What is an electric vehicle?
- Electric powered cars are called "electric cars", and this definition is much broader than you think.
- The term "EV" refers to an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are cars that operate entirely or primarily on electricity.
- All-electric cars are cars without gasoline or diesel engines. When you put the electric car in "drive" state, it accelerates like an autonomous car. Electric and hybrid cars lack gear.
- They power the motor by storing electrical energy in a rechargeable battery, thereby rotating the wheels.
- Electricity or renewable energy is used to power electric vehicles. They do not produce any emissions or exhale any hazardous gases. Therefore, they are environmentally friendly vehicles that help reduce increasing air pollution.
- EVs have lower operating costs because they require fewer moving parts to repair, and they are also very environmentally friendly because they use very little or no fossil fuels (gasoline or diesel).
- Although some electric vehicles use lead acid or nickel metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries are now considered the standard for modern battery electric vehicles because of their excellent durability and excellent energy storage capabilities, with a self-discharge rate of only 5%.
- Compared with internal combustion engine cars, electric vehicles are about 3 times more efficient. Powering your vehicle with less energy can also help reduce costs.
History of electric vehicles
Surprisingly, electric vehicles are not a new invention. To your surprise, electric vehicles have a long history of development, dating back over a century and continue to this day.
Many people don’t know about it. In the early 20th century, there were more electric cars on the road than gasoline. However, this existence was challenged when Ford's mobile production line made passenger cars easier to achieve.
- When was the first electric car built?
As early as the 1830s, inventors from Hungarian , Hong Kong , the Netherlands , the United Kingdom and the United States began to concentrate on integrating technological advancements to produce powered cars. Although this is controversial, many believe that the first small electric vehicle was developed between 1828 and 1832.
- Who created the first electric car?
It is said that British inventor Robert Anderson showed his first electric car at an industry conference in 1835. The wheels of Robert Anderson's car are rotated by a single-use battery fueled by crude oil.
Anderson is not the only one interested in electric cars. Dutch professor Sibrandus Stratingh and Hungarian scientist Nyos Jedlik developed model electric vehicles during the same period.
On the other hand, Thomas Davenport, an inventor who was born into an American blacksmith, was also praised for creating important parts of the motor, which led to the birth of the first electric car across the Atlantic Ocean.
- So, what was the first electric car and how does it look?
Chemist William Morrison from Des Moines, Iowa created the first "practical" electric car in the United States. Morrison's car is a traditional Surrey carriage popular in the United States in the 19th century and has been modified to accommodate batteries. With a top speed of 32 km/h (20 mph), Morrison's electric carriage can accommodate up to 12 passengers.
So, what does it look like? ? That's what the first electric car ever looked like... Surprisingly, right?
Although his car is just an electric station wagon, it has inspired people's interest in electric cars.
The revolution of electric vehicles began in the early 1900s itself, let's see how! !
1901 Many inventors observed a huge demand for electric vehicles and were committed to advancing this technology. For example, Thomas Edison is trying to make better batteries because he believes electric cars are the best means of transportation.
htmlElectric vehicles became popular in the United States between 1908 and 1912 at the turn of the 0th century.1968-1973: As gasoline became more affordable and widely used, and with the continuous development of internal combustion engines, the demand for alternative fuel vehicles fell in the following 50 years.
1973: Large and small automakers have begun to study the potential of alternative fuel vehicles. For example, General Motors developed a prototype of an urban electric vehicle and was presented at the 1st seminar on the development of low-pollution power systems in 1973.
1974-1983, the Sebring-CitiCar vanguard was a popular electric car. The company produces over 2,000 CitiCars, which are small wedge-shaped cars ranging from 50-60 miles. Due to its popularity, Sebring-Vanguard rose to the sixth largest automaker in the United States in 1975.
Types of electric vehicles
To meet various driving needs, electric vehicles are divided into three different types. They are divided into three varieties: fully electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric.
- All-Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles (also known as EV or BEV) do not use gasoline, but have a considerable battery that powers one or more motors. With the release of new models, the range of all-electric vehicles has increased from 80 miles to over 300 miles. An all-electric car requires less maintenance than a gasoline-powered car (such as replacing oil , checking for smoke, replacing spark plug , and replacing catalytic converters or other worn and damaged parts).
- Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) offers two driving methods, pure gasoline and pure electric, even at relatively high speeds. Plug-in hybrids can travel 20 to 55 miles on electricity alone, and don’t emit any exhaust gas during the journey, and they use smaller batteries than pure electric cars. When the car's electric mileage runs out, it switches to gasoline and continues to run like a typical car.
- EV with fuel cells
All-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles use electricity to power their engines, but fuel cell electric vehicle (also known as FCEV) uses electricity in different ways. Its power system consists of a bunch of batteries that chemically combine the hydrogen in the car's fuel tank and the oxygen in the air to generate electricity.
fuel cells have a mileage of 300-400 miles on a single tank and can be refueled at hydrogen refueling stations, which is more common in California . This process takes about five minutes.
How to work for different electric vehicles
We will discuss the principles of each EV running, let's start with the following:
- BEV's working principle
For electric motors, electricity is converted from DC battery to AC power.
accelerator pedal sends a signal to the controller, and the controller changes the alternating current frequency from inverter to the motor, thereby adjusting the vehicle speed.
The motor is connected to the wheel through a gear and rotates the wheel.
When a brake or electric vehicle is applied to decelerate, the motor is converted to alternator and generates electrical energy, which then returns the electrical energy to the battery.
- HEV working principle
It has a fuel tank similar to an ordinary car that supplies gasoline to the engine.
There is also a set of batteries that power the motor.
transmission can be driven by both the engine and the motor.
- Plug-in Hybrid Working Principle
PHEV Usually starts in pure electric mode and continues to operate on electricity until the battery pack is exhausted. At highway cruising speeds that are typically greater than 60 or 70 miles per hour, some models switch to hybrid mode. When the battery is completely exhausted, the engine takes over and the car starts running like a normal non-plug-in hybrid.
Components of electric vehicles
- Battery (full-electric auxiliary):
Auxiliary battery powers the accessories of the vehicle when it has an electric drive device.
- Charging port:
To charge the traction battery pack, the vehicle can use the charging port to connect to the charging cable.
- DC/DC converter:
DC/DC converter is used to operate vehicle accessories and charge auxiliary batteries, converting high-voltage DC power from the traction battery pack into low-voltage DC power.
- traction motor :
The wheels of the vehicle are driven by the traction motor, which obtains energy from the traction battery pack. Some cars use motor generators that are both drivers and regenerators.
traction battery is charged using car charger , which converts input AC from the charging port to DC.
- Car charger
In order to charge the traction battery, the car charger converts the AC power input from the charging port to DC power.
In addition, when the battery pack is charging, it tracks battery characteristics such as voltage, current, temperature and state of charge by communicating with the charging device.
- Power Electronic Controller:
Power Electronic Controller controls the speed and torque of the electric traction motor and adjusts the electric energy flow provided by the traction battery.
- Thermal system (cooling):
This system maintains a safe operating temperature range for engines, motors, power electronics and other components.
- traction battery pack:
Power is stored in the traction battery pack, and the traction motor will use this battery pack.
- Power transmission:
traction motor transmits mechanical energy through the transmission to drive the wheels. How does an electric car work?
The principle of electric vehicles is to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, which is then used to generate kinetic energy and allow the vehicle to move.
Electric vehicles do not have traditional internal combustion engines, but are equipped with electric motors. Therefore, traditional fuels (gasoline/diesel) are replaced by electrical energy. Electric energy is converted into mechanical energy through an electric motor.
Electric cars have similar functions to self-driving cars. Both forward and reverse are options. When an electric car enters "drive" state, it accelerates like an autonomous car.
For electric motors, power is converted from DC battery to AC. The
controller receives the signal from the accelerator pedal and changes the frequency of alternating current from the inverter to the motor to change the speed of the vehicle.
How does electric motors work in cars?
Some cars use motor generators that are both drivers and regenerators.
Electric vehicles can be connected to the power grid by plugging into the charging station.
They store electrical energy in rechargeable batteries and use them to power the motor that rotates the wheels.
Electric cars feel lighter to drive because they accelerate faster than conventional fuel-powered cars.