Plenty of people are thinking about buying an electric car. Have you also thought about how to convert a car to electric?

There is heightened interest in the electric car with today’s unstable gas prices. There are certainly some advantages. And, in case you research it long enough you’ll also find some disadvantages. Before you decide one way or another, take into account some of these aspects.

Electric Car Advantages

1) No tailpipe pollutants. If you are a person who considers it essential to breathe clean air and wants to cut back on air pollution, this is an important advantage. Only about 15% of the gasoline in a normal car is used,to move the car while the remainder of the gas produces heat and polluting exhaust gases. An electric car uses nearly 80% of it’s energy to move the car.

Some people use solar arrays or wind power to recharge their vehicles. Most likely they are going to be powered by electricity from local power companies. Pollutants from electric power plants are normally well regulated and located in areas away from high populations.

2) Electric Power is Economical. It could take a couple dollars worth of electricity to travel 100 miles. Your car may require $15 to $20 worth of gas to travel 100 miles. And, while gasoline prices swing wildly according to international political conditions, electricity prices are reasonably steady and routinely controlled by state public service commissions.

3) Less Complicated Technology. The electric motor in an electric car has around 5 moving parts. It takes hundreds of moving parts to make a modern gasoline engine work. Gasoline engines require systems to regulate fuel and air flow to the engine and manage exhaust gases. The electric car requires additional batteries plus a control system to regulate charging and current to the motor.

4) Lower Maintenance Costs. Since the gasoline powered car has more moving parts, it requires more extensive, thus more costly, upkeep. After 7 years or so an electric car would require replacement batteries which can be expensive. Until then, upkeep involves rotating the tires and filling up the windshield washer fluid.

Drawbacks of Electric Cars

1) Higher Initial Price. Batteries are a major cost factor for electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries are employed rather than standard lead-acid batteries because of their superior storage capacity which provides an increased driving range.

2) Limited Driving Range. Today’s battery technology can only store enough energy for a car to travel 50 to 100 miles before recharging. The range mostly is dependent on the type of battery, weight of the car, and transmission (manual or automatic). Since the vast majority of people recharge their batteries at home, this limits the maximum round trip. A backup gas powered generator can be utilized to charge the batteries.

3) Recharging Infrastructure. In contrast to gasoline stations, battery recharging facilities are few indeed. Without a supplemental generator your driving range often limits you to local errands.

4) Battery Replacement Expenses. The cost of batteries may range from a few thousand dollars to ten thousand dollars or more depending on the kind and number of batteries required.

5) Time to Recharge the Batteries. While you are able to fill up a gasoline powered car in only a few minutes, it often takes hours to completely recharge an electric vehicle. Charging time depends on a few factors including the type of batteries, the controller used as well as the current and voltage available. Changing can take as little as 20 minutes or could require 8 hours or more.

Are you ready for an electric vehicle? Evaluate your priorities along with the benefits and disadvantages and make a choice.