. Toyota, Honda, Ford and General Motors all produced BEVs in the 90s in order to comply with the California Air Resources Board 's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, which was later defeated by the manufacturers and the federal government. The major US automobile manufacturers have been accused of deliberately Sabotaging their electric vehicle production efforts."The Death and Rebirth of the Electric Auto" Hari Heath. The Idaho Observer Vol 8, No. 26, Sept, 21, 2006. Who killed the electric car? (website) The price of an EV is set by market factors not cost. For equivalent production volumes battery EVs should be cheaper than internal combustion engine vehicles because they have many fewer parts. This also means they are cheaper to maintain. They are less expensive to operate by a factor of ten over gasoline. Using regenerative braking, a feature which is standard on electric cars, allows hybrids to get about double the fuel efficiency of regular cars. In general terms a battery electric vehicle is a rechargeable electric vehicle. Other examples of rechargeable electric vehicles are ones that store electricity in Ultracapacitor s, or in a Flywheel . RELATION WITH HYBRID VEHICLES Vehicles using both electric motors and ICEs are examples of Hybrid Vehicle s , and are not considered pure BEVs (also called all-electric vehicle) because they operate in a Charge-sustaining mode. Hybrid vehicles with batteries that can be charged externally to displace some or all of their ICE power and Gasoline fuel are called Plug-in Hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and are pure BEVs during their Charge-depleting mode. If batteries cannot be charged externally are called regular hybrids. Historically, BEVs and PHEVs have had issues with high battery costs, limited travel distance between battery recharging, charging time, and battery lifespan, which have limited widespread adoption. Ongoing battery technology advancements have addressed many of these problems; many models have recently been prototyped, and a handful of future production models have been announced. Toyota, Honda, Ford and General Motors all produced BEVs in the 90s in order to comply with the California Air Resources Board 's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate, which was later defeated by the manufacturers and the federal government. The major US automobile manufacturers have been accused of deliberately Sabotaging their electric vehicle production efforts."The Death and Rebirth of the Electric Auto" Hari Heath. The Idaho Observer Vol 8, No. 26, Sept, 21, 2006. Who killed the electric car? (website) HISTORY See Also: History of the electric vehicle advertisement]] and an electric car in 1913 (courtesy of the National Museum Of American History )]] in electric car La Jamais Contente , 1899]] BEVs were among some of the earliest automobiles — electric vehicles Predate gasoline and diesel. Between 1832 and 1839 (the exact year is uncertain), Scottish businessman Robert Anderson invented the first crude electric carriage. Professor Sibrandus Stratingh of Groningen, the Netherlands, designed the small-scale electric car, built by his assistant Christopher Becker in 1835. Just prior to 1900, before the pre-eminence of powerful but polluting Internal Combustion Engines , electric automobiles held many speed and distance records. Among the most notable of these records was the breaking of the 100 km/h (60 mph) speed barrier, by Camille Jenatzy on April 29 , 1899 in his 'rocket-shaped' vehicle Jamais Contente , which reached a top speed of 105.88 km/h (65.79 mph). BEVs, produced in the USA by Anthony Electric, Baker , Detroit , Edison , Studebaker , and others during the early 20th Century for a time out-sold gasoline-powered vehicles. Due to technological limitations and the lack of Transistor -based electric technology, the top speed of these early electric vehicles was limited to about 32 km/h (20 mph). These vehicles were successfully sold as Town Car s to upper-class customers and were often marketed as suitable vehicles for women drivers due to their clean, quiet and easy operation. Electrics did not require hand-cranking to start. The introduction of the Electric Starter by Cadillac in 1913 simplified the task of starting the internal combustion engine, formerly difficult and sometimes dangerous. This innovation contributed to the downfall of the electric vehicle, as did the mass-produced and relatively inexpensive Ford Model T , which had been produced for four years, since 1908.McMahon, D. (2006) "Some EV History" ''Econogics, Inc.'' essay at econogics.com accessed on 5 July 2006 Internal-combustion vehicles advanced technologically, ultimately becoming more practical than — and out-performing — their electric-powered competitors. Another blow to BEVs in the USA was the loss of Edison's Direct Current (DC) electric power transmission system in the '' War Of Currents ''. This deprived BEV users of a convenient source of DC electricity to recharge their batteries. As the technology of Rectifier s was still in its infancy, changing Alternating Current to DC required a costly Rotary Converter . Battery electric vehicles became popular for some limited range applications. Forklifts were BEVs when they were introduced in 1923 by Yale and some battery electric fork lifts are still produced. BEV golf carts have been available for many years, including early models by Lektra in 1954.[http://www.lektro.com/about_history.asp Their popularity led to their use as Neighborhood Electric Vehicle s and expanded versions became available which were partially "street legal". By the late 1930s, the electric automobile industry had completely disappeared, with battery-electric traction being limited to niche applications, such as certain industrial vehicles. The 1947 invention of the point-contact Transistor marked the beginning of a new era for BEV technology. Within a decade, Henney Coachworks had joined forces with National Union Electric Company, the makers of Exide batteries, to produce the first modern electric car based on transistor technology, the Henney Kilowatt , produced in 36-volt and 72-volt configurations. The 72-volt models had a top speed approaching 96 km/h (60 mph) and could travel nearly an hour on a single charge. Despite the improved practicality of the Henney Kilowatt over previous electric cars, it was too expensive, and production was terminated in 1961. Even though the Henney Kilowatt never reached mass production volume, their transistor-based electric technology paved the way for modern EVs. After California indicated that it would kill its ZEV Mandate, Toyota offered the last 328 RAV4-EV for sale to the general public during six months (ending on Nov. 22, 2002). All the rest were only leased, and with minor exceptions those models were withdrawn from the market and destroyed by manufacturers (other than Toyota). Toyota not only supports the 328 Toyota RAV4-EV in the hands of the general public, still all running at this date, but also supports hundreds in fleet usage. From time to time, Toyota RAV4-EV come up for sale on the used market, at prices that have ranged up to the mid 60 thousands of dollars. These are highly prized by solar homeowners who wish to charge their cars from their solar electric rooftop systems. As of July, 2006, there are between 60,000 and 76,000 low-speed, battery powered vehicles in use in the US, up from about 56,000 in 2004 according to Electric Drive Transportation Association estimates.Saranow, J. (July 27, 2006) "The Electric Car Gets Some Muscle" ''The Wall Street Journal,'' pp. D1-2. Regulation in California Since the late 1980s, electric vehicles have been promoted in the US through the use of tax credits. BEVs are the most common form of what is defined by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) passenger Automobile s, because they produce no emissions while being driven. The CARB had set a minimum quota for the use of ZEVs, but it was withdrawn after complaints by auto manufacturers that it was economically infeasible due to an alleged "lack of consumer demand". The California program was designed by the CARB to reduce air pollution and not specifically to promote electric vehicles. So the zero emissions requirement in California was replaced by a combined requirement of a very small number of ZEVs to promote research and development, and a much larger number of Partial Zero-emissions Vehicle s (PZEVs), an administrative designation for a ''super ultra low emissions vehicle'' ( SULEV ), which emit about ten percent of the pollution of ordinary low emissions vehicles and are also certified for zero evaporative emissions. Selected production vehicles ::''and List Of Production Battery Electric Vehicles '' Selected list of battery electric vehicles include (in chronological order): Full Size Electric Vehicles |
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