Frequently Asked Questions about electric cars - Optimal Energy
What is the difference between an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle and a plug–in hybrid vehicle?
An electric vehicle (EV) has an electric drive system only and is powered by its batteries. A hybrid vehicle has both a fuel (usually petrol/gasoline) burning engine and an electric motor with a small battery that gets charged by the engine. A plug-in hybrid vehicle is similar to a conventional hybrid, but has a bigger battery that can also be recharged by plugging into the electric grid.
What drawbacks do electric cars have?
None, really. Electric vehicles are usually criticised for being slower than their petrol or diesel counterparts. Joule is indeed designed as an urban vehicle. But with a top speed of 135km per hour this criticism is groundless. Furthermore, 99% of city users never travel more than 150km per day while Joule has the capacity to travel within a nominal 300km range.
Are there any incentives for driving an electric vehicle?
Yes. In many parts of the world such incentives are being put in place, particularly in Europe, the UK, the US and C40 cities. California, France, London, Japan, Mexico City and Spain are a few particular examples. For Europe, the Avere website (www.avere.org) gives up–to–date incentive information.
Will electric vehicles have a different registration and licensing process?
Licensing and registration requirements of electric vehicles are the same as for petrol and diesel vehicles.