How Electric Cars Actually Work

Photo: cliff1066™

Far from new technology, electric cars have been around for quite some time - it’s just that they haven’t yet developed a cost-effective way of producing batteries that can go the distance. Nevertheless, the way that electric vehicles actually work is pretty interesting.

On the outside, gasoline and electric motors look very similar, but there are some major differences between an electric motor and a gasoline motor:

• Gasoline engines and other internal combustion engines store energy in the form of a fuel, whereas electric vehicles store energy in a battery.
• You power-up a combustion engine by filling it up with fuel (gasoline, diesel etc) and then burning that fuel, but an electric engine receives power from a controller via rechargeable batteries, which are powered by a common household electric outlet (usually).
• Pollution from a gasoline or diesel engine comes from the burning of those fuels. Electric vehicles, on the other hand, rely on the burning of things like coal, natural gas, solar or wind energy, depending on how your household electric outlet is powered.

Photo: conveyor belt sushi

But how does an electric motor work? An electric motor relies primarily on electromagnets. By passing an electrical current through a wire loop, an electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. This conversion takes place because the wire loop will produce a magnetic field, which then transfers energy to the shaft, which then turns the loop, creating mechanical energy. This mechanical energy is then used to propel the vehicle forward.

Photo: TEDizen

Today, there are several types of electric motors to choose from, each with its own advantages and disadvantages:

• DC brushless motor: This motor type will provide top speeds, but has slower acceleration.
• AC induction motor: With a higher acceleration rate, some prefer this option, though it has an average top speed. This is also the most expensive type of motor.
• Permanent magnet DC motor: If you’re in need of higher torque or pulling power from your electric vehicle, than this is your best option. This motor will provide middle-of-the-road acceleration and top speeds compared to DC brushless and AC induction motors.

Photo: Conveyor belt sushi

Regardless of motor type, most use regenerative braking which converts the motor’s momentum into a way to recharge the batteries which increases the vehicles overall range by as much as 15%. Electric vehicles are also available in either automatic or manual transmission.

In the world of electric cars, there are also various batteries from which to choose:

• Lead acid battery: These are the most cost effective, and as such are the most popular.
• Nickel metal hydride batteries: Though costlier than lead acid batteries, these give better performance and require less space.
• Lithium ion batteries: With the highest price tag, these are less common than other types of batteries. That said, they also provide superior performance, range, and take the least amount of trunk real estate.

Photo: The Nickster

One of the best advantages to driving electric vehicles is that they run nearly silently (goodbye noise pollution!). This is one of the only ways you can tell that you’re actually driving an electric car.

I cannot wait for the electric-diesel hybrid!

Post: Geordie is an active blogger and has been guest blogging for a number of years now, her interest in this topic came from a post she was writing about electric vehicles and if electric cars can really change the future for the planet.