Facts About High Speed Car Collision
Facts about High Speed Car Collision
High speed car chases, which ultimately end up in collision, are good to see in the movies. But when youre actually on it, either as driver or passenger, the party at fault or the victim, its not good to see at all.
The news
Just last month, the Los Angeles Daily News reported a man who ends up dead due to a high speed car collision in 405 Freeway. Witnesses said they saw the man drive at a high speed while weaving in and out of traffic. After the accident, the 52-year-old man had to be extracted from his vehicle. He died in the hospital.
Three more cars and an ambulance was reportedly involved in the collision which stretched across all southbound lanes. Four were injured, including a child.
High speed car collision recorded more severe damages to persons and property than collisions where slow moving or where moving and stationary vehicles are involved.
The risks
The study conducted by the US Federal Highway Administration reveals that the risk of crash is increased both for vehicles traveling slower than the average speed and for those traveling above the average speed.
The risk of injury was recorded to increase exponentially with speeds higher than the median speed. The severity of the injury depends on the vehicle speed change at impact.
The study also revealed that lower speed limits across states do not necessarily results to lower speeds of vehicles. And that most crashes related to speed involved high-speed for the conditions.
The common types
The common types of collision of two or more moving vehicles include frontal impacts, side impacts, rear impacts and rollovers.
Frontal impacts are hard to avoid during collision especially in freeways. Freeways are designed for high-speed travel and accidents in these roads are often fatal.
Side collision usually occurs at intersections, in parking lots, when vehicles pass on a multi-lane roadway or when a vehicle hits a stationary object.
Rear impacts often resulted from the untimely stop or decrease of speed of the first car. The following car impacts the first due to lack of time to decrease speed or apply the break.
Rollover crashes result when the vehicle tips over as it skids sideways. In the US, about 28,000 cases of rollover accidents happen every year. 10,000 people die while 24,000 people are ruinously injured.
The legal consequences
Countless of those involved in high-speed car collision can face unavoidable legal consequences. Most jurisdictions in the US require parties to stop at the scene of the accident to exchange insurance information and the likes. If the driver speeds off, he can face charges of hit and run even if he was not the party at fault.
Civil actions for damages and other criminal suit may also be filed following a high-speed car collision. Civil liability may be made the basis to claim for damages, loss of income, medical and hospital expenses, actual cost of the repair of the vehicle, pain and suffering, among others.
Recourse to law is always advised to avoid deceitful and meager settlement sums. These types of cases often involve complex principles of law and evidence that are better off dealt by professionals whose expertise include resolving every issues brought about by high-speed car collision.
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Top 5 Racing Cars of The Past
Auto Racing is the latest in technology and the dynamics of management. Aspects of skills of speed, acceleration, aerodynamics and resistance is a test for man and machine. The first racing cars built with what we have now is known as the simplest of technologies, but revolutionary then. As engineers and designers of the car was Dotta thin and elegant. Some great racing cars owe their existence to a certain degree of innovation.
Ford GT40
If your offer Ford of Ferrari shopping at the last moment, lost in the first artist for the link package, promised a “major as the Italian società di sport preview. Ford decided to set up his own sports car. The company came up with the beautiful Ford GT40. Ford and Ferrari are fighting hard, events, victory since 1966. 1966 was the GT40 Le Mans and 67, 68 and 69. Athlete’s resistance on the Ford GT40 was the first car to exceed 200 km/h. beat Ferrari in speed events. Le Mans and other races to win Ford to show v-8 engine typical traditional events in the world compete fairly for American cars in the race.
Matra-Simca MS670
When a French Sports car company announced solo Le Mans, which was essentially a French event of other Europeans, wish, formula one and Le Mans 1969, before winning the tournament. When the rules for FIA for cars of any engine sport prototype was the 3.0 l Matra limited option. Powered by Simca Matra V12 engine with an angle of 60 ° block, create two camshaft and four valves per cylinder, which has shown a high level. The car, but with a disappointing run in 1969. The company refined to make it more speed. The new car of 1970 was MS670 bar a barchetta body and a rear spoiler. The car won convincingly at Le Mans in 1970. Arriving at the idea of car enthusiasts and given the name of one of the biggest victory.
JAGUAR XJR SPORTSCARS-12
Jaguar has a long history of racing. Won the 1990 Le Mans 7 times in a row with the current. He was also the last British car to win at Le Mans. XJR SPORTSCARS-12 is installed with the same aspirations Wk22 XJR SPORTSCARS-9 was fitted. The rules that the FIA have relaxed and allowed Motorsports with exit and any number of cylinders must be but a minimum weight of 1000 kg, which embody the XJR SPORTSCARS-12 seems intelligent and balanced performance. The Group of four Jaguar was for the event in 1990. They were by Porsche and Nissan headquarters eventually managed to two Jaguars, the third in second place in the competition. Endurance sports racing cars in the more difficult conditions, for example, an event of the le Mans 24 hours.
Ferrari 250
This car-sized Ferrari race tour was the most beautiful ever took place. GTO is designed so it’s perfect balance and aerodynamic features. Dancer sports car, said racing fans. In his first tournament on the 250 GT of the Mille Miglia, 1952, he won and gave the best performance at Le Mans. GTO was named the dog at the top of the race. He won many competitions until 1964, until that behind the lines in the Daytona coupe was in exile.
Porsche 956
956 Is a remarkable drive Porsche holding some phenomenal record in competitive sport. New FIA rules, 1982 after so that the participants in a limited quantity of fuel per car for the race was created. 956 was a flat six engine Turbo aluminium and a new construction monocoque aluminium, novelty in motor racing. It has excellent aerodynamics, which gave her the seductive look. A significant change in fuel consumption, thanks to the technology generates 956 more than three times more Cargo aerodynamics as a Porsche 917. GAB is a 2.7 litre engine, Fort 620 HP performance. 956 had four consecutive wins in Le Mans from 1982 to 1986.
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Leave a commentTest Driving A Used Car
Test driving is almost the last step in buying a car. It is very important especially when you are going to buy a used car it will help you to feel the vehicle and find out some problems you could face with after the purchase. You should be 100% concentrated on a used car test drive remember it preparing to it, while the car is in park, before heading out, on the road and at the end of the drive. This article will show the main tips you should attract attention to while going from one stage to another in test driving a used car.
Preparing to the Test Drive
Make the test route a mixture of local streets, highways, and a big empty parking.
Dont let the owner direct the trip.
Dont take the family for test drive, better take someone who is in the decision-making process partner etc.
Bring car seats or booster seats to see if they fit to this car.
Negotiate how long the test drive could be, the minimum you need is a half-hour.
Ask for maintenance records.
Take a notepad or recorder. They will help you remember what you liked and disliked. Plus it can remind you what you want your mechanic to inspect.
While the Car Is in Park
Look for damages in the windshield or body wear.
Inspect the tires to see if they are properly set down.
Look at the trunk to see if it meets your needs
Examine the trunk for leaks.
Open the backseat to check out the pass-through to the trunk.
Take away any air fresheners that might mask scents.
Before the Departure
Try to feel for how easy it is to sit down and get out
See how easy it is to open / close doors
Test the steering wheel adjustments.
Make sure the seat are comfortable.
Look how easy all the controls are to understand and use.
Make sure the mirrors are easily adjustable.
Test the A/C and heat at their maximum levels.
Check all vents.
See how easily the car shifts among the different gears.
Start the car and see how much effort is needed to turn the key and remove it when shutting off the car.
On the Road
Hit the brakes – soft or squishy brake response should be checked out.
Check the steering there should be no play in the steering wheel.
Drive hands free in an empty parking – this will demonstrate how well the car is aligned.
Drive over a bumpy surface and see how the car responds it shouldnt wiggle.
Go parking in a busy place – it is good low-speed indicators of a vehicles visibility.
Keep a silence – listen for problems and also let the cars owner do all the talking.
End of the Drive
Ask when your mechanic can inspect the car.
Note down all potential problems to ask your mechanic about.
Rate the car from 1-5 stars to help you quickly sort among the cars you are choosing.
If any of these aspects of the test drive makes you feel uncomfortable better walk away and start searching for another used car in Ontario to buy.
Car accident claims and my previous immortality
Article by Simon Jacobs
With a rather scary birthday only a week away I’m starting to feel a little old and somewhat past it. My wonder years, the spring of my life and, apparently, the best days of my life, are over. Gone, never to return again.
I’m going to be twenty five. Twenty five. Oh dear.
“Still a wee bairn” my little old granny would say but I don’t feel it. I feel ancient and the aching legs that carry me to work on a Monday morning after a weekend spent chugging around a football pitch pay testament to the fact that I’m no longer the sprightly young thing of yesteryear.
Anyway, enough of my premature ramblings and on with what I was actually going to talk about; car accident claims.
So that’s where the getting old thing comes in.
With this terrible birthday just around the corner, the onset of old age has brought with it a realisation that I’m not actually invincible.
I used to be invincible. I used to be Action Man/Rambo/Super Ted incarnate and nothing could destroy me.
They were the days when me and my equally grubby little pals would gobble obscene quantities of tooth-rotting Wham Bars on the way home from school and would then, in an E number-induced fit of hyperactive nine-year-oldness, play chicken with the cars speeding past.
The thought of causing a car accident and receiving serious personal injuries was the last thing on my mind. I was probably more frightened of getting caught and having my skinny little legs whacked with a wooden spoon by my enraged mother but, with the E numbers pumping through my veins, I did it all the same.
Playing chicken was by no means the only death-defying thing that the young me would indulge in but it does demonstrate perfectly the fact that I believed I was immune from harm.
I did get a bit of a shock when a bone in my arm took exception to my toppling from the top of a tree and decided to snap in two, but superhuman powers soon returned following the removal of my much-graffitied cast and I didn’t look back.
Until now.
Now, not even in my most inebriated of states, can I see myself prancing about in the road in front of an oncoming car. Not because it would be a pointless thing to do and not because I’d probably get a thick ear from the bemused driver, but because I’d be frightened that the car wouldn’t stop and I’d end up as strawberry jam on the tarmac.
A road accident, personal injuries and an ensuing car accident compensation claim are probably very real possibilities so I think I’ll make sure I stick to the pavement on way back home this evening.
But all this invincibility isn’t so very far in the past.
I passed my driving test at seventeen and, unleashed onto the roads unaccompanied for the first time, I was, to put it politely, an eejit.
My chariot was a rusting, knackered-out old Metro with the power of forty one horses under the bonnet and a crazed teenager holding the reins. I gave that car some welly and, boy, didn’t anyone unfortunate enough to have ventured out onto the roads at the same time know about it.
How I managed to avoid causing a car accident back then is something of a miracle. My rev counter seemed to be permanently in the red and every junction in Hampshire must have had a bit of rubber from my tyres deposited on it.
One particularly stupid habit was my indulgence in a game created by a few friends who also possessed decidedly dodgy and dangerous cars – The 60mph Challenge. These friends were the aforementioned Wham Bar boys who had now grown up, in body if not in mind. Anyway, The 60mph Challenge was the vital culmination of any trip to do burnouts in the nearby supermarket car park or visit to McDonald’s to attach countless straws together to make an enormous prodding stick which could then be used from a distance to poke the unfortunate kid behind the counter.
So, The 60mph Challenge. This consisted of travelling along a certain stretch of road in our village and attempting to hit 60mph before reaching the national speed limit sign. Not such a hard task in itself, but then the stretch of road was only a hundred metres or so long and there was a roundabout in the middle of it.
My poor little Metro never did complete the challenge but, looking back, there were rather a few hairy moments as I attempted to tackle the roundabout at some crazy speed, more than once bouncing off a kerb and, with hubcaps flying through the air, nearly ending up embedded in a house.
No way would I try that now. As I said earlier, what an eejit.
When I look back at those years spent ragging that rusty old Metro around the streets, how I survived without causing a car crash is beyond me. If I tried half of that stuff now I’m sure I’d end up either six feet under or the subject of a costly car accident claim for compensation.
So that’s why, in my wise old age, I tut tut when I spot some spotty kid driving like a lunatic, speeding along country lanes and weaving in and out of the city traffic. I can see that they’re so close to causing a road accident and being on the receiving end of a car accident claim but why can’t they?
I guess I really am just getting old.
This article may be published on another website free of charge, on the condition that a link is provided from this article to our website: http://www.car-accident-claim.com/car-accident/latest-euro-ncap-car-accident-results.htm
Related Car Speed Tests Articles
Secrets of Passing A Driving Test
Article by Ian Smith
You may be just preparing for a driving test. It’s a nervous time for you and you really want to get that driving test pass certificate.
So here’s my 8 tips on how to pass a driving test:
1. Make sure that you are ready for your test.
You should be able to deal with any situation that comes up without any help. Ask yourself am I ready to go it alone or do I still need to be told what to do. Can you sit the driving test and pass it on your own?
2. Drive like a computer!
A computer doesn’t make mistakes. It does exactly what the programme it is running tells it to do. Your car will do exactly what you tell it to do so make sure that you have a systematic approach to your driving. Passing a driving test is easy, simply keep to the routines that you have learnt and the car will get through the problem safely.
3. Be alert.
Keep your eyes moving from side to side like a radar. The problem might not be in the road, it could be on the path or a side road. Expect the unexpected and as soon as you see a problem use your Mirror, Signal, then Maneuver until the problem has passed.
4. Use your gas
Don’t move off with just a high clutch, If you are nervous on the test your left foot will start to wobble and you will stall. This may prevent you from getting to pass your driving test. Practice setting the gas and using a lower clutch so if your foot wobbles you will still have the gas and not stall.
5. Get control of those around you.
Make sure that other road users know exactly what you are doing. If there is a problem ahead get your brake lights on and get control of the car behind. Make sure that they are looking at you by checking your mirrors. Miss looking at your mirror five times and you won’t pass your driving test.
6. Drive smoothly.
A smooth driver is able to take the car through any situation without being bumpy or jerky. This requires excellent observation skills and starting to change the cars speed early with gentle braking. When you start to brake, start softly and the gradually increase the pressure. Sudden movements of the pedals and steering wheel will give an uncomfortable ride.
7. Know your reversing skills.
You must be able to do all of the reversing exercises in your sleep. They take up only 3 minutes of the 40 minutes of the test but it is where the pressure is on so you must be able to do them all. Also practice `getting out of jail` by deliberately getting it wrong and working out how to get it back on track again.
Remember, if it is going wrong you are allowed to go back to the beginning and put the problem right. It is better getting a minor fault for going back than getting a serious fault for carrying on and getting into more problems. So are you ready to pass a driving test?
8. What does the examiner want to see?
In a nutshell he or she is looking for someone who is ready to be left on their own on the roads. Someone who has good driving skills, understands and follows the rules of the road and drives the car courteously, economically and smoothly.
The test is only 40 minutes long so you haven’t got that long to impress so right from the start you have to be on the ball and deliver the standard required. Leave them in no doubt that you are all of the above.
He or she has everything with them to give you that pass and it is only your driving that can take that pass away from you.
There you have it! The ‘secrets’ of how to pass a driving test. Read over this article again until you have it internalized. Remembering this rules will make passing a driving test a piece of cake.
The Worlds Most Expensive Cars
10. Porsche Carrera GT: 0,000
The Carrera GT is powered by a 5.7 litre V10 engine producing 612 DIN (605 SAE) horsepower (450 kW), whereas the original concept car featured a 5.5 litre version rated at 558 hp (416 kW). Porsche claims it will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds and has a maximum speed of 330 km/h (205 mph), although road tests indicated that in reality the car can accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds[5] and 0-100 mph (160 km/h) in 6.8[5] seconds, while 0-125 mph (201 km/h) in 9.9 seconds. -wikipedia.org
9. Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren Roadster: 5,000
The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren is an Anglo-German supercar jointly developed by Mercedes-Benz and McLaren Automotive, built in Portsmouth and the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, Surrey, England. At the time Mercedes-Benz owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group. Due to the presence of the automatic gear box, front mid-engined arrangement, and its driving characteristics, some commentators classify the SLR McLaren as a GT whose rivals would be vehicles like the Aston Martin DBS V12 and Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano. -wikipedia.org
8. Koenigsegg CCX: 5,568
The Koenigsegg CCX is a mid-engined roadster from Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg. The CCX has been engineered to comply with the U.S. regulation and market demands and is a newer design that replaced the Koenigsegg CCR. The CCX was first unveiled on February 28, 2006 at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show although its existence was announced earlier. A derivative known as the CCXR is available, the main difference being that CCXR’s engine is tuned to run on biofuel. The different fuel and tune allows the CCXR to produce 25% more power than the CCX. -wikipedia.org
7. Saleen S7 Twin Turbo:5,000
The Saleen S7 Twin Turbo is an updated revision of the original S7. Although the initial concept for the S7 incorporated twin-turbochargers, they were not used on the production car. The twin-turbocharged version later developed in 2005 went on sale for 5,296 USD (approx. GB£295,559, c.2007/€435,203, c.2007), replacing standard S7 production. The engine was upgraded with two Garrett turbochargers producing 5.5 psi (0.4 bar) of boost, increasing the maximum power to 750 horsepower (760 PS/559 kW) at 6300 rpm, and the maximum torque to 700 lb·ft (949 N•m) at 4800 rpm. The front and rear diffusers and the rear spoiler were also reworked to increase downforce by 60%. -wikipedia.org
6. SSC Ultimate Aero 4,400
The SSC Ultimate Aero is an American-built mid-engine supercar by Shelby SuperCars. Its higher-performance limited production version, the SSC Ultimate Aero TT, is the fastest production car in the world, with a recorded speed of 257 mph (413.60 km/h). This speed was achieved during tests on September 13, 2007 in West Richland, Washington, United States and verified by Guinness World Records on October 9, 2007. The SSC Ultimate Aero does not have electronic aids like ABS brakes or traction control. -wikipedia.org
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5. Pagani Zonda C12 F7,321
The Pagani Zonda is a mid-engined sports car produced by Pagani in Italy. It debuted in 1999 and continues through the present, with production proceeding at roughly 10 cars per year. As of June 2009, 106 Zondas had been built, considering also test mules. Both 2-seat coupe and convertible versions have been produced. Construction is mainly of carbon fiber. -wikipedia.org
4. Ferrari Enzo 0,000.
The Enzo Ferrari is a 12 cylinder mid-engine berlinetta named after the company’s founder, Enzo Ferrari. It is currently one of the most powerful naturally aspirated production cars.[citation needed] It was built in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre body, F1-style electrohydraulic shift transmission, and Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide (C/SiC) ceramic composite disc brakes. Also used are technologies not allowed in F1 such as active aerodynamics and traction control. After a downforce of 775 kg (1,709 lb) is reached at 355.6 km/h (221 mph) the rear wing is actuated by computer to maintain that downforce. -wikipedia.org
3. McLaren F1 0,000
The McLaren F1 is a sports car designed and manufactured by Gordon Murray and McLaren Automotive. On March 31, 1998, it set the record for the fastest production car in the world, 240 mph (391 km/h).[1] As of April 2009, the F1 is surpassed by only three other production cars in sheer top speed, but is still the fastest naturally aspirated production car. -wikipedia.org
2. Lamborghini Reventon ,600,000
The Lamborghini Reventón is a mid-engined sports car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. It ranks as one of the most powerful and expensive Lamborghini road cars to date, costing one million euros (US.5 million, or £858,000). The official press release stated that only 20 vehicles would be released to the public, with one additional car (marked as 0/20) produced for the Lamborghini Museum. Although early rumours indicated the total number would actually be 100, each Reventón is clearly stamped with its number in the sequence of 20 between the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
1. Bugatti Veyron ,700,000
The Bugatti Veyron EB 16.4 is the most recent version of a mid-engined full-sized grand tourer developed by the German car-manufacturer Volkswagen and produced by the Volkswagen-brand Bugatti Automobiles SAS at their headquarters in Château St. Jean in Molsheim (Alsace, France), and whose production and development is often credited to Ferdinand Karl Piech. It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti company. It was named “Car Of The Decade” by the BBC television programme Top Gear.
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He was released the fastest electric car in the world!
The fastest electric car in the world, it reaches the speed of 334 km / hour, has been launched! Vehicle environment, created by Shelby Supercars can accelerate to 100 km in just 2.5 seconds.
The machine has a system of two engines that produce 1,000 horsepower. Tesla Roadster, a car power sport, which was tested recently in the show Top Gear, produces only 250 horsepower.
According to Shelby, the batteries will be loaded in just ten minutes, thanks to an on-board called “Change on the Run”.
Once the batteries are loaded, Ultimate Aero EV will go between 241 km and 321 km.
The company hopes to begin pre-production vehicle, which has a box in three speed automatic, until June.
“Since I had the fastest car series in the world, we decided that the Ultimate Aero will be the perfect to show how green we are,” said a spokesman for the Shelby.
“Ultimate Aero EV not only be equal, but exceed the performance of machines with internal combustion”, the spokesman.
Although the first delivery of the car will take place later this year, the U.S. has not announced yet the price.
Ultimate Aero TT, with an engine-based fuel is the fastest car series in the world, with speeds of up to 413 km / hour. This speed was achieved during tests on 13 September 2007 in West Richland, USA, and were verified by Book of Records on October 9 2007.
www.speedandmotion.com It’s not mine. ;( Enjoy my Lamborghini video! Lamborghini’s top speed is: 219mph After when you have watched please comment and rate!
Importanceof Owning a Small Car
Those days are long gone, very long gone. Eight cylinders, 458cc engines are a thing of the past. Today people of all ages are trying to restore the balance of Nature; they are trying to be green and ecological. People want to buy and ride in small cars.
There are many options in the market and they continue to multiply as vehicle manufacturers start to see the benefits of having their own small, “green” cars. They are called green because they have less gas emissions than most of the cars built five or ten years ago. They are green because they do not run only on oil; some combine it with electricity or bio-diesel and many other fuels which are not fossil or contaminant.
Small cars are really not that small, in fact manufacturers have managed to make them comfortable to ride in. A small car today allows four adults to ride in it without a problem. The point of small cars is not really to cruise around town with all your friends; the point is to save fuel and to clean the air we breathe. This is why car manufacturers have invested fortunes and cleaning their cars and making them smaller. Soon everybody will drive a small car; they will not be able to afford a large one.
Read more articles
* Best new cars to test drive this spring
* Used Kia – Affordable Kia Cars
* FORD TO LAUNCH EIGHT NEW VEHICLES IN INDIA BY MID DECADE
* Ethanol fuel
New models have great advantages over the cars we are driving today, the first of them is parking space, and a small car fits anywhere and everywhere. The fact that they are small does not mean that they are not fast and efficient. In fact some of them will go as fast as and even faster than normal size cars using less gasoline and producing less pollution. That in itself is important and something to keep in mind. Their interior is the same as any larger car, they have air conditioning units and heaters and every other comfort found in the larger models.
There is no real reason why you should not own a fuel efficient small car, unless you are part of a family of twelve and then, you could buy three small cars to travel together or; just take the bus wherever you are going. Small cars are attractive, they look like race cars and their efficiency and starting speed makes them favourites to the new generation of green teenagers. When you see them on the street they are painted with vivid colours, they are extremely aerodynamic, they celebrate the Earth.
If you are planning to buy a car soon give some thought to our planet, it is the only one we have. Years and years of smog and pollution have almost destroyed it. Now is the time for us, for the people who live in it to nurse it back to life. When you buy a small hybrid or electric car, you are not sacrificing anything, maybe a little space, besides this it is a perfectly normal car. It will race and it will take you and your date or friends to wherever you want to go, near or far, this does not matter, they are built to last and to give you all the pleasure you want from them.
The only difference between a small car and the car you have now is that the small car will save hundreds of gallons of fossil fuel during its lifetime. It will save you hundreds of dollars too. It will decrease emissions into the atmosphere, emissions that are killing us day by day. For every conscious person that buys a small car there is an older polluting car that dies somewhere. Think about this and when the time comes, make the right choice, for your children and your children’s children.
Electric Cars: Range Anxiety? What Range Anxiety?
Is range anxiety really an issue or is it an urban myth. If we look at the sort of journeys we do and the distances we travel, it would seem that range anxiety is an urban myth. Research in the UK has shown that if we did all the activities we use a car for in one day, the average distance travelled would be a little over 46 miles. Car manufacturers are producing electric vehicles (EVs) that are able to go approximately 100 miles on one charge so what’s the problem?
The urban myth of range anxiety
Range anxiety is the idea that we will run out of battery power before reaching our destination and be stranded without the ability to recharge the battery quickly to get going again. Dealing with range anxiety is about planning recharging stops when necessary just like planning to refuel a conventional car.
In 2011 there are about 350 public charging points in the UK, which means recharging an EV requires good forward planning. Fortunately, planning our charging stops will become easier as thousands more charging points are installed over the next few years. Charging points will be located in car parks, on-street parking areas and may take over old petrol stations as they close. One big advantage is that they are easy to put in place. They occupy a small fraction of street space and can be connected easily to a nearby electricty supply. In fact any building with an electricity supply could be a charging point.
Another issue that adds to the anxiety is the time taken to recharge the battery compared with refuelling a conventional car. Recharging an EV may take ten hours and only get you another 100 miles down the road. Refuelling a conventional car takes minutes and will get you several hundred miles down the road. Car manufacturers are dealing with this issue by providing quick charging options that can recharge the battery to 80% of its capacity in 30 minutes. In addition, if you don’t want to wait that long, there will be battery replacement centres that can automatically change the battery with a fully charged one in about three minutes.
Type of journey and distance travelled
Will we really need to plan our recharging stops in detail every day? Probably not. Research by the UK Department of Transport in their annual report on Transport Trends (2009) shows that for certain activities the average distances travelled by car are:
Shopping: 4.4 miles
Work: 8.6 miles
Education: 3.3 miles
Leisure: 9.1 miles
Business: 20.8 miles
When added together they give a total of 46.2 miles.
The mileage shifts between activities because we may not do them all in one day. For example, there may be more business miles, but no leisure miles. But even if we did all the activities it would still, on average, be within the 100 mile range of most EVs available today.
Type of driving
The type of driving we do is an important factor in the range we may get from an EV. A stop/start urban journey is better because the EV uses regenerative braking to help charge the battery. The range may be less on a longer journey with less braking and higher speeds such as on a motorway. Going uphill uses more power and may reduce the range whereas going downhill uses regenerative braking to help charge the battery. In addition, the range may be less if any ancillary equipment such as air con, lights or radio are used.
Electric car examples and their ranges
Listed below are some examples of EVs and their ranges. It shows that car manufacturers are hitting the 100 mile range according to New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test.
Citroen c-zero, europeanised Mitsubishi iMiev: 93 miles
Mitsubishi iMiev: 93 miles
Nissan Leaf: 109 miles
Peugeot Ion, europeanised Mitsubishi iMiev: 93 miles
Renault Zoe: 100 miles (expected)
Smart Fourtwo: 84 miles (100 miles at 30mph)
Tata Vista: 125-150 miles (expected)
The NEDC test is designed to represent typical vehicle use in Europe. It’s made up of 4 urban or ECE-15 cycles and an extra-urban or EUDC cycle. Each urban cycle is a 2.518 mile journey with an average speed of 11.6 mph (18.7 kph) and a maximum speed of 31 mph (50 kph) over a 195 second period. The extra-urban cycle is used for 400 seconds once all urban cycles are complete and has an average speed of 30 mph (62.6 kph) and a maximum speed of 74.6 mph (120 kph). The test time is a little over 19 minutes is performed on a rolling road test bed with a cold engine and all equipment such as air con, lights, heated windows etc…, turned off.
In time battery technology will improve and will give EVs the same or greater range as a conventional cars. Then we really will be saying, “Range anxiety? What range anxiety?”