Electric cars

Iceland is in a wonderful position to have nothing but environmentally friendly electric cars. There is a good supply of electricity (if the aluminum plants do not take it all) and most of the distances are just right for the operating capacity of electric car batteries.

But I have heard on several occasions people commenting on how very strange they think electric cars are. They aren't complaining about the way they look or the fact that they can't go as far, even that they have to be plugged in at night. No, what they complain about is that an electric car makes no noise. There is no vroom vroom of the engine, no sensory input to confirm that one has successfully turned the key and pumped the gas just enough to start the engine. Going down the street is also too quiet. The car does not shake at all, the car in a way does not seem alive, the way a combustion engine automobile does.

No matter how much the mechanics of an electric car are explained, a lot of people are simply going to have trouble accepting that this hairdryer on wheels is just as good as a normal car. The only real way, I think, for them to get over it is just to start driving one. Run out to the lot and buy one, and then you'll have to get used to it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
This is actually a real problem for blind people, who rely on the engine noise to know whether there's a car driving or not.
September 12, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Harpa Jónsdóttir said…
Mig langar í rafbíl og það væri alger draumur að vera laus við hávaðann og hristinginn. En ég hef ekki efni á að kaupa neitt svona stórt í bráð - eða lengd, svo bensínbíllinn verður að duga sem allra allra lengst.
September 12, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Lissy said…
Nei, ég er ekki með penning til að kaupa rafbíl heldur, en var samt forvitin um hvegnig man getur breyta venjuleg bíl yfir til rafmagni bíl.
September 12, 2009 at 1:04 PM
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