By Erin Everhart at Road Rat Motors – a leading retailer of low speed vehicles for commercial and residential purposes offering a full-line of affordable electric vehicles.
Karl Benz knew what he was doing when he produced the first gasoline engine. The same can be said for Henry Ford when he brought the Model T to the United States.
There is no denying that the car has revolutionized the way we get around. But with more than 2 billion cars expected to be on roads within the next 20 years, there’s also no denying the toll that this form of transportation takes on our cities, our climate and our environment. Furthermore, with gas prices in the United States hovering just below $4 a gallon and with some in Europe paying twice that, the need for alternative ways to get you from A to B isn’t just a strong suggestion: it’s becoming a necessity. Enter the electric vehicle.
Nissan and Chevrolet were early leaders in the current electric car movement with the Leaf and Volt, respectively, but the electric vehicle is more than just a full-size car with a $30,000 price tag. Smaller options exist (both in size and price!) that could be well suited to urban lifestyles. Low-speed electric vehicles, like golf carts or utility vehicles, are street legal on North-American roads under 35mph, don’t pollute the environment, and can even be fitted with solar panels to further reduce electricity use. And they are already in use – government agencies or college campuses often use low-speed electric utility vehicles to keep emissions costs low in urban areas that are already teetering on the too-much pollution line.
Low-speed electric vehicles are well-suited to urban areas, where public transportation is aplenty and full-sized cars are superfluous. While you can typically get most anywhere in cities by walking or cycling, what happens if you have some extra baggage to carry? It’s a lot easier to toss those groceries or shopping bags in your vehicle than it is to lug them 5 miles home, especially when temperatures are creeping to the 90-plus degree range.
Plus, how often do trips add up to more than 25 miles? Chances are those are few and far between. In fact, the average length of a car trip was just more than 10 miles in 2009, while the average distance traveled to work was about 12.5 miles, according to the most recent National Household Travel Survey. When you’re only going a short distance, low-speed electric vehicles make more sense than driving an SUV. In addition to economic and environmental savings, they’re easier to maneuver around tight city streets.
I know what you’re thinking: “Sure, that all sounds great, but can’t nonelectric golf carts do the same thing?” In the most literal, basic sense, they can, but that’s stripping away all of the economic benefits of electric vehicles. Most low-speed electric vehicles cost as little as 1 cent per mile to operate. Compare that to the 45.3 cents per mile for the average full-size car, according to AAA’s 2009 Your Driving Costs, and 12 cents per mile for a typical gas golf cart, and the economic savings become more tangible. In the United States, electric vehicles are also eligible for a 10% tax rebate off the total purchase price. They also don’t release the toxins that gas or motor vehicles release into the atmosphere, which account for 89% of the carbon monoxide emissions in the United States. In fact, more than 90% of the energy the vehicle uses to operate is turned back into useful work. If only that could be said with everything we drive – or even do!
Image courtesy of baccarati on flickr
