‘Electric Cars’
Charging Electric Cars – On Nissan’s Agenda
All eyes are now on America. U.S. carmakers are recovering and Americans are buying more cars. The feeling is that the U.S. auto industry is returning to its glory days, during which it was it was the epitome of quality, design and lifestyle.
Electric car enthusiasts and industry officials have been asking themselves whether the rise in world oil prices will really stimulate the development of electric transport. Will gasoline prices of over $4 a gallon (in the U.S.) push more car buyers to electric vehicle showrooms?
Did you know that in the 19th century, in the early days of the automobile, electric cars held the records for speed? Today, when the cars we routinely drive are serious, refined technological creations with mind-boggling performance levels, few remember that there was ever a choice.
The world already knows about electric vehicles, mainly electric trains, but a number of other electric vehicles are also in wide use, such as light trucks; mechanical equipment such as forklifts, boats, motorbikes, electric scooters; airplanes and even spaceships.
Many think that the main obstacle to the development of electric transportation is the issue of charging. Actually, two main models exist: Charging electric cars at charging stations and the battery-switching model
“You can’t bore people into buying,” is a well-worn marketing proverb. Consumerism is a matter of desires, particularly with regard to automobiles, the most sensual consumer product after lingerie. That’s why it’s important for electric vehicles to be good-looking and exciting, so that potential buyers will not only want them but yearn for them.
Of the 741,600 Spaniards who purchased a car in 2011, 314 bought an electric car, a penetration rate of 0.04%. In France, 2,629 electric cars were sold. France is the second-largest car market in Europe, after Germany, while Spain is the fifth largest. Britain and Italy are ranked third and fourth.
In 2011 the world’s demand for electric cars grew by 2.3%. Transportation and automotive industry experts say that 2012 will be a pivotal year for the electric car; the year in which it will be clear whether the public will move beyond being excited about the idea and actually buy more electric cars.
If there was a type of vehicle one would think would not be adaptable to the electric car concept, it would be the American hot rod. The concise design, that at first glance often looks unfinished, and its ultra-muscular, almost restless look don’t seem to lend itself to anything other than an internal combustion engine. The smoke and soot are part of the concept.
Moreover, electric cars with exposed motors look ridiculous.
New and exciting electric cars are entering the market every year and the amount of designs and advanced models is growing rapidly thanks to the growing popularity of green initiatives. As these plug-in electric cars become a part of our daily lives more and more questions about how they work, and how they will fit in to our lives will arise. So what would you want to know about these cars?