For the most part, people who own electric vehicles will need to get a replacement battery from the dealer where they bought the vehicle. There are other options, too, and we’ll look at those in the following paragraphs.
Battery Charging Stations
Electric vehicle battery charging stations are cropping up all across the United States and abroad. California has the most charging stations in the United States, and many other states either have them already or are making plans to build them. While EVs can be charged at home while you sleep, battery electric vehicle charging stations are necessary when you are on the road and need to go further than you can drive on a single charge.
Recently, McDonalds jumped on the electric vehicle battery charging station bandwagon when a McDonalds restaurant in Cary, North Carolina installed a ChargePoint charging station. ChargePoint also has 140 other charging stations in the United States and abroad. Several hotels have also installed electric vehicle battery charging stations. Since it takes from 3 to 4 hours to charge electric vehicle batteries, it’s nice to have something else to do while they are charging rather than just sitting in your vehicle in a parking lot the whole time.
As more and more electric vehicles enter the market over the next few years, charging stations will become more commonplace and at venues that are convenient for all drivers. If you already own an EV, you can check with the manufacturer or dealer to find more electric vehicle battery charging stations. Tesla Motors, for example, has installed numerous Tesla charging stations, so owners of those cars can easily find a charging station when they are traveling.
Battery Swap Stations
Electric vehicle battery swap stations are still in the planning stages, but there is hope that they will be commonplace when EVs are. Battery swap stations work differently than battery charging stations in that you don’t have to wait for your electric vehicle battery to charge. Instead, you simply swap it out for a fully charged battery, in much the same way you can already swap out your propane tank that powers your gas grill at thousands of supermarkets across the United States. In fact, Better Place, which bills itself as the world’s leading provider of electric vehicle services, unveiled a prototype of an electric vehicle battery swapping station in Japan recently. You can learn more about the services that Better Place provides and about the concept of battery swapping stations at http://www.betterplace.com.
Battery Factories
With the most important component of the EV being the battery, major companies, as well as those that are lesser known are scrambling to produce as well as improve the technology behind the batteries that propel electric vehicles. With the United States government offering stimulus money to companies that can lessen our overall dependence on foreign oil by manufacturing more efficient vehicles, many companies, expecting EVs to be common within a few years, are scrambling to build factories to produce the batteries that will run the highly efficient vehicles. When that happens, consumers will have their choice, much like they do today with regular car batteries, as to which electric vehicle replacement batteries to purchase.
Nissan, who will begin selling electric vehicles in 2011, has plans to build factories in England and Portugal to manufacture electric vehicle batteries. These batteries will be lithium-ion, the same kind that is used in laptops, digital cameras, and other gadgets. While the car batteries are much larger and heavier than laptop batteries, there is still much work to be done to make them efficient and affordable. Still, with many manufacturers, some in the United States, already building factories, we can expect competitive pricing in the near future.
Gas Powered Battery Charging
There are also some EVs being built that do have gas onboard, but it is only used to charge the electric vehicle battery, so the driver doesn’t have to stop. With the fuel only being used in this way, the vehicle is still considered fuel efficient, and the driver’s time can be used efficiently as well because he or she won’t have to interrupt their trip for a new charge.
Battery Replacement For Current Owners
Most current owners of EVs are already aware of how to replace their batteries when the time comes. You will receive this information when you purchase your electric vehicle, as unlike regular car batteries, you cannot simply go down to the auto parts store and purchase a new electric vehicle battery.
Tesla Motors, for example, has a FAQ on their website that addresses this issue. While the Tesla Roadster, priced at over $100,000 is not the most common car on the road, the company has sold hundreds of the all electric vehicle and maintains an up to date website to educate consumers on their models. To replace a Tesla Motors vehicle battery, owners will need to visit a Tesla store where they can recycle their old batteries and purchase new ones. Tesla Motors also lets consumers know that their batteries should last about 5 years or 100,000 miles.
Another website, not related to Tesla, states that consumers can purchase an extended warranty for the Tesla electric vehicle battery for $5,000 and a replacement battery for a whopping $12,000. See their other reviews by clicking on the following link:
http://www.thecarelectric.com/electric-car-articles/76-battery-replacement-costs-for-electric-cars.html?87e40eaca339b1fdf30bbc85e9bd8aeb=ebf87f4d7d56858c071af0256b904d70.
To be sure, consumers should consider the cost of replacement batteries before they purchase an EV. While the technology has been in the developmental stages for many years, the concept of electric vehicles that are actually driven on the road is still in its infancy, and the issue of replacement batteries has not yet been a mainstream issue. For more information on electric vehicles and electric vehicle batteries, visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/Feg/evtech.shtml.
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