In the future, it is very likely that it will become increasingly expensive to import petroleum. The diminishing available reserves and the increasingly high cost of extraction will make this resource increasingly difficult to access. The development and promotion of innovative and cleaner alternatives is becoming a necessity. Electricity, just like the gaseous fuels, is one of serious options to be considered.
Electric vehicles: more efficient and cleaner
Electric vehicles are not new. The first car to have exceeded 100 km/h (early 20th century) was an electric car.
However, it is only recently that the technology has considerably evolved. These performances, especially with regard to the battery life, have begun to attract a growing number of users.
In comparison, the electric engine is more efficient than conventional combustion engines. In addition, electric vehicles do not emit either pollutants or CO2, at the time of their use.
However, these CO2 emissions do occur during the electricity production phase. They vary according to the method of production used. The most favourable scenario is electricity produced from renewable energy.
The electric engine is available in different forms:
• "pure" electric vehicles running on batteries or powered by a fuel cell (hydrogen for example),
• hybrid vehicles, a conventional engine is also present and can be used either to assist the electric engine, or to produce electricity.
It should be noted that the Federal government offers tax benefits on the purchase of electric motorcycles, tricycles and quadricycles (www.minfin.fgov.be)