From our Green Collection of E-Books
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The Complete Beginner's Guide to Electric Cars

The only book you'll need to dump the pump!

Oil prices won't be low for long. It's a finite resource and prices will soar again. Now is the time to switch to cheaper, renewable energy which would help your pocket and the environment.

Driving green is about to become very popular and electric cars are the Next Big Thing. Electric cars are fab to drive, great to look at, easy to park, cheap to run, and some are the coolest cars on the road!

The Complete Beginner's Guide to Electric Cars will tell you everything you need to know about dumping the pump and going electric. Also features chapters on hybrids, NEVs, golf carts, electric bikes and electric scooters.

Find out what electric vehicles are like to drive, what are the pros and cons, how much they cost to run, how to recharge, where to buy them, how to convert your own car, best batteries and car parts, electric car reviews and all about renewable energy.

Not sure what an electric car is? Don't worry---there's an Electric 101 section which starts at the very beginning!

What's more this book is pretty much jargon-free and is written in an entertaining style, unlike many car books! There's even a Jargon Buster section so you'll understand all the essential terminology about batteries, motors, torque etc.

It's all here in this comprehensive guide. The sooner you dump the pump the sooner you'll be saving money! This little book could be the best buy you've ever made, the gateway to your new, green, cost-effective lifesyle, sooner rather than later.

In the 21st century, driving smart is driving green! After all, it's the only way to refuel for free!

Here's to your happy green driving!

PRICE: $15-75

Testimonials

"Great guide covering all the important topics. Very objective about the pros and cons, especially hybrids versus electric."---Josh, Missouri

"Wow, you made the subject of cars seem almost entertaining! I knew I should read your book and get to know more about the issues, because we are thinking of going electric. My kids have been nagging me about it for ages! But I sure wasn't looking forward to trying to get to grips with the whole thing. I usually leave the car stuff to my husband, but he's not into going green. But you know what---I enjoyed reading your guide. A great book for women like me who don't enjoy car-stuff!"-----Maureen, Scotland

"Great contribution to environmental books. Congrats!" ---Pierre, England

"You've convinced us to dump the pump. When we did the math, like you explained in the book, we realized we would save a lot of money with solar panels."---Annie and Jay, Arizona

PRICE: $15-75

Browse the Table of Contents

CONTENTS

1.Introduction

2.Jargon Buster

3.Electric Cars FAQ

4. Electric Vehicles 101

5.Why Drive Electric ?

6.History of Electric Cars

7.Who Killed the Electric Car?

8.New Electric Car Developments

9.Electric Cars Available Now

--The Tesla

--The Tango

--The Think

--The Reva

--The NmG

10.Hybrid Cars

11.DIY Conversions

12.Electric Car Conversion Kits

13.Electric Car Parts

14. EV Batteries

15. Golf Cart Batteries

16. Battery Chargers

17. EV Motors

18.Golf Cart or NEV?

19.Neighborhood Electric Vehicles

20.Golf Carts

21.Electric Scooters

22.Electric Bikes

23.Hydrogen Fuel Cells

24.Green Energy

25.Generating Your Own Renewable Energy

26.Postscript: Electric Cars and Me

27.Recommended Reading

PRICE: $15-75

Read an Extract

CH. 5: WHY DRIVE ELECTRIC?

Advantages for You!

• The first benefit of driving electric vehicles is the obvious one---the savings. Depending on what EV you buy, you should at least halve your fuel costs. No more watching gas prices soar! You have certainty about your fuel costs and can budget accordingly. And if you install renewable energy at home, you can plug in and recharge for free. With gas prices rocketing, there are incredible savings to be made with electric cars. And you have certainty about your fuel costs when you drive electric. You can budget for them because you know how much electricity costs and when it does go up, it goes up gradually and doesn't fluctuate wildly like the price of oil. And in these days of recession, we all need to budget!

• There are also other financial incentives to driving electric vehicles. These are state-grants and tax reliefs. Actually, I consider these to be rather mean-spirited at the moment, and I hope they will be increased as the urgency of having good environmental policies becomes clear to us all. There are differing incentives in different regions and countries. These may include tax incentives, VAT rebate, free parking, free recharging facilities, or exemption from congestion charges. You may also be able to claim tax back from the purchase cost of your electric vehicle. There may also be business incentives for recharging facilities. Check with your local authority for full details.

• Electric vehicles are more pleasant to drive because they are so quiet. If, like me, you like to use your commute for a bit of me-time, a quiet drive helps.

• Some districts offer reserved, or free parking for electric cars. Check with your local authority for what privileges they offer to different types of electric vehicles before buying.

• Electric cars have the same torque at all speeds. You don't need to go through different gear changes for different speeds. Electric cars don't need gear boxes, or torque converters. They have full power at all speeds and offer a smooth ride from the get-go! This is ideal for stop-and-start city driving and traffic jams. When you're just starting to move from a stopping position, your engine has the same power propelling it as it has at higher speeds. Gas cars, on the other hand, have a "limited torque curve."

• Electric cars are very reliable and much easier to maintain than gas cars. No grease for a start! They are quite simple, in mechanical terms. Therefore there is less to go wrong. Once you have a reliable battery, you shouldn't have any problems and you will find that there is less overall wear and tear on your car and less parts that have to be replaced. Yes, you do have to replace the battery every 4 years or so, but you don't have the same servicing costs of gas cars, like engine-tuning, mufflers, oil changes, starter, radiators, water pumps etc. So, savings all round!

• Electric cars can go from zero to sixty a lot quicker than a gas car. You'll enjoy this if quick take-off from the lights is what you're into, leaving the gas-guzzlers gaping! Even if you're not such a show-off, you will notice the even power of driving electric!

• Electric vehicles are ahead of the curve in terms of innovative design. With a small well-designed electric vehicle, such as the Tango, or the NmG (pictured left) you will find it easier to park in tight spaces. Depending on where you live, you may be able to avail of car-pool-lane, or bus-lane privileges. You may also be able to weave past stuck traffic where lane-splitting is permitted. If so, you will get to work much faster in an EV.

Advantages for the Wider World

• The production of bio-fuels is partly to blame for current world food shortages. Unfortunately, bio-fuels are not turning out to be the green-solution we thought they would be. Electric cars allow us to go green, but not at the cost of someone else's food supply.

• When driving a compact, well-designed electric vehicle, you free up lane space and parking space for everybody else. If we all did this, we could double our road space capacity and parking capacity.

• Driving electric helps reduce the build-up of noise pollution which has a wearing affect on everybody, especially those who live near busy roads.

• Driving electric helps reduce air pollution. There are enormous health benefits for everybody when toxic, cancer-causing emissions of gas cars is reduced. There are also tax-payer savings when the burden on public health services is reduced.

• Although electric cars lose some of their energy-efficiency due to the low standards of electric power stations, they are still more efficient than gas cars, after the energy costs of oil-drilling, refining and transportation are measured. Whatever inefficiencies they have, are offset by the fact that they do not waste energy while the car is in idling position. This has environmental benefits of reducing pollution and not wasting a limited, precious commodity---oil. If the greening of the grids takes place over coming years and renewable sources are used to fuel public electricity supplies, then there can be massive environmental benefits to electric driving.

• Driving electric vehicles has geo-political benefits for everybody because it reduces our dependence on foreign oil, which is so destabilising for world peace. With electricity, our power source can be within our own borders, wherever in the world we live. This makes sense. With freedom from oil, we don't give hostages to fortune by allowing other nations with oil wells determine our cost of living. It is prudent that every nation would try to become energy self-sufficient.

• Electric vehicles are the only long term way for us all to enjoy clean, sustainable motoring. The alternative is that only the super-rich/political elite will be able to continue driving as oil becomes more and more scarce. If we are all to enjoy the freedom of driving cars, then we have to make a common decision that we will all have to go electric so that we can benefit from the critical mass that is necessary to get the best technology at the cheapest prices.

Copyright. 2006. Afric de Bláca. All rights reserved.Reproduction of this extract is prohibited without written permission from the author.

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