"A battery-powered vehicle having a fire incident is newsworthy. A gasoline-powered vehicle having a fire is newsworthy only if it stops traffic," said Steven Risser, senior research leader at Battelle, a nonprofit research and development firm, and one of the leading experts on the risk of fires in electric vehicles. So, how prone are electric cars to catching fire exactly? Stick with us to find out! With electric cars catching fire being more featured in the headlines than ever, it’s only reasonable to be concerned about safety in this sense. But, the truth is that electric cars … [Read more...]
Is Carbon Tax Bad for Canadian Auto-Production?
The implementation of the Carbon tax throughout Canada has the Canucks paying more attention to CO2 emissions by turning to a cleaner way of life - using alternative sources of energy, cleaner fuels, tech that uses less energy or simply biking to work instead of driving (as if Canadians weren’t physical enough). So, by all accounts, it’s having a beneficial effect on people, but does that also go for the automotive industry? Is Carbon tax having a negative impact on the Canadian auto-production? Let’s examine. According to some industry officials, the federal government’s Carbon tax, … [Read more...]
How Often Do You Change Your Car Air Filter?
The air filter in your car is a key component of the supply system. As the vehicle’s lungs, it prevents impurities from entering the engine and provides a steady flow of clean air. But when should you change the air filter? And why? When the air filter in your car gets clogged or worn out, this affects the quality and quantity of the air going into your engine. The dirty air obstructs the combustion chambers and prevents proper fuel combustion. The engine has to work harder, which leads to a decrease in gas mileage and engine performance. Just as your lungs can get clogged up from … [Read more...]
10 Most Cost-Effective Hybrid Cars
With the Carbon tax now in full effect throughout Canada, people are looking for new ways to minimize their carbon emissions - which was the Government’s intent in the first place. Among other things, this also means that they are changing their requirements and desires when buying cars. Criteria like car dependability and lifespan still play a big role in choosing the vehicle, but overall, we can see a big shift towards electric and hybrid vehicles being purchased more often. If you are looking to buy a car, and your main criterium is how dependable it is, the latest J.D. Power … [Read more...]
Energy Efficiency: Electric Vehicles vs. Fossil-Fuel Vehicles
For a while back, we’ve been seeing the ever so slight shift within the automotive industry - from fossil-fuel vehicles to the electric ones. The first and most obvious reason for this is humanity’s attempt to reduce its carbon footprint and preserve the environment. The second and third are that electric vehicles are easier to maintain and electric charging is cheaper. However, there is one more thing to consider here. Apparently, electric cars have significantly higher energy efficiency than cars with ICE engines. Let’s examine. According to a study by the US Department of Energy … [Read more...]
Why Aren’t We All Driving Electric Cars by Now?
Driving electric vehicles has its benefits - no doubt - if you disregard the high initial price of the vehicles themselves. Electric cars preserve the environment and help us breath clean(er) air. Moreover, electric cars are cheaper to own than fossil-fuel ones, not just in terms of “fuel” costs - charging costs for an EV are about 20-50% of gassing up a tank in a fossil-fuel car, but also in terms of maintenance. Finally, electric cars are easy to maintain and cheaper if you bear in mind that their systems are simpler than in fossil-fuel cars, thus making them easier to take care of. So why … [Read more...]
Are Electric Vehicles Cheaper to Own Than Gas or Diesel Ones?
As the world is changing its ways and attempting to be more ecologically conscious (for the most part, anyway), the automotive industry is slowly turning in the direction of electric vehicles. Manufacturers are jumping into the electric market and are at their starting points to begin a head-to-head race with gas and diesel-powered vehicles. As Tom Standage, Deputy Editor at The Economist, has stated, 2018 will be the first time it will effectively be cheaper to buy an electric car instead of a gas or diesel-run one – the total cost of ownership of an electric vehicle will be lower than … [Read more...]
Total Cost of Vehicle Ownership: Diesel vs. Gas
Buying a car is more than just choosing a vehicle that will take you from point A to point B, wouldn’t you agree? But how do you decide on the perfect car for you? Do you go for the prestigious make and model, do you want a specific color or all the interior and exterior bells and whistles? Well, for some people, this kind of information is what their checklist includes. However, if you have owned a car before and have at least SOME notion of what to look for (and what you want from a car), then it gets much more complicated. According to MoneySavingExpert.com, these are the questions … [Read more...]
