Tag Archives: Electricity

Electricity As Fuel

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Using electricity to run your car in the same way you do your hair dryer or your television seems odd at first, until you realize just how practical a solution to our energy crisis it can be. For one thing, it only costs around 2 cents per mile to drive an electric car. These vehicles are almost completely noiseless, produce no tailpipe emissions, and can be recharged during the night at a time when power plants are under-utilized. While there are some emissions created at the production level of electricity, the entire amount is still less than ten percent of that which is produced by a normal petroleum-based combustion engine.

It is true that battery technology has a long way to go to be able to compete with the performance of the gasoline powered engines, but to be fair there hasn’t been a whole lot of time, money or energy into developing this technology. As demand for these cars grows, manufacturers will be on a competitive course to bring the consistently public better technology.

At this point, purely electric cars still have a limited range of around 100 miles before their battery requires recharging. These vehicles rarely go at high speeds, and they are extremely compact. However, if the majority of your driving is around town, these vehicles can be an excellent option. They are clean, small, and easy to maintain. Families wishing to purchase a second car would do well to consider one of the latest models in electric cars to supplement their driving needs.

Another option is the hybrid petrol/electric cars that are gaining in popularity. The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are two popular hybrids that have an enormous following in the U.S. now and a great reputation not only for fuel efficiency, but for performance as well. A hybrid vehicle combines a traditional petrol combustion engine with a rechargeable battery to drastically increase fuel efficiency, reduce emissions, and drive further and faster than would be possible with just an electric motor alone.

The biggest environmental challenge to electricity as a fuel source is that the majority of our electricity is still being created using non-renewable resources, such as coal. As more and more people begin to analyze the changes that have to occur in our society as a result of our energy crisis, we will see amazing new developments in technology, manufacturing, and energy production.

Revolutionizing Electric Shavers

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Shaving of the beard, moustache, or other excessive facial and body hair has been passed on from generation to generation as early as 100,000 BC, or the stone age. It began when man started pulling hair from his body. It is also said that according to ancient cave paintings, man used two seashells as improvised tweezers to remove hair from the face. By 30,000 BC, the flint blade was used as the earliest shaving razors. Early shaving razors get easily dull and either needs to be disposed or sharpened very often. As years went by, other tools to remove facial and body were invented. In the late 1800s, King Camp Gillette originated the idea of a disposable razor blade. Little did he know that his bright idea would serve as an inspiration for future shaving tools. Several years after the First World War, in 1927, US Army Lt. Col. Jacob Schick invented the world’s first electric dry shaver with oscillating blades. This breakthrough opened the doors for developing more revolutionized and quality electric shavers.

Kinds of Electric Shavers

Electric shavers come with either foil or rotary cutting razor blades. The kinds of shavers don’t really matter, it just depends of the user’s comfortability and use. However, most of women’s shavers use foil cutters.

Foil Electric Shaver

A foil electric shaver has one or two floating heads designed to glide over facial contours, with razor cutters that oscillate behind a perforated screen. Several people attest that foil shavers, on the average, beat the men’s rotaries by a whisker for the closest and cleanest shave.

Rotary Electric Shaver

On the other hand, a rotary shaver has three or four floating heads designed to glide over facial contours, with razor cutters that spin behind a very fine grid. Rotary shavers tend to be more quiet to use and easier to clean than foil shavers.

In caring for one’s electric shaver, foil and cutter sets need to be replaced at least once a year. As the cutter gets duller, the foil gradually gets thinner with it. Replacing the cutter with a new and sharp one under a thinning foil can break a hole in the foil which could lead to a cut or razor bump.

Electric Shaver Features

Aside from being informed of the pros and cons of the kinds of electric shavers, one should also consider the features one should find and look for in a shaver.

Battery Charger

When purchasing an electric shaver, the package should always have a battery charger. A fully-charged battery may take 1 to 12 hours on standby and should provide at least seven shaves. Several models allow a five-minute emergency charge, which is good for one shave.

Automatic Shut-off

In line with the battery charger, it is also convenient and energy-saving if the charger shuts off automatically when the battery is fully charged. Like other electric gadgets, the battery charger plug needs to be pulled out from the socket as soon as the shaver is fully charged. Overcharging might reduce the shaver’s battery life.

Power Cord

Nowadays, quite a number of electric shavers come with an electrical cord that lets one shave by plugging in the electrical cord. This is a very useful feature if one forgot to recharge the battery.

Ease of Cleaning

For electric shavers to have a longer use and life, it should also be taken care of. Some shavers come with a small cleaning brush, some can be rinsed clean, and some have a self-cleaning system that pumps a sanitizing liquid through the razor cutters. One tip for cleaning shavers is to let the razor to air dry naturally because drying it on a towel can dull the blade.

Wet and Dry Shaving Feature

There are also wet and dry electric shavers that provide multi-purpose shaving features. It is better to have both features on one tool rather than multiple tools for a single task.