Ce Wang
16 May 2019
Fuel cars Versus Electric cars
Since its debut 100 years ago, automobiles have become an
Integral part of human life. Motorized vehicles are everywhere in our
lives, from families vehicle to public transportation. Over 1.42
Billion cars are driven around the world, which means that one in
every five people in the world owns a car.(http://www.rfidtires.com/
how-many-cars- world.html) However, electric cars have caught
people's attention in recent years. More and more people choose to
own an electric car and almost 3.2 million electric vehicles are being
driven worldwide.(http://www.rfidtires.com/how-many-carsworld.html) Many people who are interested in electric cars ask the
most basic question: what is the difference between fuel cars and
electric cars?
On the whole, the biggest differences are the source of power
putting the vehicle in motion, which we can learn from their names.
As the name implies, electric cars are powered by electric motors
and fuel cars are powered by gasoline engines. These two power
sources are directly responsible for the vehicles’ performance,
economy, efficiency and safety. Despite the environmentalists’
support, in an environmentally conscious society, electric cars are an
option, but at the present, the disadvantage outweigh the advantage.
First and foremost, at the performance level, electric cars have
better acceleration and throttle response. This is because electric cars
have fewer moving parts, therefore they are simpler than fuel cars,
though they are the symbol of high technology. To be more specific,
when you step on the accelerator in an electric car, the EVMcontroller (Electric Vehicle Motor controller) will tells the motor to
accelerate, the whole process will not take more than 1 second.
However, things are different in a fuel car. Stepping on the
accelerator will increase the valve opening percentage, the intake
system will let more air go into the cylinder, and that will also
increase the volume and concentration of the gas. After that, the
combustible mixture will burn and produce more heat, which also
means that the mixture volume will increase and pushing the piston
into action. The engine rotating speed will also increase, the car will
began to accelerate. This is also why the Tesla model S with 691
horsepower is faster than the 707 horsepower Dodge Charger Hellcat
in the 1/4 mile drag race.
Secondly, electric cars have lower “fuel costs” but higher price
and maintenance cost. By the data of University of Michigan's
Transportation Research Institute, the average cost to operate an
electric car in the US is $485 per year, and the average for a fuel car
is $1,117.(https://www.energysage.com/electric-vehicles/costs-andbenefits-evs/evs-vs-fossil- fuel-vehicles/) Nevertheless, the electric
cars have higher purchases price than fuel cars. The most costly part
of an electric car is the battery pack. For example, the price of
batteries on Tesla model S is 416 dollars/kWh, for all of the 85kWbattery pack on that car. The total price is about $35,000, which is
also the price of a brand new Mercedes GLA. Although electric cars
have simpler structure, the routine maintenance can be complicated
and as expansive as fuel cars. Unlike with fuel cars, electric cars
don’t need to focus on the maintenance of the engine system, such as
changing the oil filter regularly. Electric vehicle maintenance is
mainly about detecting the vehicle with the computer, in order to
check the battery pack under the vehicle. The battery pack of the
electric car will generally be composed of hundreds of independent
small batteries, and if even only one battery goes wrong, the staff
will send the car back to factory for repairs, which can take a lot of
time. Nevertheless, if something goes wrong on a fuel car, replacing
that part with a new one can immediately shove the problem.
Furthermore, electric cars are less efficient than fuel cars. For
example, a fully charged Tesla Model S can travel 480-557
kilometers; an Audi A6 with a full tank can travel at least 700
kilometers. Another point of the electric cars’ low efficiency is that
they need more time to recharge than filling a gas tank, On the Tesla
Model S, the average charging time is 630 minutes, the Audi A6 with
its 21-gallon fuel tank, takes less than two minutes to fill up.
Finally, electric cars have lower safety, but this has nothing to do
with their body stiffness. The key point is also the battery pack fire
danger; these batteries may catch fire while charging or explode after
a collision. This is because lithium battery technology is not fully
developed and also the battery pack of electric cars is covered on its’
chassis. Since 2013, the most high-end electric car brand is Tesla,
and already 20 Teslas have caught fire accidentally, causing three
people to be injured and eight people to die. However, fuel cars are
not easier to catch fire while refueling or in a collision because heat
will not be produced while it’s refueling and the fuel tank are only
placed in the front or at the back of a car.
In conclusion, electric cars nowadays have better acceleration
and performance, but because the technology for electric cars is not
well developed, they are more costly, less efficient and less safety
than traditional fuel cars. Evidence proves that electric cars are less
suitable for normal families at the moment, but it could be a trend in
the future.