Over the past few years, you may have heard a lot of buzz about electric cars. You probably even seen charging ports set up outside of stores and other public areas. Here are Cool Facts About Gasoline vs Electric Cars.
Although you might understand a bit about electric vehicles, do you really know the difference between gasoline vs electric cars? If not, we’ll break that information down below.
If you’re in the market for a new car, chances are you’re undecided on whether or not an electric or gas vehicle is best for you. Well, continue reading below to learn more about it.
Gasoline vs Electric Cars: How Do Electric Cars Operate?
Most individuals are most familiar with gasoline cars because it’s the most common. Therefore, there’s a mystery around electric cards and how they actually work. All electric vehicles—which are also known as battery electric vehicles—contain an electric motor rather than an internal combustion engine.
The car uses a big traction battery pack to power the vehicle motor, and it has to be charged into a wall outlet to receive power. This wall outlet is referred to as charging equipment or electric vehicle supply equipment.
Since it operates using electricity, electric vehicles don’t emit any exhaust from the tailpipe, and don’t have any liquid fuel components like a fuel line, fuel pump, or fuel tank.
The Main Components of an Electric Car
When it comes to gasoline vs electric cars, there is quite a difference between how the two are constructed. Here are the key elements of an all-electric vehicle:
Charge port: Unlike gasoline cars, electric vehicles include charging ports. The port allows the vehicle to link to an external power source in order to recharge the traction battery pack.
Battery: Electric cars include an all-electric auxiliary battery. It provides electricity to power the car accessories.
Electric traction motor: Electric motors use power from the traction battery pack to steer the vehicle’s wheels. Some electric cars utilize motor generators that operate the drive and regeneration operations
DC/DC Converter: This tool transforms high voltage DC power from the traction battery pack to be lower voltage DC power. It does so in order to operate the car accessories and rejuvenate the auxiliary battery.
Thermal system: The thermal system is used for cooling. It maintains a leveled operating temperature of the electric motor, engine, power electronics, and other features in the vehicle.
Power electronics controller: This part helps to oversee the flow of electrical energy provided by the traction battery. It controls the speed of the electric traction and the torque that it creates.
Transmission: The transmission transports mechanical power out of the electric traction motor in order to move the wheels.
Onboard charger: The onboard charger receives the incoming AC electricity within the charge port and transforms it to DC power to charge attraction battery. It signals the charging equipment and overseas battery characteristics like current, voltage, temperature, and charging percentage.
The Different Types of Electric Vehicles
Believe it or not, there isn’t a “one size fits all” model when it comes to electric vehicles. Actually, there are three different types. The first type is a battery electric vehicle that is powered strictly by electricity.
Some examples of battery electric vehicles are the following:
- Honda Clarity
- Chevy Bolt
- BMW i3
- Tesla model X
- Tesla model S
- Volkswagen e-Golf
In addition to the electric cars that run solely only electricity, there are plug-in hybrid versions that operate on gas and electricity. That means they can either be plugged in for recharging or use gasoline to operate.
Hybrid vehicles have regenerative braking, so when a driver breaks or decelerates, the car reuses the energy. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles include:
- Chevy Vault
- Toyota Prius Plug-In
- Hyundai Sonata PHEV
- Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
The last category of electric vehicles is hybrid electric vehicles. They primarily run on gas but they also have electric elements, like regenerative braking. These types of vehicles became most popular when Toyota created the Prius Hybrid.
Examples of hybrid electric vehicles are the following:
- Toyota Camry Hybrid
- Toyota Prius Hybrid
- Honda Civic Hybrid
There are car models within the Camry and Civic families that also include standard and hybrid models.
The Pros and Cons of Electric Cars
There are pros and cons to everything, and electric cars are no different. If you’re in a battle between gasoline vs electric cars, you may be uncertain of which option is best for you.
Well, we’ll highlight the advantages and disadvantages. Here are the pros of electric cars:
- Electric cars are better for the environment
- They don’t need frequent maintenance
- They are less expensive to maintain
- Electricity can be used as a renewable resource
- Electric cars aren’t as noisy as gasoline cars
- Some cities have special highway lanes for electric vehicles
- There are tax incentives for electric vehicle owners
All of those attributes listed above are great, but there are some disadvantages. Here are the cons:
- Electric cars don’t travel as far on their power as gas-powered vehicles
- Electric cars are more expensive than gas cars
- It takes a lot of time to recharge a battery
- It’s not always easy to find a charging station
- There aren’t as many options for electric vehicles
Should You Get an Electric Car?
As you can see, the disadvantages of owning an electric car aren’t so bad. Basically, the only downside to electric cars is that they’re not as convenient. At this moment in time, they are not the dominant car type— gasoline cars are.
Until things start to transition more, there won’t be as much accessibility to cater to electric vehicles. Overall, if you are concerned about the environment, then an electric vehicle is a good option. You will have to pay more for the car up-front, but it’s worth it over the long term.
If you only drive short distances and you live in an area that caters to your electric car needs, that’s a plus. Unfortunately, taking an electric car on a long road trip isn’t the best idea. You won’t be able to find all of the charging stations needed to get you to your destination.
If you are someone who frequently drives long distances, it’s a better idea to get a plug-in hybrid or a hybrid electric vehicle.
Gasoline Vs Electric Cars: How Do They Compare?
Now that you know more about electric cars, it’s time to learn how they compare to gasoline cars. There are a few distinctive attributes between the two and a few questions that you may have about each one.
Below our some of the most common distinctions between gasoline vs electric cars:
Affordability
As briefly discussed above, electric cars are more expensive than their gasoline counterparts. If you decide to invest in an electric vehicle, you can expect to pay a larger portion upfront. However, electric cars are cheaper to maintain over the long run. For example, there aren’t any fuel costs involved. Therefore, no matter how gas prices fluctuate, you won’t be affected by it.
Not only that, but electric vehicles don’t need as much maintenance. You can save money on the cost of routine oil changes, tune-ups, and other vehicle maintenance.
The thing you have to decide on is whether or not you want to save money on the front end, or over an extended period of time.
Keep in mind that although electric cars are pretty advanced, there are also some gasoline vehicles that are just as cool. For instance, this Gas Powered Nitro Car is next level! Click the highlighted link to check it out.
Speed
One of the biggest differences between gasoline vs electric cars is that electric cars are faster. Most people assume that since electric vehicles have quiet engines, that they aren’t as quick.
However, that’s far from the truth. Gasoline cars may have loud, revving engines, but they don’t compare to electric motors. Electric vehicles offer full torque that help the vehicle drive forward.
It includes instant acceleration that doesn’t exist in combustion engines. That’s because traditional gasoline vehicles take longer to generate power to the wheels.
On the other hand, there is a drawback to electric cars. They only function on a single speed gear. Therefore, it only provides a certain level of acceleration and top speed.
Green Energy
A lot of people are skeptical as to whether electric cars are actually good for the environment. But the answer is yes. Electric energy is much greener than gasoline fuel. This is evident when it comes to air pollution and other car emissions that contaminate the environment.
Since electric vehicles are powered by energy, they are more eco-friendly for driving than gasoline cars.
However, in order to ensure that electric cars are a complete green vehicle, the power source must be from clean energy. Using smart charging technology is a way to consume electricity via renewable energy, which makes the electric vehicle option cleaner.
Charging Speed
Another concern related to electric vehicles is that they take a long time to charge. Obviously, charging a vehicle is going to take longer than putting gas in it. The best way to avoid any issues with a low-running battery is to charge it overnight. This makes things super convenient for you as you are driving throughout the day.
Generally, a standard electric vehicle takes about 90 minutes to charge. This amount of time isn’t too long if you have nothing to do and nowhere to go. However it does become more of a headache when you have somewhere to be.
Thankfully, with new technology being implemented for electric vehicles, charging is taking a matter of minutes, not hours.
The Number of Charging Stations
As you are well aware, there are gas stations on every corner. However, that’s not the case with electric charging stations. One of the major drawbacks for individuals considering electric vehicles are charging stations. There are road maps and other tools you can use to find electric charging stations, but of course that is a bit complex.
Again, your best option is to charge your vehicle at home, so you’re not worried with it while you’re out and about during the day. As the world begins to transition to electric energy for cars, obviously the number of charging stations will increase over time.
The Future
One of the things that makes car buyers apprehensive is the question of whether or not electric vehicles are actually sustainable. There may be a lot of interest around them now, but are they really the car of the future?
The big thing to understand is that electricity isn’t going anywhere. So even if there is a different type of car that comes out in the future, your electric car will still be sufficient.
Although there aren’t many people who drive electric cars, you can’t deny that society is slowly making a turn towards cleaner, more efficient vehicle options.
Gasoline vs Electric Cars: Which Will You Choose?
As you can see, when it comes to gasoline vs electric cars, there’s a vast difference between the two. However, the option you choose boils down to your daily needs.
It would be great if everyone could transition to electric cars and create a safer environment. But at the moment, our world is centered around gasoline cars. However, there is hope for the future.
Now that you know more about the difference between gasoline and electric vehicles, which one do you think you’ll purchase?
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