Electric Cars

Air pollution is one of the world’s biggest killers resulting in nearly 7 million deaths a year, just behind cancer. With more than 9,000 of these deaths in London, the city is committed to becoming carbon free by 2050, a bold goal!

Since the Great Smog of 1952, London has been on a mission to reduce air pollution to avoid thousands of preventable deaths and further “pea soupers”. In the aftermath of the smog an estimated 12,000 people died as the particles penetrated indoors and reduced visibility. The Clean Air Act 1956 was introduced to reduce air pollution as a direct result of the events in 1952 and was an important milestone in the development of a legal framework to protect the environment. The law introduced smoke control areas in some towns and cities in which only smokeless fuels could be used. Financial incentives were used to persuade homeowners to use cleaner coals, electricity and gas as alternative heat sources, reducing the amount of smoke pollution and sulphur dioxide from household fires. This act also required power stations to be situated away from cities into more uninhabited locations.

The introduction and major roll out of central heating means that houses are no longer the largest source of air pollution. Their successor is transportation producing four major pollutants.

1. A car emits carbon monoxide when the carbon in fuel doesn’t burn completely.
2. A car’s exhaust emits hydrocarbons, a toxic compound of hydrogen and carbon.
3. When fuel burns, nitrogen and oxygen react with each other and form nitrogen oxides(NO_x).
4. Particulate matter – small particles of foreign substances – in the air contribute to atmospheric haze and can damage people’s lungs.

With 21,000 black cabs in London, it’s no wonder that TFL is encouraging taxi drivers to switch to a greener alternative. Believe it or not, electric taxis were a common sight on the streets of London between 1896 and 1899 before the introduction of the internal combustion engines. 80 cabs were built and operated by the London Electric Cab Co. and each cab could cover 40miles on one charge at a speed of 9mph.

In 2016 Geely secured $400 million dollars to build a new manufacturing plant in Coventry to produce 36,000 of the new LEVC TX electric hybrid hackney carriage a year. The LEVC TX drives in  full electric mode with a range of 80 miles, but can be recharged by either the petrol engine or plugged into a charger. The charger connectors located either side of the famous radiator grille are capable of 50kW DC or 22Kw AC, with an optional CHAdeMO connector. New rules introduced by the Transport for London in 2018 state that only zero emission vehicles were allowed to join the city’s fleet. As of Feb 2018 this was the only taxi that met these standards, making them a popular choice for new drivers.

This future-proof transportation is exempt from potential costs such as ULEZ and rising diesel costs. It is estimated that on average electric taxi drivers will save £110 per week in fuel costs and many will be able to recharge their battery for free to help against electricity costs. When you’re next in London keep your eyes peeled for these silent taxis.

The History of the Electric Powered Vehicle

You might think that electric cars are a modern invention, relatively new to the car market? In fact the concept of the electric car goes back further in time than you might expect:

The Creation

The exact date of the first electric car produced is lost to history but they are generally thought to date back as far as 1832. In fact, the first practical electric car is believed to have been designed and constructed in 1884; here in the UK by Thomas Parker, a British inventor. The US vehicle market took notice of his innovative design and it started a trend of electric vehicles which took the US by storm. By 1890, one-third of all the vehicles within the US were electric powered, which included electric taxis in New York City.

The Production

In 1887, a young chemist named William Morris created his own electric vehicle company, Morrison Electrical, borne out of his growing passion for electricity. After a few attempts, Morrison finally brought out an electric vehicle that included 24 battery cells which were situated under the front seat. These batteries took ten hours to charge which gave a range of about 100 miles before recharging. The four-horsepower vehicle had a top speed of 12 miles per hour and had enough space for six passengers onboard. The “Morrison Electrical” vehicles later evolved to carry a total of twelve passengers and reach a top speed of twenty miles per hour. In 1891, Morrison signed a contract with the American Battery Company which was owned and operated by Harold Sturgis to promote and manufacture the Morrison Battery.

Catering for the middle class

The majority of the upper class within the US and the UK owned an electric powered vehicle during this time but they were out of the reach of the poorer middle classes. In 1908, Ford introduced gas-fuelled vehicles that were much cheaper compared to electric vehicles. This suddenly made vehicles affordable and accessible for the less affluent classes. From this point onwards gas-powered vehicles grew with manufacturers taking inspiration from Ford. Affordable gas-powered cars soon made electric vehicles a thing of the past.

Intergalactic Appearances

Despite being largely overtaken by gas-powered models electrical powered vehicles still made the occasional appearance on the roads  – and even on the moon. The electric powered four-wheeled Lunar Roving Vehicle was sent into space and used on the moon during an expedition. However, there were later complaints from the astronauts that the rover was slow and inefficient compared to their petrol-powered alternative.

The Realisation

During the twenty-first century, scientists and economists began to realise that global warming is taking its toll against earth and that action was required. Pleas were made to car manufacturers to consider using alternative methods and fuels. In the early 2000s, Toyota made its grand entrance into the media by producing the Toyota Prius, a hybrid vehicle, which offered the option of switching fuels between petrol/diesel and electric. Over time, Toyota developed the hybrid making it sleeker and well-known worldwide.

Modern Day Electric Cars

The modern Tesla and the 1887 Morrison Electric car have a lot of differences but one thing in common, they are both are electric powered.

In 2018, one in twelve cars sold within the UK were either electric or hybrid according to The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Electric vehicles have almost been around for 200 years which means that there’s been a lot of model evolution and additions since those years. The famous Tesla car air filtering system and even the basic air conditioning system are both new additions.  The biggest contestant in today’s electric car industry is Tesla. Tesla has brought out varied models such as the Model X, Model S, and the Roadster. The Tesla Model S was voted the world’s best selling plug-in-car for the second year in a row in 2017 but as of December 2018, the Nissan Leaf has taken top ranking.

In 2017, the UK government made an agreement to ban the sales of all new petrol and diesel cars by the year 2040, following in France’s footsteps. All car models for sale pre-2040, need to meet an air quality test by passing a new real driving emissions (RDE) test. The future looks bright for electric cars.

For details of how to install electric chargers at home if any of this talk about electric cars has prompted you to make the switch to electric get in touch!