What is it?

Electric vehicles run on ELECTRICITY (see "Electricity" fact sheet). Electric vehicles can be one of the least environmentally damaging means of motorized transportation that we can choose from.

Why Electric?

• Electricity is our most familiar source of energy. It can be made from clean, renewable energy sources such as wind, water, or solar power (see "Electricity," next page).
• "Refueling" (recharging) at home is more convenient for people on the go. Nearly every home and business has an electrical service that can support electric vehicle recharging.
• The annual cost of electricity for recharging is about 1/3 less than the annual cost of gasoline.
• With special quick chargers, it only takes 15 minutes to recharge electric cars.
• Electric vehicles are "Zero Emission Vehicles." They have absolutely zero tailpipe emissions. (In fact, they don’t even have tailpipes!)
• There’s no need for air filters, emissions controls, or exhaust systems.

Did you know?

• The top speed record for an electric car is over 200 miles per hour! (215 mph record held by "Lightening Rod," owned by Ed and Geri Rannberg, driven by Eric Luebben, Bonneville Salt Flats, 1998.)
• The longest distance traveled by an electric car on a single charge is 1043 miles!
• Batteries store the energy for today’s electric vehicles. Future batteries are expected to be lighter, smaller, more efficient, and cheaper - hundreds of scientists and engineers are developing and testing new batteries right now! They are also developing flywheels, capacitors, and other exotic energy storage devices.
• Electric vehicles are so energy-efficient, some of them use regenerative braking. This means that the energy from braking is captured and returned to the batteries!
• U.S. Electricar sells and services electric vehicles right here in Hawaii at 531 Cooke St.
• The largest commercial electric vehicle in use in Hawaii is E Noa Tours’ "Waikiki Trolley."
• Electric vehicles have been successfully built and raced by Hawaii teams. Hawaii’s very own Konawaena High School’s solar car is internationally known and was the basis of the movie, Race the Sun. The year before Konawaena built their solar car, Naalehu Intermediate school built a solar car that went to Indianapolis.
• In Hawaii’s "Electron Marathon," high school teams build electric go carts from scratch!