• What is an electric vehicle? • How does an electric vehicle work? • How well does an electric vehicle perform? • What are the advantages of electric vehicles? • What limitations do electric vehicles have? • What kind of batteries are used? • What is the driving experience like? • What sort of maintenance is required? • Why are there still so few electric vehicles in circulation? • How much pollution does an electric vehicle produce? • What are Micro-Vett's principal environmentally-friendly urban mobility projects? |
 |
||
| What is an electric vehicle? | |||
| It's a vehicle that uses electricity to move. Power is stored in a battery pack within the vehicle and is used by an electric engine. Batteries are recharged by plugging the vehicle into a regular power socket. |
|||
| How does an electric vehicle work? | |||
| The energy stored in the batteries within the vehicle is transmitted to the electric engine via a specific electronic regulator developed by Micro-Vett. The engine drives the wheels. |
|||
| How well does an electric vehicle perform? | |||
| Nowadays electric vehicles can guarantee over 200km drive-time (ECE 101 cycle) and a maximum speed of 130 km/h. |
|||
| What are the advantages of electric vehicles? | |||
| Electric vehicles have both technical and financial advantages. From the technical point of view, the engine is simpler, quieter and cleaner than traditional engines while financial advantages include lower cost of upkeep as – unlike traditional engines - there are no wear parts or liquids to be changed. In many cases incentives are available for the purchase of electric vehicles. |
|||
| What limitations do electric vehicles have? | |||
| Reduced autonomy is the main limitation of electric vehicles compared to traditional ones. Even so they are ideal for use around town. |
|||
| What kind of batteries are used? | |||
| Driving an electric vehicle is much simpler and more relaxing than driving a traditional vehicle due to the absence of noise and the more immediate engine response. |
|||
| What is the driving experience like? | |||
| Il veicolo elettrico richiede una manutenzione decisamente inferiore a quella di uno tradizionale, non essendo presente il motore endotermico e grazie all’inferiore numero di parti soggette a usura. Le stesse batterie non hanno bisogno di alcuna manutenzione. |
|||
| What sort of maintenance is required? | |||
| Electric vehicles need a lot less maintenance than traditional vehicles as they don't have an endothermic engine and there are fewer moving parts subject to wear and tear. No maintenance is required for the batteries. |
|||
| Why are there still so few electric vehicles in circulation? | |||
| The performance and reliability of electric vehicles has reached – and perhaps even overtaken - the same standards as traditional vehicles only in recent years. The diffusion of environmentally friendly and electric vehicles has increased considerably over the last few years, especially in urban areas where the problem of pollution is growing increasingly serious. Considering that about 91% of journeys taken by cars adds up to less than 100km daily (mainly within the town or city) and are at an average speed of less than 20 km/h, such use is well within the scope of electric vehicles. They also have the added advantage of zero environmental impact (in the context). |
|||
| How much pollution does an electric vehicle produce? | |||
| Electric vehicles produce no atmospheric or acoustic pollution in the context taken. The fact that electricity production does have an effect on the environment must be taken into account however. In this respect it should be remembered that an electric power station is twice as efficient as a power plant working by internal combustion engine. This signifies that in order to produce one kwh of energy to be used by an electric vehicle, an electric power station produces half as much pollution as any sort of traditional engine. |
|||
| What are Micro-Vett's principal environmentally-friendly urban mobility projects? | |||
One of Micro-Vett's most notable sustainable mobility projects was developed in Reggio Emilia. The 371 electric vehicles brought in to substitute traditional vehicles led to a notable improvement in air quality (as well as a significant reduction in operating costs) and in 2003, Reggio Emilia was presented with the “Global Visionary Award” for this project. The accolade - the most prestigious at global level – is awarded by WEVA (World Electric Vehicle Association). Reggio Emilia was declared the European “city most committed to the use and diffusion of electric vehicles in Europe”. Los Angeles received the same award for the American continent and Yokohama for the Asian-Pacific region. V.E.LO.CE. (Vicenza Eco-Logistic Centre) is the first European project dedicated to the reorganisation and rationalisation of goods transport within the city, following criteria of environmental protection. It involves an environmentally-friendly transit point for intelligent and zero impact goods distribution in the most important parts of the city from the point of view of architecture, history and tourism. All essential urban services are guaranteed and are free of atmospheric and acoustic pollution. Vehicles granted access to make deliveries in the limited zone (to businesses, shops, etc.) are electrically powered vehicles made by Micro-Vett. |
|||
|
|
||