Electric Vehicles

Current automotive technology has developed two types of electric vehicles: pure electrics and hybrids. Pure electric vehicles are exclusively battery-powered. Hybrid vehicles include a small internal combustion engine and fuel tank as well as an electric motor. In some hybrid designs, known as "series" hybrids, operation of the combustion engine at a constant speed acts as a generator for the electric battery. Hybrid designs with separate electric and fuel-burning powertrains are known as "parallel" hybrids.

The success of electric vehicles is dependent on battery technology: "Batteries are clearly the critical, make-or-break factor affecting the performance and economic viability of electric cars" (3:76). Unfortunately, battery technology has not progressed as quickly as the automotive industry had anticipated. Despite a century of research, manufacturers have thus far been unable to develop

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reduction of regional air pollution. Electric vehicles have the potential to achieve this objective only under certain conditions. Compared with gas-powered vehicles, electric automobiles produce small amounts of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide; however, the biggest variable in electric vehicle emissions is the power source for electricity generation. Although current recharging technology involves plug-in systems permanently attached to the vehicle or the area where the vehicle is usually parked, mass acceptance of electric vehicles will necessitate retail charging stations away from home. If the source of battery recharging facilities is nuclear, then air pollution would not pose a problem. If the power plant is coal-burning, results may vary. For instance, an electric vehicle using electricity from a coal-fired power plant would generate about 20 percent more carbon dioxide than a low-emissions gasoline-engine vehicle. Nitrogen oxides would stay roughly the same, depending on the type of power plant used. As one government source puts it, "Nations that rely heavily on coal and oil for electricity production, including the United States, could see a substantial increase in sulfur dioxide emissions (a major component of
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Approximate Word count = 2079
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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