2011 CHEVY VOLT
If you are looking at buying an electric car there are definitely benefits of owning an all electric car. If you are looking for the cheap electric cars for sale you may research online for one built in someone’s backyard garage. They come in many shapes and sizes and have a wide range of prices. With a little research you can even find some of your favorite older model, all electric cars for sale from Volkswagen’s to Porsche’s and anything in between. If you are looking for a really fast and sporty all electric car you should have a look at the Tesla Roadster , whose price starts around $109,000. This particular car can go more than 245 miles on a single charge (which is unprecedented in 2012) and has a patented AC electric motor that is extremely quick and efficient. It is capable of going from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. It also, like many all electric cars for sale, qualifies for the $7,500 U.S. Federal Tax Credit Rebate. Most electric cars will pay for themselves over time with fuel and maintenance savings over an internal combustion engine car. Check out the Tesla Roadster here.
The advantages
One of the obvious advantages of owning an all electric car is you no longer have to buy gas. You will have to pay per KWH on your electric bill to charge your battery packs, but based on the time of day and where you are located the cost can vary greatly. The national averages are anywhere from less than 3 cents per KWH up to 27 cents per KWH. Even with this great of a fluctuation in price it would still be less than half the cost of a gas powered car per mile. Some of the other advantages people seem to forget is the fact you will not have to pay for oil changes, air filters, tune ups, etc.. You will still have to replace tires, brake pads and general maintenance. However, no more replacing starters that wear out, or burned out alternators or even having that battery decide when you are at the store it isn’t going to crank the car just one more time to get you back to the house. One big advantage is the durability of an electric motor. It has relatively few moving parts in comparison to a gas engine and is directly related to the motor in your deep freezer, refrigerator and numerous other applications where they run 24 hours a day.
Home built cheap electric cars for sale.
There are entrepreneurs that work out of their at home garages and build all electric cars for sale. Usually they are the DC type, since they are much less expensive to buy the parts needed to build. Most of these homemade all electric cars for sale are the older compact cars like the old Porsche 911and the more popular Volkswagen bug from the 70′s. These cheap electric cars for sale still have a limited range of around 20 to 40 miles on a charge and this is without air conditioning or a heater which would greatly decrease the cars range. You can also find classified ads online that deal specifically in electric cars for sale. According to the region you live in you could always search for an electric cars sale in your area so you could possibly get a first hand look or even be able to test drive a few to help you make a decision if electric is the way to go.
You can convert most any vehicle to an electric car.
When looking around the web there is plenty of information on how electric cars work to help you understand how to convert to an all electric car . Of course, they all have limited range, but you have many options based on your needs and of course your pocketbook. With some research you can find a do-it-yourselfer that can convert a car to an all electric car for you at a reasonable cost. The biggest expense of course being the equipment needed for the conversion which can range from $3000 and up based on the vehicle in question. Another thing that greatly effects the range and price of an all electric car is if it is utilizing an AC or DC motor and controller. The AC motors and the AC system is much more efficient which greatly increases the range one can go on a single charge. However, most of these AC motors and the batteries that power them have been patented and are costly to manufacture meaning they can get very expensive. This is the reason most electric cars on the road today can only go around 20 miles on a charge with the DC systems.
Range Limitations
If you live fairly close to your job an electric car may be the way to go to save on fuel and maintenance costs of a gasoline powered vehicle. The range of electric cars vary greatly,although battery technology is constantly improving this is something to consider if you are wanting to buy an all electric car just for travel to work. If this is the only use for it, the savings can really add up over a years time. The average range of an electric car conversion using the less expensive DC electric motor is only 25 to 40 miles on a full charge. The AC electric motors are much easier to utilize regenerative braking where the motor is used to slow the car and re-charge the batteries at the same time. This, plus the added efficiency of the AC electric motors means they can slightly exceed the 100 mile range on a single charge. With newer battery technology being developed, hopefully in the near future 100 miles on a charge will be the low end vehicles. When this happens there will be many more all electric cars our highways.
Conclusion
In my research of an all electric car to drive to and from work simply to save the $20 a week I spend on gas just wasn’t feasible for my situation. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t for everyone. The main thing to consider when looking at buying an all electric car would be, can I get to and from work in it without having to push it the rest of the way home. The answer is yes, if you live relatively close to your place of work. If you can plug the car in when at work this would be a great bonus. This would ensure you have plenty of charge to get home or even make that stop by the grocery on the way without worry. If this is the case, an all electric car can pay for itself in fuel savings alone. With the battery technology we have today, a truly all electric car for everyday driving is just not very affordable yet, but is on the horizon.
Author: Dan Armstrong
Best of luck,
Dan Armstrong
