By: Johan Young

Do you know how many types of vehicles there are in all? Since the creation of the first crude automobile, several models and types have been created to suit the needs of people. These were developed in order to provide a safe, efficient and economical means of transportation. Some are built for luxury, others for practicality and some for environmental purposes.

Cruder Forms

Vehicles were first made thousands of years ago. The earliest forms of vehicles were actually living things like horses, elephants and camels. With the invention of the wheel around 3000 B.C., chariots, carts and horse-drawn carriages came into existence. The wheel has certainly paved the way for modern transportation as it is still very much present today.

Cycles were created around the 19th century which comes in many forms. Bicycles are one of the most common types of vehicles available today. There are also tricycles, quadricycles and unicycles. These vehicles mainly use a chain that goes around the wheels for propulsion. Cycling is a very important action in order to keep the transportation balanced. Later on, motorcycles were invented which incorporated a motor engine instead of manual pedals.

Origin of Alternate Fuel Sources

Electric vehicles or EVs were invented in the 1830 which uses one or more electric motors. The rotary or linear motors propel the vehicle through the wheels. Linear motors are used by tracked vehicles such as trains and MRTs. There are several sources of energy used to move the vehicle like an on-board RESS or rechargeable energy storage system, batteries, on-board super capacitors and direct connection to energy-generating plants. Fuel cells and nuclear energy have also shown to be very viable in propelling vehicles.

Steam engines are another alternate fuel source which uses an external combustion engine or ECE. ECEs are less efficient compared to ICEs but proper configurations can be made for the fuel burner in order to emit very low amounts of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and other harmful gases making it environmentally friendly in the process. Steam cars do have a problem when starting from cold leading to the development of flash boilers.

The Automobile

Automobiles are the most common type of vehicle. The majority of automobiles today are powered by gasoline or diesel engines. Automobiles use an internal combustion engine or ICE which can be highly polluting due to the constant burning of harmful gases. This type of vehicle has shown to be very powerful, convenient and aesthetic as well making it the most popular of all time.

Gasoline engine vehicles are lighter and able to work at optimum rotational speeds. The invention of the electric starter has boosted its popularity beating steam and electric cars in the process. Carburetor and fuel injection are some of the most useful discoveries in enhancing automobile performance.

There are various innovations in the engine allowing exhaust gases to be less harmful. Others combine efforts to minimize the greenhouse effect by reducing emissions to zero. Gasoline engines are capable of running with different ethanol concentrations. Some may run on 15%, 85% or even 100% ethanol. Fuel burn efficiency of gasoline engine vehicles are around 27%.

Diesel engine vehicles are more cost-effective compared to gasoline engine ones because of their 50% fuel burn efficiency. However, power and performance is also compromised due to less concentration of fuel. Diesel also releases exhaust gases into the atmosphere from soot particles. 100% biodiesel has been developed to improve the downside of these vehicles.

Other Transports

A train is a series of vehicles moving along a guided track or rail. A separate locomotive provides power to propel the entire train. Diesel or electricity is the usual energy source of trains while older versions were dominantly powered by steam engines. There are special kinds of trains with special tracks like rubber-tired underground, high-speed and monorails. Some trains can have more than one locomotive or coach.

A road train has a prime mover pulling one or more trailers. Trucks are the simpler version of this. Since the weight and maneuverability are a challenge, these vehicles often require several wheels for more control. Speed should also be watched meticulously to make travel as safe as possible. Diesel engines usually power big heavy trucks and road trains for fuel efficiency and power.

Other unique types of vehicles are amphibious vehicles and snowmobiles. Amphibians can run on both land and water making them very versatile. There are amphibious bicycles, cars, trucks and ATVs developed for passenger and official use.

The advantages provided by amphibians made them very useful for military operations. Snowmobiles are propelled by a built-in track made of Kevlar composite or rubber in order to effectively move through snow. These are also powered by a motor engine that consumes gas for fuel. Tanks use the same mechanism as snowmobiles by running on steel tracks.

Please check out my other pages on hybrid electric car, hybrid car tax, best hybrid car, hybrid SUV, and electric car conversion for further information.

By: Johan Young

To start something new, think of the benefits we get from the change, then we can start the changes with confidence. Similarly when we want to change our gasoline to electric car, think the benefits can be obtained from the change.

Think about the amount of money you are able to save if you convert the fuel powered car you own into an electric car. Your gasoline expenses will be considerably reduced once you have converted your car. Converting a car from gas powered to electric requires a small technical familiarity, patience and enthusiasm to work hard so you could get your first electric car running in no time.

As we know, electric and hybrid vehicle have shown to be very promising in reducing the greenhouse effect. Pollution will be minimized greatly if more and more people will start relying on these newer models which do not emit any harmful gases at all. Therefore when we start to conversion our car to electric, you do not just save money but also a great deal of mental satisfaction resulting from of zero emission electric cars. You know for yourself that you are not contributing to the pollution of the environment when you drive one of these electric cars.

You do not need to buy a new car to start it, you can trying to convert your car to an electric. Your previously driven fueled car can easily be converted to an electric car with no tremendous effort.

But if you are not well versed with the inner workings of an automobile, it is not recommended for you to start your own electric conversion. Most of the work will involve electrical wiring and machine tooling. Since some of the components are not available off the shelves, certain important parts have to be custom made. In this case, a better solution is to outsource the whole conversion process to a professional mechanic. This will save you a lot of time and headache.

Get some electric vehicle knowledge before you start to convert your car to electric or to send your gasoline driven to a professional workshop to be conversion. There are many electric vehicle conversion eBooks on the web. You much to reach electric car conversion kits as a guide and tips.

Check out my other pages on hybrid 2007, electric truck, best hybrid, vehicles models, series hybrid, hybrid news, and hybrid fuel.

By: Johan Young

hybrid fuel

Rated to run from 20 mpg to 60 mpg, hybrid cars are designed for maximum fuel economy. But aside from its second source of power, what other factors can influence gas mileage? Here are those factors,

Size of the engine. It is quite ironic that the more powerful your engine is, the larger and heavier it becomes. So much of the additional power will be used just to carry the extra weight of the engine. Hybrid fuel solves it by putting a small engine with an electric motor. Moreover, small engine has small cylinders that consume less fuel both at stop and while cruising. This makes hybrid fuel more efficient. Hybrid car engines are smaller and are significantly lighter, thus reducing the total weight of the car.

Driving condition (with respect to the hybrid car’s internal structure). A hybrid car can either be parallel or series. With a parallel drive train, the car runs more fuel efficient on the highway. Series hybrids on the other hand work well in stop-and-go traffic.

Car Design/Aerodynamics. When driving at high speeds, the car’s engine works more because it has to push the car through the air. This is called aerodynamic drag. And the faster the car is, the greater the aerodynamic drag it has to overcome. Hybrid cars work well both at slow and high speed because it’s design to cut through air that reduces the drag, thus increasing hybrid fuel economy. Low-rolling resistance tires, which are stiffer and inflated to higher pressure can further cut the drag and increase the fuel mileage of the car.

Vehicle Weight. When the car is heavy, the engine has to inject more hybrid fuel to the cylinder in order to push it forward. So in order to increase fuel economy, hybrid cars are made with lighter materials such as magnesium and aluminum or composite materials like carbon fiber.

Driving habits. Whether you are driving a hybrid or not, driving habits can definitely influence the gas mileage of your car. Hard braking and abrupt acceleration wastes a lot of energy. Even if your hybrid fuel has the regenerative braking system, the maximum amount of energy cannot be recaptured back to your battery. Abrupt acceleration on the other hand requires more power from both the electric motor and the combustion engine which equates to more hybrid fuel consumption.  To increase gas mileage, anticipate braking distance, step on the brake softly, and accelerate gently.

Join the Electric Vehicle Association

By: Johan Young

electric vehicle association

The electric vehicle association is a non profit organization in education area. Electric vehicle association  was formed in 1980 as a chapter of the nationwide Electric Auto Association (EAA), and holds regular monthly meetings, public displays, car shows and “tech” sessions to exchange information.

The goal of electric vehicle association is to act as a source of information for the membership, to encourage experimentation in the building of electric vehicles, to promote and organize public exhibits of electric vehicles built by members and others for the purpose of informing the public on the progress of electric vehicle technology and conducting public opinion polls, and to use all media, such as newsletters, web sites, information packages, and other paper and electronic media designed to inform the public and promote the cause of electric vehicles.

These vehicles are seemingly to be an alternative for the conventional ones. No emissions on the tailpipe from such vehicles. They are clean and environmental friendly.

The mission of electric vehicle association is to place itself as a public information source on the advancement in technology of electric vehicles. Electric vehicle association is also an exhibitor and event organizer on electric vehicles to let the society well informed and well educated on each progress and benefits ever made in electric vehicles technology.

If you are an electric vehicle owner, you could join the electric vehicle association to keep you informed on every newest advancement on electric vehicle technology

The electric vehicle association of Greater Washington, D.C. has a lot of members with a wide range of occupations such as educators, hobbyists, electric vehicle owners who dedicated themselves in actively supporting its purpose and mission. Many of electric vehicle association members even do not have an electric vehicle, yet, they do attend the meetings to educate themselves on electric vehicle technology as well as to keep them well informed.

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