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Vehicles from ecodrive
There is
an increasing variety of environmentally less damaging vehicles
available ranging from motoscooters to cars to vans. There are
Electric Vehicles available in most "categories" of
vehicles and other options for most other applications.
Many vehicles enjoy tax concessions such as free road fund licence ("tax disc") whilst those used by businesses or in commercial operations can benefit from Enhanced Capital Allowance and Zero Operator License.
Electric Vehicles
The 'Achilles heel' of the 'pure Electric Vehicle' has, until now, been the battery technology: the ability to store enough energy in a small, lightweight package to offer a usable driving range. Until recently, maximum range has been limited to about 60 miles per charge. Advances in battery technology, from dedicated EV research but also from consumer goods such as mobile phones and laptop computers, have brought chemistries which can offer ranges of up to 150 miles per charge!
Vehicles with such batteries will become available over the next few years. At the moment, most vehicles will not be suitable as a straightforward replacement for a similar conventional vehicle but that does not mean that they will not meets the needs of many drivers. Currently, it is advisable to identify what journeys you require an EV to undertake and then identify which vehicle(s) may suit as part of your household or business vehicle line-up. e.g. a car that is used primarily for local journeys within, say, 20 miles of home - or a van operating from a depot on several short runs per day.
*Batteries Not Included
It may sound strange, but on many vehicles the battery is not included in the purchase price! Vehicles are always supplied already fitted with the battery (sometimes from a choice of battery type) but often is supplied under a lease arrangement. This can be beneficial since the battery will likely be the only major component to need replacement during the life of the vehicle. A lease arrangement guarantees performance year after year and it may be possible to 'upgrade' to a newer technology for increased range, or even 'downsize' to a 'lesser', more economic battery if driving patterns change. Ultimately, it will mean that older vehicles stay on the road where otherwise a vehicle may be scrapped because it is uneconomic to purchase a new battery.
Rapid charge
capabilities, on whichever generation of vehicles, can mitigate
a (perceived) low range and can double or triple daily mileages
if necessary, even if only rarely required. This makes EVs viable
alternatives for many vehicles, especially those used for routine
local journeys, commuting etc.
With recharging at home from normal mains electricity, usually overnight on cheap-rate energy, either in a garage, on a driveway or even on the street or in a public area, means you start out each day with a full 'tank!'
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Vehicles such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic hybrids claim environmental kudos by using an electric motor to supplement a petrol engine, but the current failure of these vehicles is that they still take all of their energy from fossil fuels: there is no way to recharge the battery from renewable energy. Ultimately, the electric drive simply exists to improve on the inherent inefficiency of a combustion engine. Many car buyers are 'greenwashed' by the claims and this is particularly frustrating when motorists choose a larger vehicle than they would otherwise have done, especially one such as the Lexus RX400h 4x4 'Sport Utility Vehicle' (SUV) Hybrid which is already grossly inefficient! Many smaller conventional vehicles, such as Citroen's C1, achieve better fuel economy and only marginally higher CO2 emissions than a Prius for much lower cost - and if only half the difference was spent on renewable energy technologies for the home/business, such as solar hot water, it would more than make up for the difference!
A better solution is the "series hybrid"
where the the vehicle is primarily an Electric Vehicle which
is recharged from the mains. The only means of driving the wheels
is the electric motor but there is also a small combustion engine
'genset', akin to a motorcycle engine, optimised to run very
efficiently at a fairly constant revolution rate - which combustion
engines do well! Attached to the engine are alternators which
provide electricity to drive the electric motor, recharge the
battery, or both. There is no mechanical connection from the
engine to the wheels. The use of the genset is under the control
of the driver and is rarely used: on journeys where you know
that the distance is beyond the range of the vehicle on battery
power alone, or as a reassurance of a get-you-home safeguard
if you should run short of charge without access to recharging
infrastructure.
So called Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) offer a practical solution for the motorist who needs the occasional longer range from their vehicle whilst a recharging infrastructure is being created. Unfortunately, there are no commercially available models at present although some small-scale production models have been produced. ecodrive is currently engaged in developing PHEVs and hopes to demonstrate them soon.
Other technologies
We are also offering Natural Gas Vehicles as a low emission alternative for applications which are too demanding for an EV.