In the 21st century, environmental pollution became an important issue in the world, and a business atmosphere has been created that considers environmental aspects, not just economic aspects. In particular, the automobile market which is the main source of emissions has become competitive. The government has made a policy about encouraging people to purchase electric cars and the number of electric car charging stations has increased. Thus, the Pharos will provide some information about electric cars and inform recent trends regarding electric cars.

Electric cars are eco-friendly cars powered only by electricity, using the principle of generating drive power by supplying electric energy made from high voltage batteries to electric motors. There is no noise and exhaust gas because electric cars don’t use fossil fuels. One fact that most people don’t know is that the electric car was invented before the gasoline car in 1873. However, the electric car was not put into practical use due to the heavy weight of batteries and the time it takes to charge the batteries. As environmental pollution and resource shortages became serious, automakers around the world began to compete for developing new electric cars in the 1990s. Electric cars are not only eco-frendly but also economical compared to other fuels. Also the life of electric cars is relatively long and there is little danger of explosions. Plus, driving manipulation is easy because there is no need to change gears shift. According to the Korea Car Industry Association, 22,267 electric car were supplied in the first half of this year. This is 23% more than last year and is evidence that the number of electric cars is increasing. When you buy an electric car, you can receive eco-friendly car subsidies. Based on passenger cars this year, the government subsidy is from 6,160,000 to 8,200,000 and local government subsidy is from 4,000,000 to 10,000,000. So, you can receive up to 18,200,000. Considering the environmental, economic and industrial aspects, electric cars are becoming supplied at the national level. Also, the Ministry of Environment started operating an electric charge station supporting team to supply stable electricity for electric cars.

If you are interested in electric cars, you should know some precautions about electric charging. Most people who buy electric cars may have questions about whether it's possible to charge outdoors on a rainy day or not. This comes from our fixed idea that electricity and water is a cause of electric shock. What about with electric cars? While you can charge in the rain, you had better not. When you charge an electric car, the connector and socket of car is in perforated form. So, if the connector connects to the socket, there is a risk of electric shock no matter how good the insulation is. Most experts said when there is thunder and lightning, you must not charge outdoors. Besides water, there are other precautions. You should consider electric residual quantity. In order to safely drive with only 30km left, you should charge in advance. You can check for electric charge stations on your smart phone map. And you must not turn on the electric station charger power by force when the charger power is de-energized. Do not forcefully disconnect plugs and sockets while charging, and if you want to stop charging, push the charge cancel button and stop charging with your user card. It is important for you to understand the process of separating the plug from the socket. Don’t forget to close the socket of the car after you charge. Additionally, you should consider the stability of electricity demand. In summer, from 1:00pm~5:00pm is not a good charging time. In winter, 11:00am~noon and 6:00pm~7:00pm are not good for charging either. All of the above precautions are very important. However, the most important precaution is to put on insulating gloves whenever you charge.

There are also some misunderstanding about electric cars. The first misconception is that electric cars are not safe. Many people worry that the battery of electric cars may cause a fire or explosion in the event of a crash. According to NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in America, the frequency and degree of fires and explosions in lithium-ion battery systems in electric cars were found to be similar or slightly lower than in the case of gasoline or diesel engines. The second myth is that electric cars are not very eco-friendly. Electric cars supply 75% of chemical energy which is in the battery. On the other hand, the thermal efficiency of gasoline car is 20%. In addition, electric cars don’t emit exhaust gas and pollutants. Some people said power plants which produce electricity for electric cars still pollutes the environment. However, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, it has been concluded that electric cars produce less pollution than gasoline cars throughout the United States. The third myth is that electric cars have a high cost of maintenance and repair. The car which has internal combustion engine requires a spark plug, engine oil. fuel tank and fuel pump because internal combustion engines use oil. On the other hand, electric cars have relatively few parts. Also, electric cars are simple in composition and have significantly fewer worn parts. The last is a misunderstanding about electromagnetic waves from electric cars. Many people are concerned that electromagnetic waves from electric cars are harmful for the body, but electromagnetic waves from electric cars are minor and do not affect the human body. In fact, electromagnetic waves from electric cars while stoping, driving and charging are similar to the electric lights or TV that we commonly use at home.

Recently, the electric car market has been growing rapidly. Sports cars and super cars are being produced in the form of electric cars to meet various consumer’s tastes. If you hesitate to buy a car, why don’t you consider an electric car which has both advantages environmental and economic advantages? 

74thReporter•LEEJOOHAENG•silkyshine@naver.com 

74th Reporter•KIM GANGTAEK•rkdxor753@naver.com