Gervais Electric logo
+1 615-973-1436

Month: February 2019

The Future of Electric Cars

Posted on by oleg

With the latest innovations in electric vehicles, many experts believe that electric cars are the future. The green movement across the country is strong and many believe in this technology to help control our carbon footprint and our negative impact on the environment. Are Americans ready for this type of change? When it comes to replacing gas-guzzlers with electric automobiles, many Americans are split on the issue. However, even with the most Americans holding out on purchasing an electric vehicle just yet, a future of all electric cars is easy to envision when you dive into the numbers.

Innovations in rechargeable batteries

With the development of lithium-ion batteries in the 1970’s, which allowed for a rechargeable battery technology, the stage was set for all sorts of new innovations in the electronics fields. Rechargeable tools, battery powered appliances, and even electric vehicles began to hit the market. The biggest drawback to lithium-ion batteries in the past few decades has been the cost. However, with further developments in the technology, prices over the past 10 years have begun to fall. This is great news for the companies that are producing electric vehicles and for consumers who are finally able to afford such a high-tech vehicle. Over the past 10 years, prices of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries have fallen nearly 90%! Imagine that number another ten years from now. Electric vehicles over the course of the next ten years may become commonplace as people move from gas and diesel-powered engines to electric engines.

Good news for rechargeable batteries doesn’t stop with a lowered price tag, but also carries over into battery capacity. Many people would consider a future of electric cars if it weren’t for range limitations. Most people would like to be able to drive hundreds of miles on a single charge without the worry of having to stop and recharge several times over the course of a trip. With Tesla, a leader in electric vehicle production and innovation, currently producing electric cars that have a range upward of 300 miles, those fears of range limitations are beginning to fade away as well! The Tesla Model S has a range of 335 miles according to insideevs.com. In fact, Tesla holds the top 8 spots in electric vehicle range capacity. Other producers such as Hyundai, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, BMW and Nissan are generally below the 250-mile range mark. Once again, with great progress in technology, mileage range for electric vehicles will probably not even be an issue ten years from now. Most people cannot drive more than 400 miles in a single day before their own batteries need to be recharged!

Less Maintenance and Higher Reliability

Another factor that electric cars have going for them is the low maintenance and low-cost of operation. Electric vehicles don’t have the traditional parts commonly found on gasoline vehicles such as spark plugs, thermostats, ignition coils, oxygen sensors and about 2,000 other drive-train parts. In fact, compared to a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle with about 2,000 drive-train parts, an electric vehicle only has 20. Yep, that’s 99% fewer parts!

Cheaper operation

Unless you live somewhere that has exceptionally cheap gasoline available, electric vehicles are generally much less expensive to fuel. If you dive into the numbers, electricity averages about 11 cents per kilowatt hour. Nissan claims their Leaf can fully charge for less than $3.00. At the national average price of gasoline, currently about $2.60 per gallon in America, that means you can drive a Nissan Leaf its full range (about 100 miles) for close to the price of one gallon of gasoline. That’s nearly four times cheaper than the average car that gets about 25 miles per gallon. With the battery capacity and long-range innovations from car manufacturers, that number is expected to be even more energy efficient over the next few years.

Charging station installation

Gervais Electric, a leader in Middle Tennessee for electric vehicle charging station installations, estimates the charging station installation, in comparison to the cost savings of driving an electric vs. gasoline vehicle, pays for itself within the first year. Gervais Electric comes highly recommended from local electric car dealers like BMW, Tesla and others because of our commitment to proper training, certification, and quality products.

If you’ve been following the latest news on electric vehicles and see a future of electric cars ahead, give us a call at 615-973-1436 or send us a message below and let us help guide you in your options. We look forward to serving you.

A History of Electricity

Posted on by oleg

Electricity is a truly amazing innovation that most of us take for granted. Can you imagine not having it? Sometimes we may forget how most people lived without it, not so long ago. Even at the turn of the 20th century, most Americans lit their homes with candles or gas lights and heated their homes with coal or wood. These days, you flip a switch and like magic, the house is illuminated. Technology has come a very long way in a short amount of time. Ninety-nine percent of today’s technology is reliant on electricity! So, who are the geniuses we must thank for this and what exactly are the roots and history of electricity?

Early Beginnings

The earliest fascinations with electricity date back thousands of years. Humans all over the world have been amazed with the natural electrical currents that are all around us in the form of lightning and static electricity. However, it wasn’t until the 1700s that a key development in harnessing electrical power was made. That groundbreaking experiment was conducted by none other than Benjamin Franklin in 1752. His theory was that lightning was a source of electrical currents. Franklin wanted to prove it. His experiment involved tying a metal key to the string of a kite during a storm. He hypothesized that the electricity from the storm clouds would travel down the string to reach the metal key. He was correct and even received a shock! Luckily, he wasn’t seriously hurt by the electrical shock. That simple experiment got the ball rolling on what would become one of mankind’s greatest inventions.

Early Uses

Over the next century or so, many different inventors tried to find ways to produce light using electricity. Thomas Edison, one of the most notable inventors in American history and in the history of electricity, worked years on end to find the perfect way to produce light with electricity. By 1879, over 100 years after Benjamin Franklin’s experiments, Edison was able to invent the first reliable electric light bulb. Edison also invented a way to produce electricity with small electrical stations. Edison’s company, General Electric, is still around today! By the 1880s, Edison’s electrical stations were built in several U.S. cities. Although the amount of power produced was small, it was still enough to power several blocks of a city. It would take another 50 years before most people in large cities had electrical power. Even by the 1930s, the number of Americans in smaller towns, farms and rural areas who had electricity was very small: only one out of 10 families had power.

The Expansion of Electricity

Privately owned electric companies became common in large cities throughout the 1920s and 30s. As a business decision, these private companies decided it was much too expensive to run electrical lines to smaller towns and rural areas. In the mid-1930s, then president Franklin D. Roosevelt strongly believed that America’s farmers deserved to have the same access to electricity as the rest of the country. By 1940, the president’s efforts had been realized and nearly 40 percent of rural areas and farming families had electrical power and nearly 75 percent of all Americans had electrical power in their homes. Here in Tennessee, the Tennessee Valley Authority setup the Electric Home and Farm Authority. This new organization allowed farmers assistance with purchasing electric stoves, washing machines and other appliances.

Electricity in the 21st Century

Today’s electrical technologies have evolved into many different categories. Production of electricity has also evolved with the addition of wind turbines, solar energy production, geothermal energy, and hydroelectricity.

Even with all the electrification throughout the world, many places still lack electrical power. Over one billion people throughout Africa and as much as half the households in India don’t have electric power. However, nearly 83 percent of the world’s population has access to electricity.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a little about the history of electricity. The professionals at Gervais Electric are always on hand when any questions or electrical needs arise. Our electricians are licensed, bonded and insured. We also stay current on all continuing education and electrical codes. If you’re located in the Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood or surrounding Middle Tennessee areas, we’d love to hear from you! Give us a call at 615-963-1436 or send us a message below.