Electric car
As the recharging infrastructure (especially fast chargers) is still in its infancy, range anxiety and time cost are frequent psychological obstacles during consumer purchasing decisions against electric cars.
However, a decisive moment came with the introduction in 1912 of the electric starter motor[40] that replaced other, often laborious, methods of starting the ICE, such as hand-cranking.
The company was publicly launched on 29 October 2007 and announced deployment of electric vehicle networks in Israel, Denmark and Hawaii in 2008 and 2009.
In January 2008, Better Place announced a memorandum of understanding with Renault-Nissan to build the world's first Electric Recharge Grid Operator (ERGO) model for Israel.
The company's financial difficulties were caused by mismanagement, wasteful efforts to establish toeholds and run pilots in too many countries, the high investment required to develop the charging and swapping infrastructure, and a market penetration far lower than originally predicted.
[49] Starting in 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing occurred due to advances in batteries, and the desire to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and to improve urban air quality.
[51] Several automakers marked up the prices of their electric vehicles in anticipation of the subsidy adjustments, including Tesla, Volkswagen and Guangzhou-based GAC Group, which counts Fiat, Honda, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, and Toyota as foreign partners.
[52] In July 2019 US-based Motor Trend magazine awarded the fully-electric Tesla Model S the title "ultimate car of the year".
[53] In March 2020 the Tesla Model 3 passed the Nissan Leaf to become the world's all-time best-selling electric car, with more than 500,000 units delivered;[19] it reached the milestone of 1 million global sales in June 2021.
[65] Several national and local governments have established EV incentives to reduce the purchase price of electric cars and other plug-ins.
[87] The sourcing of fossil fuels (oil well to gasoline tank) causes further damage as well as use of resources during the extraction and refinement processes.
[90] Some activists and journalists have raised concerns over the perceived lack of impact of electric cars in solving the climate change crisis[91] compared to other, less popularized methods.
[92] These concerns have largely centered around the existence of less carbon-intensive and more efficient forms of transportation such as active mobility,[93] mass transit and e-scooters and the continuation of a system designed for cars first.
Some direct current motor-equipped drag racer EVs have simple two-speed manual transmissions to improve top speed.
[111][112][113] Some electric cars (for example, the Citroën Berlingo Electrique) use an auxiliary heating system (for example gasoline-fueled units manufactured by Webasto or Eberspächer) but sacrifice "green" and "Zero emissions" credentials.
Cabin cooling can be augmented with solar power external batteries and USB fans or coolers, or by automatically allowing outside air to flow through the car when parked; two models of the 2010 Toyota Prius include this feature as an option.
[133] When an internal combustion vehicle's accelerator is released, it may slow by engine braking, depending on the type of transmission and mode.
The display allows the driver to make informed choices about driving speed and whether to stop at a charging point en route.
Public charging stations are almost always faster than home chargers,[153] with many supplying direct current to avoid the bottleneck of going through the car's AC to DC converter,[154] as of 2021[update] the fastest being 350 kW.
The United States has no de facto standard, with a mix of CCS, Tesla Superchargers, and CHAdeMO charging stations.
As with a mobile phone, the final 20% takes longer because the systems slow down to fill the battery safely and avoid damaging it.
[167] The project's final report was published in 2024, which recommended against funding a national electric road network in Sweden as it would not be cost-effective, unless the technology was adopted by its trading partners such as by France and Germany.
[170] Germany trialed overhead lines in three projects and reported they are too expensive, difficult to maintain, and pose a safety risk.
[175] During peak load periods, when the cost of generation can be very high, electric vehicles with vehicle-to-grid capabilities could contribute energy to the grid.
These vehicles can then be recharged during off-peak hours at cheaper rates while helping to absorb excess night time generation.
[20] Tesla has been listed as the world's top selling plug-in electric car manufacturer, both as a brand and by automotive group for four years running, from 2018 to 2021.
[251][188][189][252] Several national, provincial, and local governments around the world have introduced policies to support the mass-market adoption of plug-in electric vehicles.
[267][268][269][270][271][272] Several countries, including England and India, are introducing regulations that require electric vehicle charging stations in certain buildings.
[277][278][279] Electric vehicles (EVs) have gained significant traction as an integral component of the global automotive landscape in recent years.
Major automakers from around the world have adopted EVs as a critical component of their strategic plans, indicating a paradigm shift toward sustainable transportation.
