How Do Electric Cars Work?: Green Vehicles Articles: Eco20/20

How Do Electric Cars Work?

Buying an electric car is a new trend driven by the environmental concerns advocated by governments and organizations from around the world. Many top car manufacturers have already introduced at least one electric car model on the market while others are currently in the process of developing next-gen concepts. But even if some people might be eager to purchase an electric car, for many the technology behind such a vehicle still remains a mystery.

The Propulsion System

To understand how an electric car works one needs to take a look first at how conventional vehicles work. Most cars use gasoline as fuel, which gets pumped through an engine to generate a chain of explosions. These explosions in turn create the energy required to set the car in motion. This system used by conventional vehicles is known as an internal combustion engine and for a really long time now has been the norm in the car industry.

There are quite a few reasons behind its popularity: it is highly fuel-efficient, affordable, and easy to produce en mass. Moreover, the fuel needed to power it, whether it is diesel or gasoline, is derived from oil and until recently it has been relatively cheap.

But in the last decades the attitude toward the internal combustion engine began to change, particularly due to its gas emissions which have a negative effect on the environment. This byproduct of the conventional gasoline or diesel engine is to many intolerable, especially now when a large percentage of the world population affords to buy a car. Besides the environmental concerns, the depletion of fossil fuel resources that leads to a higher oil prices is the next factor that signals that the time for change has come.

To address these issues, car manufacturers try to replace the internal combustion engine altogether with a more environmentally friendly alternative. And the solution most put their hopes in is the electric motor.

Electric motors are powered entirely by electricity. When electricity feeds the motor a magnetic field is created which spins a special coiled wire, which in turn rotates the axle of the car.

Types by Power Source

Typically, electric cars can use as their source of energy batteries, hydrogen fuel cells, and solar power. Batteries, which are usually placed at the back of the car, need to be recharged constantly. This is done with a plug-in cable which is introduced into a conventional wall socket. Hydrogen fuel cells create electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen. They are usually a less widespread technology than batteries and even if they are still to a great extent work in progress they show great potential. Solar panes can also be used to recharge a battery by converting solar energy into electricity. This method is perhaps the less reliable since it depends a lot of the weather.

Electric vehicles, while without a doubt a possible alternative for the future, still remain largely unavailable for the average person. The technologies they use are usually experimental and not efficient enough to be implemented on a large scale.

In addition, the energy source from which hybrid's batteries are charged, need to be taken into account. Most power plants still generate electricity using methods that damage the environment.

All things considered, electric vehicles are in many ways superior to conventional vehicles, and the issues they currently face are sooner or later going to be addressed; then the transition will be unavoidable.