After hearing about them for years, the time has come for two of the largest auto manufacturers to begin rolling out electric cars. Nissan and General Motors are ready to introduce plug-ins by the end of 2010, and several other automakers, including Toyota and Ford, have announced plans to launch electric cars in 2011.
Now I know electric cars are eco-friendly and budget-friendly, as they eliminate the cost of fuel, but I must admit the idea scares me. I was the proud owner of an electric Barbie car as a child, and I still have vivid memories of waiting hours for my car to charge, only to have it run for 30 minutes and leave me stranded on the sidewalk. So when I heard that we would be seeing plug-ins before the end of the year, I decided to do some research to answer some FAQ and ease my fears.
1. How far can you travel before charges?
Depends on the car, but the range is 50 to over 200 miles. The Nissan Leaf will be able to travel up to 100 miles when fully charged.
2. How long will it take to charge?
Rapid charging can charge a battery in 30 minutes. However, the Nissan Leaf will take up to 8 hours to fully charge a dead battery.
3. Where do you charge?
Currently, electric owners are expected to do 80% of charging at home, especially overnight. There are public charging stations in some parking garages and shopping centers. Soon Charging systems will be installed in Best Buy parking lots, and BP and ARCO stations. The Obama Administration has set a goal to have 20,000 charging stations installed nationwide by 2012.
4. What kind of special maintenance do electric cars require?
Electric cars do not require oil changes or tune-ups, and they have 1/10 as many parts as gas cars, so maintenance is relatively easy. The battery will need to be checked often, and may need to be watered. The connections will need to be kept clean and tight, and tires checked.
5. How fast can electric cars travel?
Depends on the car, but most can reach 55-65 mph and some may reach 85-90 mph
Friday, October 29, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Winterizing Your Car
As the leaves start to change color and fall to the ground those of us in the north take that as a sign that winter is on its way; and with winter comes snow, ice and salty roads. It's time to winterize your car. Below are a few tips to help your car make it through another long, cold winter.
1.Take your car to the mechanic. Have them check out the battery, antifreeze level, thermostat, heater, brakes and defroster. If there is something wrong have them go ahead and fix it. You don't want to end up stranded on the side of the road because your battery dies.
2.Check the tread on your tires. If your tires don't have adequate tread they will have trouble getting through the ice, snow and sludge. If you need new tires consider snow tires which have a tread equipped for getting through the snow and ice.
3.Replace your windshield wiper fluid with one that is made to spray in freezing conditions. Also consider replacing your windshield wiper blades with ones made to cut through snow and ice.
4.Once you start driving on the salty, icy roads rinse the undercarriage of your car often. The salt can cause corrosion and rust to the undercarriage which can harm the integrity of the car. If you get a chance wash your car well and give it a fresh coat of wax.
1.Take your car to the mechanic. Have them check out the battery, antifreeze level, thermostat, heater, brakes and defroster. If there is something wrong have them go ahead and fix it. You don't want to end up stranded on the side of the road because your battery dies.
2.Check the tread on your tires. If your tires don't have adequate tread they will have trouble getting through the ice, snow and sludge. If you need new tires consider snow tires which have a tread equipped for getting through the snow and ice.
3.Replace your windshield wiper fluid with one that is made to spray in freezing conditions. Also consider replacing your windshield wiper blades with ones made to cut through snow and ice.
4.Once you start driving on the salty, icy roads rinse the undercarriage of your car often. The salt can cause corrosion and rust to the undercarriage which can harm the integrity of the car. If you get a chance wash your car well and give it a fresh coat of wax.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
CarLocate Celebrates its 1st Birthday
Just last week CarLocate.com celebrated their 1st year of helping consumers “shop smart” for their next new or used car, and to go along with this celebration they also added a few enhancements to the site to make the “shopping” even easier for the consumer.
Most of the added enhancements are features that will allow the “shopper” to have a more refined search based on their basic criteria. On the Car Research and vehicle detail pages consumers will see a list of similar vehicles to the one they are researching that are within their search criteria and area. The maximum search distance for a vehicle has also been expanded to nationwide to help the “shopper” more quickly and easily find the exact vehicle they are looking for.
These enhancements will help improve the shoppers vehicle search results and put more car choices at their “fingertips so that they can search more quickly and efficiently for their next new or used car.”
Happy Birthday CarLocate.com!
Most of the added enhancements are features that will allow the “shopper” to have a more refined search based on their basic criteria. On the Car Research and vehicle detail pages consumers will see a list of similar vehicles to the one they are researching that are within their search criteria and area. The maximum search distance for a vehicle has also been expanded to nationwide to help the “shopper” more quickly and easily find the exact vehicle they are looking for.
These enhancements will help improve the shoppers vehicle search results and put more car choices at their “fingertips so that they can search more quickly and efficiently for their next new or used car.”
Happy Birthday CarLocate.com!
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