In the past, the “electric cars vs. gas cars” challenge could seem more of a joke than a practical solution. Even these days, most people imagine an electric car as a tiny shoe box. Obviously, they think it can barely travel at freeway speeds and have a range of nearly 70 miles. Though, it is quite understandable why no one has been interested.

The electric cars of today are drastically changed. The Tesla Roadster, for instance, is able to accelerate under 4 seconds and be faster than a Ferrari. This 2 door convertible sports coupe also comes with all the amenities of a normal car: a navigation system, ABS Brakes, cruise control, air bags, AC and radio. Now this sounds like a fun car to drive.

Which is better: electric cars or gas cars?

Efficiency

Speaking of gasoline powered engines, they are very inefficient. In fact, 80% of their extracted energy is lost to heat. That is why we have:

• a fan, pulling air over the radiator;
• a radiator, cooling the coolant;
• a coolant, cooling the oil;
• the oil, cooling an engine.

But an electric motor is comparatively efficient. Due to so little heat, there is no need for any radiator fan, radiator, coolant or engine oil. You don’t have to worry about radiator problems, oil leaks or changing oil every 4,000 miles. The air alone may keep the engine at an optimum temperature. Besides, when the car comes to a stop or is stuck in stop, the electric engine shuts off. In case of gasoline, a combustion engine remains idle, wasting gas.

Batteries

Until recently, the batteries have been the major problem with electric cars. They

• were made of short life lead-acid;
• had a bad charge to weight density ratio;
• took much time to recharge;
• were too heavy.

As a result, electric cars could only go the most 70 miles and needed a recharge of at least 12 hours. Whom could they interest? Probably, a few eco-friendly people who picked them with love claim.

However, things have changed dramatically with the appearance of lithium-ion batteries. They are

• much smaller;
• much lighter;
• longer lasting;
• better recharging.

The real breakthrough came in March of 2008, when Toshiba started selling the SCIB, Super Charge Ion Battery. That meant it could continuously run for 10 years, recharging once a day. This battery has definitely appeared in the electric cars’ favor. When they need to be recharged, SCIB is simply plugged into the wall. Why to find a gas station or wait in line, if one can fully recharge in 3 hours? With Toshiba’s new SCIB, this became a matter of minutes – the time we spend at the gas pump. To travel 50 miles a day, you need to recharge once a week.

Quietness

Most people who have never driven an electric car are at a loss, when they come to a stop. Their first reaction is to restart the engine. If the car is not moving, the engine is not off, unlike a gasoline one. Silence is nice, but maybe more for those who are tired of busy street sounds and passing cars.

Electric cars vs. gas cars: the answer is self-evident. Electric cars are to be mechanically simple in comparison with the internal combustion engine.