14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists have been telling us for quite some time now that climate change and global warming are getting worse and worse. Still, the fact remains that, at the end of the day, it's money that makes the world go round.
Otherwise put, too many of the people who choose to be less wasteful and make their homes more energy efficient do so not because they are preoccupied with the fate of the planet, but because they are looking to save some cash.
Researchers in the US have come up with a great way to make the most of people's desire to save money, and have developed a website that shows how much cash your average Joe and Jane can save by driving an EV.
The website, dubbed EV explorer, is the brainchild of scientists with the University of California at Davis. It is free to use, and it can simulate the fuel costs of up to four vehicles.
“EV Explorer utilizes fueleconomy.gov's database of more than 34,000 vehicles in conjunction with Google Maps to allow users to compare commuting costs of a PEV [plug-in electric vehicle] with those of any other vehicle.”
“Through a step-by-step process, users select a start location and a destination, and specify how often they travel between those points. A chart is then produced that shows the annual gasoline and electricity fuel costs of the commute,” the researchers explain.
Users can change the vehicles whose fuel costs they want to compare, and even introduce data concerning local gasoline and electricity prices, the University of California at Davis specialists say.
The end goal of this project is to make electric cars more appealing by showing people that, environmental benefits aside, such vehicles can help reduce the cost of commuting or traveling to a considerable extent.