Best rated electric cars tips and energy technology in Texas from Daniel Sumanth: There’s more pressure than ever to consider an electric car – not just through rising fuel costs and concerns around road pricing and city-centre emissions zones. Culturally owning an electric car is becoming a more mainstream way of signalling affluence, environmental responsibility and awareness. There’s even a counter-cultural reaction from fans of petrol and diesel familiarity. The reality is that the best electric cars provide a perfectly sensible means of transport for most drivers and their families, once new habits are learned. Find additional info on Daniel Sumanth Texas
If your average daily mileage exceeds the range of your electric car, we’d advise you to think twice, but the occasional longer trip should be perfectly manageable. As the technology improves and the average range of electric cars grows, more and more people will find that they could live quite happily with an electric car. The list prices of electric cars can look expensive compared to equivalent petrol or diesel models, even when the Government’s plug-in car grant has been applied, but looks are very likely to be deceiving. List prices are just one part of the cost of vehicle ownership and the overall cost becomes much more palatable when you factor-in the relatively low running costs of EVs – often around 60% of those of a similar petrol model depending on usage patterns. As a general rule, charging an electric car is far cheaper than fueling a petrol or diesel one – even if you use more expensive public charging points.
Solar energy systems generally don’t require a lot of maintenance. You only need to keep them relatively clean, so cleaning them a couple of times per year will do the job. If in doubt, you can always rely on specialised cleaning companies, which offer this service from around £25-£35. Most reliable solar panel manufacturers offer 20-25 years warranty. Also, as there are no moving parts, there is no wear and tear. The inverter is usually the only part that needs to changed after 5-10 years because it is continuously working to convert solar energy into electricity (solar PV) and heat (solar thermal). Apart from the inverter, the cables also need maintenance to ensure your solar power system runs at maximum efficiency. So, after covering the initial cost of the solar system, you can expect very little spending on maintenance and repair work.
Starting at just under £37,000, the Ioniq 5 features a superb infotainment system and generous standard kit, while the available space has to be seen to be believed. It’s comfortable, too, so you’ll relish the chance of racking up the miles. We certainly did, which is why we named the Hyundai Ioniq 5 our Car of the Year for 2021. The Kia EV6 is the sister vehicle to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, so it’s a great pick if you love that model’s technology, but aren’t quite as sold on its retro-futuristic looks. The EV6 is arguably the more conventional of the two, and it’s a bit lower and more sporting. This is reflected in its handling, with slightly firmer suspension offering sharper responses. It’s offered in Long Range RWD, Long Range AWD and a high-performance GT version, and the entry-level version is our favourite. It not only offers the best range figure of up to 328 miles from its 77.4kWh battery, but we also found its 7.2-second 0-62mph time to be quick enough.
Although pollution related to solar energy systems is far less compared to other sources of energy, solar energy can be associated with pollution. Transportation and installation of solar systems have been associated with the emission of greenhouse gases. There are also some toxic materials and hazardous products used during the manufacturing process of solar photovoltaics, which can indirectly affect the environment. Nevertheless, solar energy pollutes far less than other alternative energy sources.
It’s pretty common to underestimate your generator size requirements. Why? because the generator size impacts the price. You’re probably trying to save money. And no one wants to pay more than they have to. Yet Underestimating your required generator size is a problem. It could lead to overloading. And overloading can lead to unexpected costs for generator repairs, and will eventually cause the generator to wear out much faster. Conversely, oversizing your needs can also be detrimental due to poor operating levels. This just wastes fuel and substantially increases the operating costs.
The Mustang Mach-E is Ford’s first proper effort at a purpose-built electric car: designed to take on Tesla and beat it at its own game. It drives well enough to justify the Mustang badge, but at the same time it’s no hardcore sports car: it’s large and practical enough to fulfil the family SUV brief with ease. A variety of models are offered, with driving ranges from 249 to 379 miles, either rear or four-wheel drive and significant rapid-charging capability. But if you want more, there’s a high-performance GT model available now, too. Read our full review to find out more, and make sure to check out our head-to-head twin test between the Mach-E and the Tesla Model 3 here.
Almost as useful as solar batteries can be electric cars and vehicles – of any size. From the lawn mower to grandpa’s (or the friendly neighbour’s) electric wheel chair to pedelecs (e-bicycles) and e-scooters for the family. All of these contain lithium batteries which can conveniently be charged with solar electricity. Ultimately, there is the small electric car that can be used to go shopping, for short trips or to commute to work. For it is especially such frequent short trips that use up a lot of the fuel budget of conventional cars. To charge up an electric car, you need a wallbox charging point next to or inside your garage or in your carport. Which, of course, has been covered in high-performance solar panels. It is recommended to get a three-phase charging system capable of producing a decent output at short notice.