Electric cars / Brian Culp.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Culp, Brian, author.

Series:

--For dummies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Electric vehicles.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (419 pages)

Place of Publication:

2022.

ワイリーパブリッシングジャパン.

Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2022]

Summary:

Drive into the 21st century in an electric car With falling cost of ownership, expanded incentives for purchasing, and more model and body type options than ever, it may finally be time to retire the old gas-guzzler and dive into the world of electric car ownership. Electric Cars For Dummies is your guide to becoming lightning powered, reducing your carbon footprint, and saving money on gas while you do it. This book teaches you how to select the battery-charged vehicle that fits your need and budget. It also offers insight into how to maintain your electric car, including answering all your questions about charging your vehicle. Calculate the total cost of ownership, prep your home to become one huge charger, and demystify the battery, the tune-ups and more. Learn the difference in cost of ownership and emissions between electric and gas-powered vehicles Explore your options and find an electric car that fits in your budget Know when and how to charge your vehicle, and what kind of maintenance it needs Figure out how to charge your car on the go This is the perfect book for new and would-be electric car owners looking for guidance on buying and maintaining one of these super sleek machines.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1 Getting In On the Popularity of Electric Cars

Chapter 1 So You're Thinking About Buying an Electric Car

Why Buy an Electric Car?

The Disruption of Better Tech

Acronyms and Abbreviations That Make You Sound Smrt

Drawing the Line between Electric and Gas-Powered Vehicles

Yeah, but Gas Cars Aren't Going Anywhere for a While - Wait, What?

Where gas cars are going in Europe (and especially Norway)

Where gas cars are going in the US (and especially California)

Why predictions are unpredictable

TL

DR: Your Top Questions about Electric Cars, Answered

How long does an EV take to charge?

EVs can't get me where I need to go?

Aren't EVs expensive?

How long until I have to replace my EV's battery?

Why can't I find somewhere to charge my EV?

What happens if the battery runs out of juice while I'm driving?

Aren't EVs worse for the environment than gasoline cars?

Chapter 2 The Fascinating Tech That's (Sort of) Under the Hood

Recognizing That Induction Motors Mean Instant Energy

Seeing What Happens When You Hit "the Gas"

Comparing Torque and Horsepower

Letting Physics Do the Braking

Knowing how EVs make energy while driving

Seeing what happens when you let up on the "gas"

Making More Room for the Fun Stuff

Knowing What to Do When There's (Almost) Nothing Under the Hood

Driving an iPad with Wheels

Faster and further - all by changing a few words

Predicting the future of OTA updates, and the car as a computing platform

Chapter 3 Electric Vehicles and a Safer Drive

Why You Might Be Under the Impression That EVs Are Unsafe.

A Brief - and Instructive - History of ICE Vehicle Safety

A Short History of Everything (Car-Safety- Related) in 2 Minutes

Examining Safety Features (and Statistics) for Electric Vehicles

What's NHTSA's line, anyway?

The 5-star safety rating

Exploring the Possibility of a Car Fire (ICE versus EV)

Car fires by the numbers

Calculating the risk of an EV catching fire

One caveat to all this EV fire talk

The leading cause of vehicle fires

Okay, but what if I have a pacemaker - you know, electromagnetic motors and such?

A Car That Gets Safer Over Time

EVs will get safer over time

Your EV will get safer over time

Part 2 Buying Wisely

Chapter 4 Consider the Cost (of an Electric Vehicle)

The Price of an Automobile: An Analysis Using Numbers

Gas versus Electric: A Comparison Using Numbers

So, about that price parity thing

Estimating the cost of gas for ICEs

Estimating the cost of electrons for EVs

Price parity: The wait is over

A deeper dive (into the fuel tank)

The French-Canadian connection

EVs and Maintenance: An Estimation Using Numbers

Whoa - EVs Seem Expensive! Maybe We Should Look at the Numbers

Bottom Line: Estimating (Using Numbers) the Total Cost of Ownership

Chapter 5 Researching Your EV Options

An Overview of the EV Market

HEVs

PHEVs

BEVs

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

Hatchbacks

Midsize sedans

Luxury/performance sedans

Crossovers

SUVs

Pickups

Others

Deciding When (or Whether) to Buy a Used Electric Car

Verifying battery life

Start practicing Zen meditation

Living with no (or very few) incentives for used vehicles

Chapter 6 Buying Your New Electric Car

Exploring the Differences between Buying an ICE and an EV

Navigating (or Avoiding) the Dealership.

So then what's the deal - why can't I buy a Tesla in Texas?

Remembering that no states have banned EV car sales

Buying an EV from a dealer

Handling EV-specific issues at the dealer

Choosing between buying and leasing

Leveraging leasing incentives

Taking advantage of the option to buy

Taking the route of Costco or another wholesale club

Taking advantage of a corporate discount

Shopping for a used EV

Insuring Your Electric Wheels

Seeing why EVs cost (a bit) more to insure

"How to save 15 percent on . . ." (you know the rest)

Part 3 Maintaining Your Newfangled Horseless Carriage

Chapter 7 Charge 'Er Up!

Onions Have Layers, and Charging Has Levels

Getting Up to Speed with Level 1 Charging

Is Level 1 charging enough for your EV driving needs?

How do you use Level 1 charging?

What are some obstacles to Level 1 charging?

Level 1 cheat sheet

Turning Things Up with Level 2 Charging

Level 2 charging at home

Level 2 charging in public

Should you install a Level 2 outlet at your home?

How do you use Level 2 charging?

What are some obstacles to Level 2 charging?

Level 2 cheat sheet

Getting a Wicked-Fast Charge with Level 3 Charging

Fast charging plug connectors

Examining Level 3 charging claims from EV manufacturers

Identifying the players in the DC fast-charging business

Level 3 cheat sheet

Chapter 8 Protecting the Battery (and Your Investment)

Seeing Which Batteries Actually Power Cars

Looking at battery form factors

Looking at the advantages of cylindrical batteries

It takes a village

Battery pack capacity

Counting Up the Kilowatt-Hours

Kilowatt-hours in vehicle badging - that's so 2018

Getting down to the nitty-gritty

Recognizing That Too Much of a Good Thing Is a Bad Thing

Dealing with Battery Death

Going the Extra Mile.

Seeing Where EV Batteries Go When They Die

Dirk Spiers and Spiers new technology

JB Straubel and Redwood Materials

Your EV recycling to-do list

Dealing with Battery Pack Replacements

When replacing a battery makes sense: The case for hybrids

Reviewing battery replacement options

Chapter 9 Keeping Your Car in Top Shape

Getting Your Hands Dirty (or Not)

Dealing with tires

Putting on the brakes

Dealing with batteries

Optimizing battery health

Tracking Down EV Service Locations

Finding service at a dealership

Going mobile (service, that is)

Benefiting from third-party services

Doing it yourself with DIY service (right-to-repair)

Keeping Your EV Exterior in the Pink

Opting for paint protection film

Wrapping up the exterior

Coating in ceramic

Keeping Your EV Interior Shipshape

Caring for your seat

Cleaning that big screen

Organizing your trunk/frunk

Knowing What You Don't Need to Do

Things You'll Never Have to Add to Your To-Do List

Part 4 Futurethink and Fun with EV Engineering

Chapter 10 Faster, Farther, and More Fun

Living Out Your Speed Racer Fantasies

Taking a good look at ICE power output

Comparing EV power output

Staying Out of Jail

Can an EV Power Your House?

Recognizing the challenges of V2H

Adding the challenges of V2G to the mix

Addressing challenges with a Smart Grid

Will EV Prices Ever Come Down? When?

Renewable Energy and the Electric Car World

Using a clean energy broker

Using your own solar power

Next-Gen Batteries

Next-gen battery objectives

Less expensive (and faster charging)

Solid-state batteries: Lighter weight (and faster charging)

Lithium-sulphur: Lighter, denser, cheaper

Faster charging (that is all, but that is also enough)

Chapter 11 Our Autonomous Future.

Adding Up the Self-Driving Benefits

Listing the Key ADAS Benefits

Can These Cars Drive Themselves - or What?

Leveling up your self-driving knowledge

Level 0: No Driving Automation

Level 1: Driver Assistance

Level 2: Partial Driving Automation

Level 2 Examples

Level 3: Conditional Driving Automation

Level 4: High Driving Automation

Level 5: Full Driving Automation

Doing the Vision Thing

Tesla and Comma.ai bet on cameras

Waymo and Cruise add lidar

Other carmakers split the difference

Recognizing the Challenges

What's still really hard for autonomous cars

What's still really hard for humans regulating autonomous cars

Gazing into the EV Crystal Ball

Where AV capability is coming fast

Where AV has already arrived

Chapter 12 Other Vehicles That Are Going Electric

Going Mobile with Electric Buses

Seeing why battery-electric buses are fantastic

But, but - electric buses aren't all that fantastic, after all

Keep On Truckin' (with Electric Long-Haul Trucks)

Tesla Semi

Freightliner eCascadia

Volvo VNR Electric

Kenworth T680

BYD 8TT

Nikola Tre

Delivering the Goods (with Electric Delivery Vans)

BrightDrop

Canoo

Rivian EDV

Workhorse

Keeping things in perspective

I Sing the Lawn Mower Electric

Chapter 13 The Best Car Is No Car: Electric Bikes and the Morning Commute

Making the Trip by Bike

Improving fitness

Improving mentals

Enhancing your ability to explore new places (and more often)

Having access to faster and cheaper transportation

Putting money in your pocket through tax incentives

Looking at the Three Classes of Ebikes

Scouting Out the More Notable Ebike Companies

VanMoof

Gazelle

Aventon

Rad Power Bikes

Bird Bikes

Trek

Specialized

Hey! I'm Giving Away Ebikes!

Part 5 The Part of Tens.

Chapter 14 Ten Countries Leading the Way - and What They're Doing.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-119-88618-X

OCLC:

1352014814