Electric cars are big news in today’s world, boasting low running costs, ever-improving charging time and are able to cover more miles on a single charge than ever before.
But how do they work? Here, we reveal all.
Charging – not combustion
The biggest difference between an electric vehicle and a normal diesel or petrol car is that, in an electric vehicle, the internal-combustion engine has been replaced with an electric motor and a large battery pack.
The biggest difference between an electric vehicle and a normal diesel or petrol car is that, in an electric vehicle, the internal-combustion engine has been replaced with an electric motor and a large battery pack.
The motor needs a battery – find out more on the next page.
Charging ahead
All electric vehicles come with some form of battery pack, often made of lithium-ion stacks. These store electricity obtained from the grid by charging. Much like charging a mobile phone, an electric vehicle is plugged into the grid, through either a home or a public charging unit, to boost its electricity level.
It might sound different, but the way you drive an EV is very familiar.
The power from the battery is delivered to the electric motor through its controller, which in turn is connected to the accelerator pedal. The amount of movement in the pedal determines how much power the controller sends to the motor, which determines how fast the car goes.
Most electric vehicles now also come with regenerative braking. With this, when you release the throttle, the car automatically brakes a little. The energy created by the braking is captured and converted into electricity, which is transmitted to the car’s battery.
The ultimate version of this – for now – is the E-Pedal, as fitted to the Nissan Leaf. Once activated, the regenerative braking is so powerful that it actually removes the need to use the brake pedal in most situations. It’ll even bring the car to a complete stop.
You can charge an electric car from a three-pin household socket, but it’ll take many hours. A better option is to use a home wallbox or public charging station, which will take four to eight hours, depending on your car and the charger’s power output. Depending on your car, you’ll be able to use rapid chargers at service stations, shopping centres and other busy areas. These could cut your charging time to around 30 minutes.
Unlike normal cars, electric vehicles don’t feature a gearbox with multiple gears. This is because an electric motor delivers its maximum torque immediately, and doesn’t need to be revved. Electric cars also come with a much larger working range for the engine, and thus they don’t need gears to optimise performance and economy.
