Electric Cars - Saving Fuels
You have a car and the constantly rising fuel prices are really causing you concern, especially as with a growing family, more cars are likely to be parked on your driveway than at present. So gasoline could soon be a big part of your family budget and means that you must explore alternatives and save that gasoline money. So a lot of people are looking at electric vehicles (EVs) which can get them where they need to go on a daily basis. There are EVs on offer from various manufacturers but the costs are high and the vehicles are slow, as they are basically just golf carts that have been glorified. So what one can do is look at the alternative of converting your existing car using gasoline to one that can be run purely on electricity.
Basically the idea is pretty simple. Replace your present engine with an electric motor, and you have yourself a green car! You would then also not need the gas tank, fuel lines, exhaust pipe and radiators and can get rid of them as well. The electric motor that you have now installed in place of the engine will have to be connected to the transmission to provide the necessary torque to rotate the drive shaft and make your car move. The motor will be powered by a series of batteries, 20 of them, and can go 150 miles for every charge. You top up the gasoline when your gauge shows empty don't you. Just the same way see that your batteries are recharged when you have done the 150 miles. As your other gauges would remain on board the car, you can keep track of this.
If you are not familiar with car mechanisms and the like, go to a professional who could do this retrofitting for you. The cost of motors and batteries is quite steep and you would need to be wary when buying these. Look for cheaper sources on the net, of course ensuring that you get quality items. The web can also be a source of more guidance on retrofitting and also on contacting people who have already gone in for such conversions. Forums would be the right place to start, as they will actually have you discussing things with people who have done this retrofitting.
Hybrid cars are also now being made which are, the plug in type with a gasoline engine only as an assist. The plug in hybrid has the advantage that besides the obvious pollution reduction it also has the advantage of unlimited range, due to the super size batteries that they use. Simply charging the battery at night would give you a driving range of 20 to 40 miles which is more than enough for most commutes for a day. And if you can also charge it while you are working, this would give you almost unlimited use.
And visits to the gas station can be really limited to special occasions when you need to lube up or seek help for your tires and other things. At present electricity prices (you would have to pay for the charging up) the cost to you would be one third of what you spend on gasoline.