Will You Drive an Electric Car One Day



Will You Drive an Electric Car One Day?

By Brian Dumaine for TIME

Coming this fall, electric cars will be hitting the road in the United States. The cars may help Americans kick the oil habit one day.

Soon, electric cars may be whirring through your neighborhood. These quiet, clean, battery-powered vehicles can be charged in a wall outlet, like a giant power tool. This fall, General Motors (GM) is launching its electric Volt. The car runs on electricity, but it also has a gas engine. Nissan will begin selling its all-electric Leaf, a compact car that will average 100 miles on a charge. Other carmakers will start selling electric models in 2011.

Automakers say that the world's population is slated to jump from 6.8 billion to 9 billion by 2050. So the supply of oil (which is turned into gasoline) won't keep up with the number of cars on the road. Tony Posawatz is in charge of GM's Volt project. He says, "Everyone agrees we have to get off of oil. In 10 years, the number of cars around the globe will rise from 800 million to 1.1 billion. We know the price of oil will go up."

CHARGE IT

To help car companies develop oil-free electric vehicles, the U.S. government has given billions of dollars to makers of electric cars. But huge roadblocks remain. It can take as much as eight hours to charge a car for only 100 miles of driving. And the distance the car can go changes depending on driving conditions. According to Nissan, the Leaf has a 100-mile range--on cool, sunny days and on flat roads. On a hot day in heavy traffic, its range drops to 47 miles.

Price is a problem too. Electric models cost much more than similar gasoline-powered cars. The good news is that electric-car technology is improving, and the prices of the vehicles are dropping as it does.

Where will drivers be able to charge the cars? The U.S. Department of Energy is giving grants to pay for at least 10,000 charging stations around the nation.

GEARING UP

Private businesses are also gearing up. Richard Lowenthal is the head of Coulomb Technologies, a company in California. He says that his firm will install about 4,500 charging stations, mostly at office parks and homes. The stations are rectangular boxes about the size of a parking meter. Each has a plug and cord. The cost? About $3 per charge. "The typical car is parked 23 hours a day. You can charge it while you work and while you sleep," Lowenthal says.

1. Show evidence of a close reading on the page.

2. Write a ½ page reflection in your journal.

Possible journal topics:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars? Explain.

Would you be willing to buy an electric vehicle Car someday? Why? Why not?

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