icon caret-left icon caret-right instagram pinterest linkedin facebook twitter goodreads question-circle facebook circle twitter circle linkedin circle instagram circle goodreads circle pinterest circle

Driving on sunlight.

I do it every day.

Forget climate change, for the moment. Forget fracking and smog. Forget the ridiculously low fuel costs, and the non-existent oil changes, and the elimination of just about every conceivable money-sink of a part or service – timing belts, rings, head gaskets, spark plugs, valves, fuel injectors, fuel filters, air filters, mufflers, transmissions – you name it – that your gasoline-powered chariot requires. Forget the oddly satisfying sensation you get by driving right past every single gas station in sight and refueling your car simply by pulling into your garage and plugging in. Forget all of that. The dirty little secret that the oil companies really don't want you to know about electric cars is that electric cars are fun.

 

A gasoline engine's torque depends on its speed – faster rotations mean higher torque. An electric motor has all of its torque available right from its first revolution. This simple, technical-sounding difference gives electric cars a huge advantage. They are quicker on their feet than gasoline cars are, or ever can be. They respond instantly to the pedal. That strong, smooth rush of power, at the precise time and amount you ask for it, is intoxicating and addictive. Electric cars also handle better, due to their extremely low centers of gravity – much of their weight is in the batteries, which are at the bottom of the car – and they are blissfully, uncannily, quiet and clean and odor-free. Very few people who experience electric driving ever want to go back.

 

And then, there's this. You can't generate your own gasoline, but you can generate your own electricity. I have solar panels on my roof. This means that, as long as the sun is shining when I recharge, I am literally driving my car on sunlight. And sunight is free.

Find out more about electric driving on my other website:
https://drivingonsunlight.net/