Electric cars are undoubtedly trending in the automotive industry. People these days are concerned about the environment, and they want to contribute to saving the planet. By driving electric cars, they can obviously achieve this, even if only to a small extent. Looking at the terms of these cars, we know that they run on electricity. But with so many types of cars around nowadays, it can get confusing to understand how these are different from others.
The question comes to mind, how do electric cars work? Sure, they need electricity to operate, but what else is inside the cars? Surprisingly, it is not a complex mechanism, but rather very efficient. Since they use electricity, they can conserve lots of energy as well.
Let’s dive deep and find out more about electric cars, their different types and components, and how they perform.
Electric Cars: What are They?
Electric cars run using electric motors that can be powered by a battery. So, you don’t need fuel to drive the car. Some of the new electric cars nowadays have lithium-ion batteries as opposed to the old lead-acid ones. These batteries are lighter, can run for more miles, and have longer battery life. You can drive the car for about 300 miles without any issue.
They can even store energy from the electrical grid in the batteries for backup. The batteries can run with this stored energy even if you don’t charge them. So, they are highly beneficial in several ways.
Among luxury brands like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and so on, there are some popular electric cars. Another highly demanded electric car is the Tesla.
Benefits of Electric Cars
The electric car system is very efficient and solves a lot of problems. If you get one, you will undoubtedly enjoy various advantages.
- Since there are no carbon emissions, these cars will help keep the air clean and free from toxins in the air.
- The electric motors run without making much noise.
- You need to spend less money on maintenance or repair since there are fewer car parts and they hardly wear out with proper use.
- Due to the electric motors, you can get an impressive torque for faster acceleration.
- Most electric cars are equipped with advanced technology with various features.
- They are comparatively cheaper to purchase.
The Problems
- The range gets less in real-time driving, since they only run till you have charge or energy.
- Overtime the batteries will degrade, and they are too expensive to replace.
- Special car parts can be scarce and expensive to replace.
- It’s not always easy to find a charging station for emergency charging.
Types of Electric Cars
Before going into how electric vehicles work, we need to have a good understanding of the different types of electric cars with different functions and features.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)
BEVs are what we know as truly electric cars with a battery. They have large batteries and no fuel source. The mechanism is simple, with an electric motor and electricity. You need to charge the car whenever needed, either at home or at a public charging station, to recharge. Because there’s no exhaust, BEVs produce zero tailpipe emissions and offer a quiet, smooth driving experience. Some popular BEVs include the Kia EV3, EV5, EV6, and EV9.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)
The name hybrid is suggestive that there are two systems. HEVs have both a petrol engine and a small electric motor, but they don’t need to be plugged in. The battery recharges itself using regenerative braking and energy from the engine. This also means that you still need fuel since they can’t run on electric power alone. But they improve fuel efficiency by sharing the workload between the engine and motor, making them very efficient and practical.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)
PHEVs offer a balance between electric and petrol power. They can drive short distances using only electricity, then switch to the petrol engine when the charge is gone. But they need to be charged again like the regular electric cars. While the range is short, you have fuel-free commuting during daily trips.
Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs)
FCEVs use hydrogen instead of a battery for electricity. Inside the vehicle, hydrogen reacts with oxygen in a fuel cell to produce power for the electric motor. There will be no carbon emissions, simply water production. They are also very easy to refill, but hydrogen is limited, so it might not be easy to run them for a long time.
How do Electric Cars Work?
The real question is, how does an electric car work with the electric motor and no fuel?
The batteries of electric cars can be charged with a cable, similar to charging a phone. One car has more than one battery. They store energy to power the car. Another interesting concept is regenerative braking, where you can store energy from braking, and this kinetic energy converts to electric energy when you run the car again. Once charged, this car can run for around 30 percent of its energy to run several miles.
These cars can also draw energy from other sources to recharge the battery. This can be solar energy, hydropower, or even renewable fuel sources like natural gas, coal, and nuclear energy. All this energy converts to electric energy as soon as there is a mechanical rotation to start the car.
If the car slows down or is propelled with an external force, the motor doesn’t have to work, so it simply recharges the battery using stored energy.
Work of the Batteries
The battery itself can help you understand more about how EV cars work.
When you are running the car, the battery inside has electrons that are released from an electrode to the next one to make an electric current. This one helps to operate the motor that will make the car move. Whenever you are recharging the battery, this electron flow is reversed in the other direction to keep the battery full of charge.
There are three different types of batteries in electric cars.
Cylindrical batteries
These have lithium-ion cells with aluminum or steel covers, which we know as the classic characteristics of a battery. The electrodes are layered by rolling into a tube shape. They offer strong thermal resistance, reliable performance, and cost-efficient mass production.
Prismatic batteries
They are also lithium-ion batteries, but inside a rectangular casing made of aluminium or iron. Here, the electrodes are stacked. Their large, block-like shape allows efficient use of space with minimal gaps in a battery pack.
Pouch batteries
Pouch batteries also have the same chemical properties, but they are enclosed inside a flexible, lightweight casing. They are very small and lightweight, but still deliver a lot of power. The best part is that they require less space for their compact size. However, pouch batteries are relatively new in EVs and require careful thermal management due to a higher risk of overheating.
Parts of an Electric Car
If you want to have in-depth knowledge about how an electric car works, have a look at the important parts of the car and their functions.
Inverter
This one connects the battery and the electric motor for the car to operate. Since the battery uses Direct Current and the motor needs Alternating Current, the inverter will convert the DC to AC for the motor to run.
Electric Motor
The electric motor uses the AC from the inverter, which also gives the power to make the car run. By using the electric current, an electromagnetic field can be created that helps with the rotation of the motor. Since they are small, they take up less space and offer faster acceleration.
Charging Port
This is needed to recharge the car. There is an access point to provide energy to the rechargeable battery. These ports are attached either on the side, rear, or in front of the car. The onboard charger acts as a converter to give the battery DC from an AC power source.
Electric Traction Motor
There is also a traction battery motor to generate power. Some cars have motor generators to help with both driving and regeneration. The battery pack can store energy.
Regenerative Braking Systems
This is the most unique thing about electric cars. They use braking to store energy. When the car is slowing down, the energy generated is returned. When the car starts again, the kinetic energy turns to electric energy, saving more energy. Generally, the car’s controller catches this energy and stores it.
Thermal System
The main job of this system is to maintain the temperature so that the car doesn’t overheat. So, the temperature that runs through the engine and other components of the car is balanced and cooled.
Some electric cars also have heat pumps to generate heat during extremely cold weather.
How to Charge an Electric Car?
Apart from knowing how all-electric cars work, you also need to know your charging options.
You have several options to charge an electric car. The easiest one is to make a power station in your garage so that you can recharge at home. Typically, you get 7kWh of power by charging at home.
Charging ports can be set in other places, like offices, warehouses, or even car parks. This gives more access to recharging whenever needed. If setting up your charging place isn’t possible, you can always go to a charging station. The price of charging is similar for all locations, but you have to wait overnight to get a full charge. So, at charging stations, the price increases if you need to recharge faster.
How Long Does It Take to Recharge an Electric Car?
Three different charging options mean different time lengths to fully recharge your cars. The one that you use at your home is around 120 V, giving less than 2kW, so it can take 50 hours for a BEV and 6 hours for a PHEV. Public places like car parks, recharge stations, and workplace garages require around 10 hours for a BEV, and almost 2 hours for a PHEV.
Ideally, you can go for DC fast charging, which is the fastest of them all.
Final Words
Knowing how do electric cars work can show you that they are very simple to drive. Apart from providing good speed and mileage, they are highly efficient and reduce costs a lot. If you get a charging station at home, then you don’t need to worry about charging at all. Since electric cars are becoming very popular nowadays, charging stations are easy to find anywhere.
You can get various types of electric cars on the market and choose one according to your needs. However, since electric cars have a lower range than traditional cars, they are better for daily use and short trips. Make sure to maintain them and do yearly servicing to run the car for years.
FAQ
What is the future of electric vehicles (EVs)?
Many electric cars are now equipped with modern technology for advanced features. In the future, they will include longer driving ranges, faster charging times, and improved battery technology. All comes down to the price that will be lower as the demand and infrastructure will increase rapidly worldwide.
How are electric cars maintained?
Electric cars are easier to maintain than petrol vehicles because they have fewer moving parts. They do not require oil changes, and regenerative braking reduces brake wear, resulting in lower maintenance costs. But you still need to go for servicing annually to check the tyres, brake fluids, and windscreen wipers.
What is the lifespan of electric cars?
Electric cars typically last 15 to 20 years. The batteries usually last 8 to 15 years or up to 300,000 km, and many manufacturers provide extended battery warranties. So, you don’t need to replace batteries very often.
Do electric cars need water?
Electric cars need water for a sealed liquid cooling system to keep the battery temperature in control, but this does not require regular refilling. Water inside will not do anything to the engine either.
Are electric cars safe to drive in rain and floods?
Electric cars have durable materials on the exterior to keep the electric motors safe inside. So, they are easily driven in the rain. The battery and electrical systems are sealed inside. However, driving through deep floodwater is not recommended as water might get inside.
