Generral Motors has been at the forefront of automotive technology for decades. During that stretch, it’s not surprising that it has carved out its name as one of the industry’s best. One vehicle that has become so controversial is the GM EV1 Electric Car. This car is regarded as the automotive industry’s future poster child. Although it didn’t leave up to its potential, it however inspired other manufactures to take its lead and create its own version of an electric car. Here are 20 things that you should know about the GM EV1 Electric Car

1.It debuted in the 1990 LA Autoshow and it was created by the wizards from AeroVironment.

2. Back when it was merely a concept idea, the technology needed to build the GM EV1 Electric Car did not yet exist. Because of that, many were surprised when General Motors announced its production.

3. When General Motors announced that the GM EV1 Electric Car is about to be launched, the California Air Resources Board was already finalizing the low-emission program during that time. however, there are many speculations that when the GM EV1 Electric Car was launched, CARB retooled its policies by passing the controversial Zero-Emission Mandate.

When Tesla first came out, everybody went nuts over it. Why not? The car is fast, stylish, and more importantly; it runs on electricity. Then again, its automaker has finally hit a rookie so to speak. That’s because it has find it very tough to make the necessary upgrades on its prized pet project. Although Tesla claims that production is right on track, the sheer number of orders make it difficult for the company to follow.

The truth is, producing electric cars at a high rate has lots of challenges. Tesla Motors is just beginning to realize that an A+ car such as the Tesla Roadster takes time to produce on a massive scale. Aside from that, batteries change very often and in fact, they are upgraded so fast that automakers make it difficult to keep up.

Then again, Tesla Motors is still trying its best to rack up the numbers of cars that it will produce this year. Though it might be slow, the company is still right on the money when it comes to meeting its own expectations.

Everybody knows that petroleum doesn’t last forever. Because of that, it becomes more and more difficult to get it in gas plants all over the world. With that being said, its price will eventually rise and all consumers will feel shortchanged for all the money that they are literally throwing away. Truth is, there are ways for you to save gas without having to buy a green car. Here’s what you should do if you want your MPG rating to go up.

1. Drive Efficiently

That means consolidating and planning your driving routes throughout the day. It includes being updated in the traffic results, knowing the shortest routes possible, and maximizing your use of fuel.

2.Don’t Get Too Hard on the Gas Pedal

Many drivers end up pushing on the accelerator pedal too hard. Truth is, easing it up on the gas pedal helps you in minimizing your fuel consumption. To do this, you need to tap lightly on the pedal during traffic stops. In bumper-to-bumper traffic, make sure that you don’t get too excited when the road clears up.

3.Maintain a Steady Speed

Despite of your need to go beyond the speed limit, keeping that number well within the limit is beneficial to your engine in the long run. Aside from that, it’s also a lot better if you want to save on gas costs. Truth is, fuel efficiency diminishes each time you go above 60 mph. In fact, for every 5 miles that you break the speed limit, you lose 5 cents for every gallon stored inside the fuel tank.

4. Check Tire Pressure

Another way of solving your fuel-efficiency problem is by making sure that your tires are filled with air. The more air your tires have, the more traction that they have ensuring you to make the most out of your fuel.

Everybody knows that petroleum fuel will not last forever. Because of that looking for alternative fuel has become the past time for some manufacturers. Meanwhile, one of the emerging alternative energy sources these days are synthetic fuels. Developed back in the 1920s by a certain Franz Fischer in Germany, this type of fuel was needed when there was too little coal left during WW II. By 1944, Germany was already producing tons of synthetic fuel in plants all over the country. Right after the devastating defeat, Germany continued producing synthetic fuel to meet its power demands.

Creating synthetic fuel involves converting carbon monoxide and hydrogen to a compound called jet fuel. Basically, this process is called synthesis gas and it is done using extreme heat and pressure. The main advantage of synthetic fuel over regular petroleum is that it burns better. That means it’s more fuel efficient while releasing less pollutants at the same time. Unlike naturally-occurring petrol, it’s renewable because you can create it inside the lab.

Despite of how effective synthetic fuel is, creating it is far more expensive than finding fuel on the Earth’s surface. Aside from that, maintaining the plant is also costly, making investors think twice about this technology. However, experts believe that since petrol’s prices will eventually spiral upwards, the costs of running synthetic-fuel plants can go down.

Lastly, many companies have already created projects in order to minimize the costs of synthetic fuels. With that being said, it’s safe to say that this type of fuel has a lot of potential, especially in a world that lacks in power sources.