Electric Cars
General Purpose: To inform
Specific Purpose: To inform the audience about electric and hybrid cars
Central Idea: Electric and hybrid cars are very efficient in various aspects; however they remain understated/under-used in much of society today.
Introduction:
How many of you personally own or know someone who owns an electric or hybrid car?
Electric vehicles utilize a battery to store electrical energy, whereas a gas-powered vehicle would use gasoline to power the engine.
Electric vehicles have been prevalent since the 1880’s, but they are recently becoming more popular due to the rise of gasoline prices and the overall negative effects of gas-powered vehicles.
Another popular version of an electric vehicle in the world today is known as the hybrid. The hybrid can use both gasoline and electrical energy to function, thus making it a very efficient and versatile variant.
Electric and hybrid cars also prove to be healthier for the environment and can cut down expenses in the long run.
Although Electric and hybrid vehicles have numerous benefits in the working society today, they are still underestimated and not taken advantage of.
(Transition): To begin, I would like to explain the basics of electric vehicles.
Body:
Electric cars utilize batteries. These batteries are charged by plugging the vehicle into an electric source.
Because electric cars use charged batteries to operate, they are independent of gasoline. Therefore, they dramatically reduce gasoline consumption.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, all electric vehicles are “zero-emission vehicles because they produce no direct exhaust” or emissions.
(Transition): Keeping these points in mind, we can now look at the efficiency of electric vehicles after they are charged.
Most electric car owners charge their vehicle as often as they can, especially during the night time.
Charging times vary on the vehicle itself and the voltage that is charging up the battery.
A full charged battery usually can last up to 100 miles, which according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, is sufficient for more than “90% of all household vehicle trips”.
(Transition): Now let’s consider the financial differences in owning an electric or hybrid car over a gas-powered one.
Because they are independent of gasoline, electric cars save a lot of money in the long run for its owners.
Even hybrids save a significant amount of money, compared to full gas-powered vehicles. The Union of Concerned Scientists have completed a study showing the yearly cost to fuel difference between electric, hybrid, and gasoline-only vehicles. Statistics reveal that the average electric car owner spends around $421 to charge their electric car in a whole year. Whereas a hybrid owner spends around $764, which is a combination of gasoline and electric charging, as the cost to fuel. Lastly, gasoline-only car owners spend on average $1500 a year, as their cost to fuel. This study reveals that gasoline vehicle owners spend 70% more on fueling up then electric car owners do. And hybrid owners save 50% more on their cost to fuel, then that of gasoline-only owners.
(Transition): Now that we have compared the financial differences of electric/hybrid vehicles to that of gas-powered vehicles, we will now look at differences in environmental output.
Car emissions are polluting the world’s air, causing climate change and increasing the rate of global warming
The main pollutant of car emissions is carbon dioxide. According to the book Electric and Hybrid cars, “Carbon emissions from U.S. motor vehicles contribute to about 5 percent of the world’s total carbon emissions, more than any other industry sector, including the airline industry”.
Many countries are realizing the toll that carbon emissions are placing on the environment and are searching for a better solution to reduce the emissions. Hybrid cars are becoming more popular as