Leave the Gas at the Station
Electric Cars Charge into the Future
If you’ve been hesitant to get on board with the electric car movement, it’s probably time you buckled up and took notice. It’s been estimated electric cars could meet 95 percent of our daily driving needs, with charge times on some cars allowing them to travel 60-200 miles before needing to be plugged in again.
Modern electric cars are changing with the times, and take many forms. There are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), which run solely on electric motors and rechargeable batteries. Then there are hybrid electric cars, known as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). These feature internal batteries charged via an electrical outlet, but they have a gas-fueled engine that kicks in when the battery runs out of charge. Finally, extended range electric vehicles (EREVs), similar to PHEVs, do not use the gasoline engine to provide mechanical energy to the drive train.
Electric cars define efficiency. A gas-only car costs approximately $1,500 to fuel every year. An electric-run car costs roughly $421. Over a car’s lifetime, the savings add up, as our guide to electric cars below demonstrates.
Then there are the environmental benefits. Going electric could dramatically reduce smog-forming pollution, and possibly even end our gas-dependency by 2050.
So next time you need to upgrade your wheels, consider the benefits to your wallet and the environment, and take a look at the exciting range of electric cars on the market today. You might be able to save money and the planet at the same time.
