Advantages and Disadvantages of Electric Cars

This report explores the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars, including their demand, commercialization, history, and specified characteristics. It also analyzes the initiatives of the UK government that support the growth of electric vehicles. The report covers the learning outcomes of time management, organization skills, listening skills for note-taking, integration of information from appropriate sources of literature, and academic integrity, plagiarism, and referencing. The report is submitted for Academic Study Skills (BMAF000-20) module.

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1 LO1: Time management, organisation skills and listening skills for note taking
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3 LO3: An understanding of academic integrity, plagiarism and referencing.
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Task 1:
Report on ‘Nowadays, electric cars have become popular. In your opinion, what are the advantages
and disadvantages of electric cars? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer’
1. Introduction
1.1 Literature Review
1.2 Analysis and Evaluation
1.2.1 The Electric Vehicles (EV) Market
1.2.2 Advantages of Electric Cars
1.2.3 Disadvantages of Electric Cars
1.2.4 How the UK Government is Supporting the transition to Electric Vehicles
Task 2:
2.1 Reflective Statement
3 Conclusion
4 Recommendations
3 References

Nowadays, electric cars have become popular. In your opinion, what are the advantages
and disadvantages of electric cars? Use specific reasons and examples to support your
answer
Task 1:
1.0Introduction
In almost every business industry, technology is rapidly increasing and there are
numerous advantages such as it reduces human effort, makes work easier and faster along
with low cost (Targonya, Khmeluk and Bankovskaya, 2019). In relation to automobile
industry, various advancements have been made to improve speed, cost and efficiency of
vehicles. As petroleum resources are diminishing and this creates threat for many
automobile companies. In order to solve this issue, companies are coming with electric cars
technology. This project report is based on electric cars and focuses on the advantages and
disadvantages of these advanced vehicles which are newly launched in the market. The
main issues which ae explored in report are demand, commercialization, history and
specified characteristics of electric vehicles. In addition to this analysis of electric vehicle is
conducted in this report including section of UK government indicatives supporting growth
of electric vehicles.
2.0 Literature Review
Demand of Electric Cars
The era of electric cars was introduced 90 years ago and it becomes popular in great trend
as they are convenient for users. Electric cars play crucial role in providing convenient and
hassle free driving experience to its customers. Due to scarcity of natural resources, many
people are switching form conventional vehicle to electric vehicles as it is cost affordable
compared to conventional vehicle (Rabeeakh and Chaplyaeva, 2021). The another reason
for emergence of electric cars is rising pollution. The air quality is very poor in various
counties and it becomes a threat for humans. The demand of electric vehicles is great and it
is advanced form of technology which provides convenience to its customers. Various
innovators in USA, Hungary and Netherlands started toying concept of battery operated
vehicle and they have created small scale of electric cars.
History of vehicles and electric cars
In order to better understand popularity of electric cars, it is also crucial to understand
development of other options and of personal vehicles. At turn of 20th century, still horses
are considered as primary mode of transportation but Americans are more prosperous and
they invented motor vehicle which are available in gasoline, electric and steam versions
(Altun and et al.,2019). Electric cars do not have any issue related to gasoline and steam
version and they were quiet and easy to drive as well as do not emit smelly pollutant and
harmful gases. Electric cars become quickly popular within urban residents and are perfect
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for short trips. Many innovators took note that demand of electric cars were high and in
1898, Porsche introduced its first hybrid car called P1 (Hussain and et. al., 2021).
Commercial production of electric cars in contemporary environment
The other event which helps in reshaping of electric vehicles was announcement in
2006 that Tesla motors would start producing luxury electric cars and can go for about 200
miles in a single charge. In addition to that, Tesla received $465 million loan from
Department of Energy Loan Program Office and that loan Tesla paid nine years early. Its
announcement and rapid success spurred various big automakers in order to accelerate work
on their EV (Patil and Kalkhambkar, 2020). In 2010, Nissan introduced its first hybrid car
which runs on electricity and gasoline. Gasoline engine will supplement once the battery is
depleted. Many companies like Kia, Hyundai and Honda emphasise on making high end
electric cars along with unique features so that it can attract large number of customers.
Special features of electric cars
 It covers a large segment of marketing which includes cars, bikes, scooters and busses
which are cheaper than gasoline vehicles.
 Electric cars emit no or very less carbon emission as compared to gasoline engines. It
keeps climate clean and does not produce toxic gases (He, Zhan and Hu, 2018).
 Electric cars cover unique features such as voice enabled system and automatic
climate and cruise control which makes it more convenient for driver. Tesla cars has a
unique feature of auto-pilot mode in which car would automatic drive and reach to
destination without human interference (Ahmadi, 2019).
3.0 Analysis and Evaluation
This section of the report conducts detailed analysis of electric vehicles looking at the
market of electric vehicles along with the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles.
In addition to this the initiatives of UK government which support growth of electric vehicles
are included in this section of the report. The analysis will support gaining a better
understanding of the electric vehicle industry and the factors which are supporting its growth
and factors which are working against acceptance of electric vehicles.
3.1 The Electric Vehicles (EV) Market
There can be seen cut-throat competition in automobile industry and makes it
complex for companies to survive (Bozhuk and Pletneva, 2017). Consumers have hundreds
of choices than ever when it comes to buy an electric vehicle. Presently, there are around 23
plug in electric as well as 36 hybrid models available in varied sizes. The price of gasoline is
increasing continuously and rise in price of electric vehicles continue to drop. One of the
global automobile manufacturer Tesla, a well-known electric car manufacture. The cars of
Tesla have excellent functioning and have long battery range which provides 400 miles in a
single charge. In UK, more than 234000 plug in electric vehicle and 3.3 million hybrids on
roads. In last four years with the help of battery research and development helped in lowering
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down of battery cost and makes them more affordable to consumers. In the initial stage of
production of electric cars, the battery cost is high and has short durability which draw backs
interest of customers but due to technology advancement, the battery prices were lower and
makes it easier for customer to afford.
3.2 Advantages of Electric Cars
 Energy efficient – Electric cars are energy efficient and requires less energy to
perform its function. In addition to that, the charging cost of electric cars in lower
than gasoline engines and preserves natural petroleum resources (Sorokoletov,
Kovshechenko and Tikhomirova, 2019). In a single charge, some cars can run more
than 150 miles in a low charging cost. This makes it easier for customer to opt electric
car over conventional car.
 Reduces emission- Electric cars emits less pollution than conventional cars which
leads to environmental pollution. EV are eco-friendly and does not emit toxic gases
such as carbon di oxide and nitrogen di oxide. As these cars runs on electricity and
does not produce pollutants into air.
 Low maintenance- Electric cars requires low maintenance than gasoline cars as the
mechanism is easier and this makes it more affordable for people. In addition to that,
the service interval of EV are larger than conventional cars. These cars only require
high capacity batteries which can operate its engine and give extra distance coverage
in single charge. The maintenance cost of gasoline cars is higher and it requires
regular service at short interval of time.
 High performing cars- Electric cars are high performing cars and have unique
features than manual cars and also rely on low maintenance cost. All the functions are
fully digitalised and can perform in every road condition. They can easily climb on
steep roads and best for off-roading too. The charging time of EV are lower which
saves time of customer.
 Facilitates better driving experience- Electric cars are more responsive in terms of
acceleration than manual cars and also have regenerating braking at time of
emergency. Due to low centre of gravity, it improves handling and provides easy
handling to driver. Better handling and comfortable driving makes EV unique than
manual cars.
3.3 Disadvantages of Electric Cars
 Battery needs rare material- Batteries used in electric cars use a lot of lithium along
with other metals such as cobalt, aluminium, manganese and copper (Kampker and et
al., 2016). In some batteries graphite is also used which is a rare metal. There are
various countries which have rich cobalt deposit like Democratic Republic of Congo
in which it is lies on the surface of and picked up by miners. Cobalt is toxic and
harmful to humans and most miners do not use protective equipment. The cost of rare
metals is higher and this makes cost of battery high. Due to insufficient source of
lithium, it becomes difficult for companies to make batteries.
 Making EV creates more emissions- In order to get the idea of how much greenhouse
gas is emitted in manufacturing electric car, it is needed to look into how components
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are made and sourced. It is important that raw material to make car is to be mined and
process of mining creates lot of greenhouse gases. The raw material is to be refined
before they can be used which again creates so much of carbon and toxic gases. It has
been observed that making a diesel or petrol car releases 7 to 10 tons of carbon di
oxide. Whereas making of an electric car releases same amount of carbon gases but
production of batteries suggests that 150 kg of CO2 release 1kWh of battery capacity
(Du and et al., 2018). This means that additional 9 tonnes of CO2 is emitted in
making electric car. So this seems that electric cars are worse for environment than a
gasoline one.
 Electric cars can be expensive- As electric cars uses rare material in making of
batteries which elevates overall cost of car. This makes it complex for customer to opt
this alternative. Along with buying cost a 30 minutes’ fast charge from authorised
charging point at service station cost around £6. At the same time an overnight
charging from a dedicated charging point installed at home can provide range of 100
miles if driving in just £2. Servicing of electric cars tends to be cheaper as there are
only few moving parts and no oil and oil filter to change at regular interval of time.
The most expensive part of electric cars is its battery. Looking at long term ownership
of EV can be cheaper but the initial purchase price is higher (Televan, 2020).
 Not suitable for longer drive- As the battery technology is improving all the time and
many batteries can cover a range of 300 miles between charges. But many cars have
less than 150 miles between charges which means they are suitable for cities and for
local journeys. It needs them about half an hour to charge at high voltage authorised
charging station. Using air conditioner or heater on can impact on car’s range and on
battery performance and batteries less charge in cold weather.
 Not enough charging points- Within UK, there are not much charging stations and
this makes it difficult for people to charge their vehicle. In addition to that, filling a
car takes up only couple of minutes but charging an EV takes up to 40 minutes. Many
people have dedicated charging point installed at their home but during long journey,
not having charging station can create problem for many people. The need of charge
can cause problem.
3.4 How the UK Government is Supporting the transition to Electric Vehicles
The United Kingdom Government has supported usage of electric vehicles in the
country through various measures and policies. The government has granted scheme focusing
on developing of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in the country. This scheme can
offer huge support for growth of electric vehicles. This is because it will lead to quicker
electric vehicle infrastructure in United Kingdom. In addition to this, United Kingdom has
also created electric vehicle infrastructure strategy focusing on reducing sale and usage of
petrol cars and increasing the sale and usage of electric vehicles. The aim of this strategy is to
end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles sale by 2030 and ensure that all new cars and
vans to be fully zero emission by the year 2035. This planned strategy focusing on
development of electric vehicle usage by set deadline will support growth of electric vehicle
production, usage and enterprises in the country. In addition to this it will also facilitate
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removal of petrol vehicles from roads resulting in extensive usage of electric vehicles by
consumers across the country.
4.0 Conclusion
From the above project report, it was concluded that electric vehicles use electricity to
charge their batteries instead of fossil fuels like diesel or petrol. Electric cars are more
efficient and combined with electricity cost means charging an EV costs cheaper than
gasoline for travel requirements. There are various pros of car which captures attention of
many people to choose this alternative such as low maintenance cost, eco-friendly and
facilitates better driving experience. This influences people and people are switching their
gasoline cars into electric cars. They do not emit carbon and toxic gases into environment
which pollutes planet. The cost of electric cars is higher due to high battery cost which
consist of rare metal like cobalt.
5.0 Recommendations:
 Electric Vehicle firms need to develop innovative technology so that the cost of
electric vehicles can be reduced and made affordable for every common man and
woman similar to normal petrol and diesel cars.
 Government needs to spend in development of charging points in Urban and rural
areas as petrol pumps are created so that the issue of lack of charging points can be
reduced.
 Electric Vehicles firms need to expand their product portfolio from electric cars to
electric scooter, buses and taxis so that they can penetrate auto-mobile industry and
cater to middle class individuals.
 UK government needs provide consumers who purchase electric vehicles incentives
so that more consumers are compelled to purchase electric vehicles instead of petrol
and diesel vehicles.
Task 2:
Reflective Statement
 Description: At the initial stage, I was little bit nervous as this topic was completely
new for me and before conducting research it is important to have knowledge and
detailed point on the topic. Without having knowledge, it becomes to collect and
interpret data. As this topic is new for me but I am inquisitive and curious about
learning new things and to gain valuable knowledge about different topic. This
essay gives me a detailed overview of technological advancement and how it can
contribute in making prices and product more effective and efficient. In addition to
this, I come to know that there are various organisations which emphasise on
bringing new technology so that they can reduce human efforts and makes work
more effective and cheaper. I was nervous regarding how will I conduct research but
my peers helped me in various aspects. We all had conducted group sessions in
which we discussed about collection of data and research methodology.
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 Feelings: The Group Discussion approach helped me very much and they filled me
with motivation and nervousness fade away. The time given for this project is not
much and this makes me anxious but with time management skill, I am able to
complete task on time. I am confident enough that I can handle critical project and
complete within given time. In addition to that, evaluation and interpretation skills
helps me in evaluation of data in order to create insight which makes research
effective. I have collected data from reliable sources and from authorised articles
which provides correct data. While doing research, I have seen things from
customer’s and from company’s point of view. It makes me more productive
towards work and enhance existing skills. I have analysed my strengths and
weaknesses and tries my best to overcome weakness. This research helped me in
gaining valuable information about technological advancement in automobile sector
and era of electric cars. Along with this, I have acquired various skills such as data
analytics, reasoning and problem solving skills which can be used in my
professional career.
 Evaluation: From the report completed on the concept of electric cars I gathered
important knowledge related to electric vehicles. There are various companies who
majorly focus on making electric cars than gasoline in order to diminish carbon
pollution and to make affordable automobile segment to middle class families.
Electric cars have various advantages such as it is easier to drive in local journeys
and cheaper than gasoline cars. In addition to that, electric cars are more energy
efficient as it uses electricity to run and gives hassle free experience to customers. It
also reduces emission and does not harm the environment just like gasoline engines.
I have evaluated that I was able to develop various types of skills when completing
this assessment including research skills and reasoning. Whole conducting research,
I have acquired various skills such as time management skill, evaluation and
interpretation and reasoning skill. All these skill plays an important role in making
in my professional career. At some instances, when I struck in any topic, critical
thinking helped me to solve by analysing root cause and finding best alternative to
solve problem. I have also enhanced my time management skill which makes me
punctual and completes task on time. I have made a schedule and regarding very
topic and completed within time. The primary weakness that I have discovered in
context of my report is lack of detailed quantitative data which could have improved
my research. I have understood that I am effective in completing descriptive
research and I am not able to find quantitative data quickly. This is where I need to
improve. In addition to this I also need to enhance my referencing skills because I
believe that better referencing capability could have helped me in quickly finding
quantitative data from various online resources.
 Analysis: The time given for this project is not much and this makes me anxious but
with time management skill, I am able to complete task on time. I am confident
enough that I can handle critical project and complete within given time. In addition
to that, evaluation and interpretation skills helps me in evaluation of data in order to
create insight which makes research effective. I have collected data from reliable
sources and from authorised articles which provides correct data. While doing
8

research, I have seen things from customer’s and from company’s point of view. It
makes me more productive towards work and enhance existing skills. I have
analysed my strengths and weaknesses and tries my best to overcome weakness.
This research helped me in gaining valuable information about technological
advancement in automobile sector and era of electric cars. Along with this, I have
acquired various skills such as research skills, reasoning and problem solving skills
which can be used in my professional career. I need to work on my quantitative data
collection skills by enhancing my research abilities. In addition to this I have
analysed that my referencing level also need to be developed in order to ensure that
my research skills are improved enough for collection of quantitative data.
 Conclusion: It is concluded from the above discussion that in order to properly
conduct the investigation on topic of electric cars, it is needed to have relevant skills
which can improve capability to complete project on time and makes it more
effective. It is also concluded that conducting research on specific topics such as
electric vehicles requires individuals to be highly effective in quantitative as well as
descriptive research and also suitable referencing skills. This is because it helps
individuals find useful numerical data for the investigation.
 Action plan:
Goal Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely
To
improve
research
skills
This is
specific
skill
because it
aims to
eliminate
particular
weakness
This goal can
be easily
measured by
determining
improvement
in ability to
quickly find
credible
numerical
data from net
quickly.
This objective can
be attained by
learning about
various methods of
online research
and becoming
familiar with
search engine for
research such as
google scholar.
This is
relevant
skill as it
can help
in
improving
report
writing in
future.
5 months
To
enhance
referencing
skills
It is
specific in
nature as it
revolves
around
improving
knowledge
in area of
refining
The success
criteria for
this objective
is ability to
find credible
and authentic
refining on
various
topics easily.
This skill can be
easily attained by
practicing the
usage of CRAAP
tool.
This is
relevant
skill
because it
will help
develop
better
academic
writing
projects.
2 months
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Reference List
Du and et al., 2018. Insights into the characteristics of technologies and industrialization for
plug-in electric cars in China. Energy, 164, pp.910-924.
Kampker and et al., 2016. Evaluation of a remanufacturing for lithium ion batteries from
electric cars. International Journal of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, 10(12),
pp.1929-1935.
Rabeeakh, S.K.B. and Chaplyaeva, L.A., 2021. ELECTRIC CARS. In SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH (pp. 27-30).
Sorokoletov, I.K., Kovshechenko, V.M. and Tikhomirova, T.I., 2019. ELECTRIC CARS-
THE ROAD TO THE FUTURE. In Инновационные подходы в решении современных
проблем рационального использования природных ресурсов и охраны окружающей
среды (pp. 154-157).
Targonya, A., Khmeluk, A. and Bankovskaya, I., 2019. Electric cars: advantages and
disadvantages.
Televan, A., 2020. Pros and cons of electric cars.
Hussain and et. al., 2021. Optimal Management strategies to solve issues of grid having
Electric Vehicles (EV): A review. Journal of Energy Storage, 33. p.102114.
Patil, H. and Kalkhambkar, V. N., 2020. Grid integration of electric vehicles for economic
benefits: A review. Journal of Modern Power Systems and Clean Energy, 9(1). pp.13-26.
He, X., Zhan, W. and Hu, Y., 2018. Consumer purchase intention of electric vehicles in
China: The roles of perception and personality. Journal of Cleaner Production, 204.
pp.1060-1069.
Ahmadi, P., 2019. Environmental impacts and behavioral drivers of deep decarbonization
for transportation through electric vehicles. Journal of cleaner production, 225. pp.1209-
1219.
Bozhuk, S. and Pletneva, N.Y., 2017, April. The problems of market orientation of Russian
innovative products (electric cars as a case study). In Energy Management of Municipal
Transportation Facilities and Transport (pp. 1234-1242). Springer, Cham.
Enyedi, S., 2018, May. Electric cars—Challenges and trends. In 2018 IEEE International
Conference on Automation, Quality and Testing, Robotics (AQTR) (pp. 1-8). IEEE.
Altun and et al.,2019, November. Design and optimization of electric cars. a review of
technological advances. In 2019 8th International Conference on Renewable Energy
Research and Applications (ICRERA) (pp. 645-650). IEEE.
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