All electric vehicles (or EVs and BEVs) don’t run on gasoline – instead, they have a much larger battery that powers one or more electric motors. Right now, the driving range for all-electric vehicles is anywhere from 80 to over 300 miles.
And as new models are introduced, you are seeing those numbers go up. Not only that, but all-electric vehicles don’t need nearly as much maintenance as gas cars do (like oil changes, smog checks, spark plug changes, etc.).
All-electric vehicles can be easily charged at home with a standard 120-volt or 240-volt outlet, or while away from home at public or workplace charging stations.
With an all-electric vehicle, you also have the capability to use DC fast chargers which can provide a full charge in under 30 minutes – meaning you will never have to worry about being stranded with a dead battery halfway through your journey.
Types
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
PHEVs, or series hybrids, have both an engine and a motor. You can choose to run them on either conventional fuel (such as petrol) or alternative fuel (like bio-diesel), and they can also be powered by a rechargeable battery pack. The battery can be charged externally.
PHEVs always start up in electric mode and will continue to use electricity until the battery is depleted. Once that happens, the engine takes over and the vehicle acts like a regular, non-plug-in hybrid. PHEVs can get charged by plugging into an electric source, engine, or regenerative braking.
When brakes are applied, the electric motor uses that energy to charge the battery. The engine’s power is increased by the electric motor; therefore, smaller engines can be used which conserves fuel without reducing performance.
Hybrid electric vehicles(HEV)
Hybrid electric vehicles, or HEVs, are powered by both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. The engine runs on fuel, while the motor gets electricity from batteries. The transmission is rotated by both the engine and the electric motor, which then drives the wheels. The fuel tank in an electric car provides energy to the engine just like a regular car. The batteries power an electric motor that assists the engine in turning the transmission. This helps to improve the car’s overall performance.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)
BEVs, also known as All-Electric Vehicles (AEV), are powered by an electric drivetrain that runs off of a large battery pack. The battery can be charged by plugging into the electricity grid, and once it’s charged, the battery powers one or more electric motors to make the car run. BEVs are emissions-free, which makes them a great choice for people who want to reduce their environmental impact.
The power for the electric motor is converted from the DC Battery to AC. As the accelerator is pressed, a signal is sent to the controller. The controller adjusts the speed of the vehicle by changing the frequency of the AC power from the inverter to the motor.
The motor then connects and leads to the turning of wheels through a cog. If the brakes are pressed, or the electric car is decelerating, the motor becomes an alternator and produces power, which is sent back to the battery. By doing this, it recharges the battery so that there is always power available for when it’s needed most.
Environmental Impact
Electric vehicles are not only more efficient but also cheaper to run in the long term than petrol or diesel cars. As electric vehicles don’t rely on fossil fuels like petrol or diesel to power them, they instead use electricity to charge their batteries.
This makes them more environmentally friendly as well as being more cost-effective in the long run as the electricity bills will be lower than if you were to fill up a tank of petrol or diesel by using renewable energy sources. The electricity cost can be reduced even further if charging is done with the help of renewable energy sources installed at home, such as solar panels.
By driving an electric car, you can do your part in reducing emissions and taking care of the environment. If you want to further reduce your carbon footprint, you can charge your vehicle with renewable energy that comes from sources like solar and wind power.
With the world’s current limited availability of fossil fuels and the destructive impact their use has on the planet, it’s important to explore more efficient and environmentally-friendly energy sources. Electric vehicles have a much lower emissions impact than petrol or diesel vehicles and are around 60% efficient in converting electrical energy from the grid to power the wheels, while petrol or diesel cars only convert 17%-21% of the stored fuel energy.
Around 80% of emissions from petrol or diesel vehicles come from tailpipes. Electric vehicles don’t produce any emissions from their tailpipes, and when you take into account how electricity is produced, they emit almost 3 times less carbon dioxide than the average petrol or diesel vehicle. So charging electric vehicles has a huge potential to reduce emissions and help tackle climate change.
Key Takeaway
Electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and you can be a part of it! EVs have zero emissions, making them much better for the environment than petrol or diesel vehicles. With the electric vehicle revolution in full swing, now is the time to make the switch to an EV.