- Nikolaus Otto effectively invented the internal combustion engine as we know it today in 1862. Electric cars were first experimented with by Hungarian Anyos Jedik in 1828.
- Fossil fuels are the remnants of once-living organisms that have settled into large deposits and broken down into hydrocarbons. Electricity can be generated by a number of means, including fossil fuels.
- According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, fossil fuel-burning engines emit a variety of gasses, including carbon dioxides, oxides of nitrogen, and carbon monoxide. Electric vehicles produce no emissions in operation.
- One ongoing debate about electric-powered cars is the source of the electricity itself. Although the vehicles themselves produce no emissions, the power stations they draw electricity from are often either nuclear-powered or coal-powered.
- Fossils fuels may eventually be replaced by biofuels like cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel. Plug-in electric cars have limited range between charges, and will need to carry on-board power generators (fuel cells) to have any future at all.
previous post