Electric vehicles are advancing with an incredible pace, taking huge leaps in technology, and each new successive model has something better to offer to customers.
If you are an avid reader of car news, you must have heard about latest developments in the electric vehicles segment. For instance, Honda’s FCV concept and Tesla Roadster 3.0 claiming up to 400 miles run per charge. Recently, a Finland company claims to be working on an -all-electric hypercar (Toroidal 1MW) that could produce up to 1,341 horsepower, which is coincidentally equal to Koenigsegg One. If the car succeeds, this would be a phenomenal breakthrough not just for EVs, but for entire auto industry. Let’s go through types of EV and find out which is the best?
Conventional Hybrids
A conventional hybrid combines the power output of a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The difference between hybrids and plug-in hybrids is that the former cannot be recharged from external sources, such as recharging stations. Instead, such hybrid cars derive their energy from passive mechanical motion of the vehicle (braking etc). Its battery utilises regenerative functions of the vehicle to convert the kinetic energy into electric energy. This results in improved fuel efficiency. The Toyota Prius is the best hybrid car, but there is a variability how technology is harnessed in different hybrid vehicles. The 2014 Honda Accord hybrid offers fuel efficiency of 47 miles per gallon (mpg) compared to 30 mpg for the non-hybrid version.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)
Plug-in Hybrids are far better compared to conventional hybrids. As the name indicates, they can be plugged in and recharged from an external charging platform. Apart from offering enhanced fuel efficiency, the stored battery power gives you reserve energy that can be used to drive the vehicle, in case you run out of gas. The 2014 Ford Fusion Energi can take you about 21 miles and the 2014 Chevy Volt can go all the way to 38 miles, just on the electric power..
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)
These are full electric-powered vehicles that have powerful electric motors as well as ignition engines. The battery is big in storage capacity and is recharged via an outlet connected to a charging station. BEVs compared to PHEVs can travel greater distances, usually 60-80 miles. However, the latest electric models come with an extended range. For instance, the Nissan LEAF offers 84 miles, the Fiat 500e can travel 80 to 100 miles per charge and the Tesla Model S boasts 200 miles run when fully charged. These are zero-emission vehicles, that keep our environment green. Performance of BEVs is purely based on their batteries, and technologists are looking for ways to make robust batteries that can be recharged faster and last longer.
Looking further into the future, Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCVs/FCEVs) are relatively a nascent technology and have a long way to go. They are principally powered by the same electric motors, but the battery is replaced with Hydrogen Fuel Cells. The fully developed FCVs would recharge within five minutes and break the limits of electric mileage.
Summary
The EVs are a cheaper solution to traveling with less or no impact on environment. In the US, the average cost to drive 100 miles on electricity is only $3.45 compared to $13.52 for driving the same distance on gasoline. So the verdict is clear; electricity is a better solution and EVs are the best.