The popularity of electric

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Introduction

The popularity of electric cars has been increasing tremendously in the recent times. These are similar to the conventional, hybrid cars only that they incorporate batteries, which may be used instead of gasoline (http://www.iags.org/pih.htm). These cars run on stored energy for the better part of a typical day’s driving subject to the battery’s size. However, as much as these cars have become relatively popular they have yet to be incorporated intensively in many countries, thanks to varied bottlenecks. It is worth noting that the intake of these vehicles has mainly been hindered by the mileage or limited ranges, cost, as well as the weight of the batteries. However, the range of these cars can always be enhanced by adding the battery packs. In addition, as much as the battery costs may be high it is worth noting that the plug-in hybrid electric vehicles may have the capacity to repay their costs in a few years’ time (http://www.nrel.gov/vehiclesandfuels/hev/plugins.html). This, therefore, means that the marketing strategies have been inappropriate otherwise the intake of the cars would have been higher than it is today.

According to a research dubbed the 2012 Car Brand Perception Survey, 87% of consumers are worried about the range limitations. Significant concerns are also raised as to the safety of these vehicles especially after the Chevrolet Volt Fires. However, this research revealed that most consumers are misinformed about the safety of these cars thereby overestimating the risks (http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/01/survey-consumers-express-concerns-about-electric-plug-in-hybrid-cars.html). Out of the individuals worried about safety, 42% are concerned about the risk of fire during charging, 40% on pedestrian safety thanks to the silent operation. Most of the people worried about postcrash fires have their concerns tied to the Chevrolet Volt Fire Incident. However, NHTSA is unaware of any crashes that led to battery-related fires involving electric vehicles (http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2012/01/survey-consumers-express-concerns-about-electric-plug-in-hybrid-cars.html).

Graph on production and projected sales of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

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