Range and Reduced Carbon Emissions: When will Electric Cars Go Farther?

Travel distance and battery life are one of the most important factors to look at when thinking about buying a carbon emissions friendly electric car. However, the problem with many electric cars available now, or even with those in development, is that they provide fair distance and battery life while going about your normal everyday business, but so very little beyond that. Paired with the fact that electric refueling stations can be scarce in most parts of our country, electric cars have a clear weakness. Thankfully, several car developers are working hard to try to find a way around that.

Late last month, the Japanese Electric Vehicle Club drove their Daihatsu Mira EV for 623 miles before the battery died. With reduced carbon emissions in mind, the Mira was powered by a 50-74 kWh Sanyo battery and was driven around an auto racing training track in Ibaraki, Japan for nearly 27 hours before they finally had to stop. The Sanyo batteries used were similar to the ones typically used in laptops, though it took an impressive 8,320 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries to provide the total charge. Sanyo, already a veteran in the electric vehicle industry, currently provides batteries for Honda and Ford with a new partnership between Suzuki and Sanyo announced earlier this month.

Unfortunately, the Mira EV's 623 miles is a long shot above the typical high end range for most electric vehicles and was only achieved with an average speed of around 25 miles per hour. The typical range on most available vehicles falls in the 100-200 mile range, with some being significantly lower. The Chevy Volt, for example, only has a range of around 40 miles in ideal conditions, while the newer Nissan LEAF will go around 100 miles under similar conditions. While the obvious bonus of reduced carbon emissions is still present, range is usually a problem for anyone more than the casual driver.

Tesla Motors, a California based electric vehicle company, is one of the leaders in pairing range and carbon emissions reduction. They currently have several vehicles either available or in production that approach the 200-300 mile marker. According to the Tesla Motors website, the Roadster model can run for 245 miles under "real world conditions" while a design currently in development, the Model S family sedan, is said to have a range of 300 miles once completed. Another Japanese design, dubbed the Eliica, was developed by a research team at Keio University in Tokyo. While driving the acceleration model, the Eliica boasts a range of around 200 miles. Mostly, the Eliica model was designed to prove that electric vehicles could be both stylish and speedy and has proved to be with a top speed of nearly 230 miles per hour.

Although it seems like range and carbon emission reduction will be achieved with all electric cars eventually, costs and other obstacles tend to get in the way. Larger batteries that are capable of allowing any extreme distance can cost thousands of dollars beyond the vehicle price and could also pose size and weight issues in a vehicle design. Despite the fact that some designs do seem to be available to do allow a high distance, it may be some time before we see an electric car that can either match or beat a gasoline powered car in range.

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