Can electric cars fully solve the problems caused by gasoline-powered cars and why?

Need help about it.

 

They have the potential to, however, at present, I think they're fairly equal.

Everyone thinks that Electric cars emit very very little in comparison to gasoline-powered cars. That is incorrect to an extent. Gasoline-powered cars have their own combustion engine, and on the exhaust phase, that is where the pollution is generated. Electric cars do not have their own combustion engine, and as such the car itself emits no (very very little) emissions. However, where does the electricity come from?

Well, they probably plug it into a power point and charge it. Where does that electricity coming from, or, the better question, how is that electricity generated? At present, fossil fuels are the main electricity source, so, an increase in the demand of electricity is an increase in the demand on fossil fuels which is where the emissions from Electric Cars come from.

While it's hard to calculate which is ultimately better, they seem to be fairly close to each other. However, as prefaced they have the potential to be much better. Imagine if wind or hydro power, produced all the electricity. There would be far less emissions, and thus, they would be superior to Gasoline-powered cars. This however, is not the case.

If you want to 'fully solve' the problem, then you'll have to invent a way of harvesting electricity, emissions free. Otherwise, there will continue emissions from both Electric and Gasoline cars; unless of course you find a way to build an eco-friendly (materials), self-sustaining, solar-powered car.

 

What about solar or wind generated charging stations for the cars?

 

im going to have to say no,, but only time will tell adn we will see in the future

 

It sure looks promising as an alternative to gas. Look at the Chevy volt. It can travel 25-50 miles on battery power alone.Or even better then NIssan Leaf. It's an all electic car that can get 100miles per charge costing just a little over a dollar.

 

I read somewhere in a men's magazine (i know its not a reliable source) that they are trying to use extremely powerful lasers and mirrors to reflect energy into itself to create something that an generate as much power as the sun.

Ill try to find a site or reference that confirms this, but once they harness this power there should no longer be any use for coal/gas in the power industry.

 

Actually, the only "self-sustaining" form of electrical energy would be fission. The forms you have noted in self-sustaining are not going to happen because it's impossible. Electrical cars do have the edge over gasoline cars emissions wise.

 

It's not really anything like that but you're probably thinking of nuclear fusion.

Well, having a fission reactor in a car would be pretty dumb with the radiation problems arising from the fuel, reaction, and waste matter. You're right that with current technology it's impossible to have a self-sustaining solar-powered car, but I wouldn't go call it completely impossible until I see calculations done with near-optimal values for energy production, consumption and so on.

I haven't paid attention to electric car development in a while. Last time I checked, the recharging times were ridiculously long compared to gasoline, have they fixed that?

"need help about it" - five-star SFA qualityâ„¢ post

 

There's nothing like the rev of a good gas-powered engine, I would have to say no.

 

Electric cars are fine.
At least, they will be until our rare-earth elements start to deplete like fossil fuels.

Do we have a way to recycle these batteries atm?

at least read the title before you make a post.
OP was asking whether electric vehicles would fully solve the problems caused by gas-powered cars, not whether gas powered cars are better than EV's or the other way around.

 

The main problem with solar power energy generation for cars is that the efficiency for photovoltaic cells (cells that convert solar to electrical) will be around 20% depending the cost of such a product. Adding factors such seasons (intensity from the sun will strike the surface of the Earth at a place at a specific angle which will result in lower power), night-time, cloudy conditions and buildings, there is simply no way that a solar panel on a car with such a low surface area would be able to harness the required energy. At least not for a few decades.

 

That is why I said 'with current technology it's impossible..'. I tried to suggest that perhaps in the future, when we'll have more efficient solar panels and engines it won't be as implausible. Unless there's a good reason why that's impossible, for example, if the theoretical maximum of harvestable solar power isn't equal to or greater than the energy required for the car to function.

 

I don't understand this topic can soembody explain?

 

Here's some very rough math as to how much a solar panel would produce for a single car. I'm going to assume it's the future and the efficiency of photovoltaic cells are 80%

Average Intensity incident on Earth (including aborobtion from atmosphere and arranged over a 24 hour period) = 340Wm^-2

Efficiency = 0.80

Intensity = Power/Area

Area of a solar panel on a car: 1.5m^2

340=P/1.5
P=510W

Power Produced by photovoltaic cells: 510*0.80 = 408W

That power produced is still well below the power required to run a car.

 

I don't think so as they are disliked by the majority due to their speed cap of like 50 mph.

 

Not right now, at least. They burn fossil fuels to produce most electricity, anyways. It also takes an enormous amount of energy to produce the battery/engine that powers the car (this energy comes mostly from, you guessed it, burning fossil fuels). Not to mention efficiency costs of transporting that electricity through long cables.

 

I don't know why you guys are so skeptical the technology is already here.

 

Because it doesn't seem to solve the problems? Burning fossil fuels in power plants instead of car engines doesn't help much. We'll still run out of them, and while the filtering of the emissions and the efficiency is better in power plants, some energy is wasted during the transfer and in the usage.

 

yes however one of the things that ocurrs because of such pollutant sources is cancer.
Electrical devices still emit radiation; it's my opinion that we can develop our technology to contain these emissions. Still, fossil fuels need to go.

 

Fossil fuels are typically used to produce electricity so it isn't as renewable of a resource as most people think. However I believe that electric cars are a good alternative to gasoline powered cars, especially for short distance, in town travel. It is easier to find alternatives to produce electricity than it is to produce a different resource for cars to run off of, meaning that if we shifted our focus more to hydro and solar power we could make electricity a completely, or almost completely renewable resource.