Space Zoo Patrol – Future Cars
By the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA)
1. What is this technology called?
Electric vehicles (EVs) include hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric, and fuel cell vehicles.
2. What does it do?
In each of these, electricity is the power that provides propulsion. In this section, we’ll focus on battery electric vehicles.
For more information about the different types of EVs, visit https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/how-do-all-electric-cars-work.
3. How does it work?
An EV has an electric motor that uses electricity stored in a battery – larger versions of the batteries found in cell phones, tablets, and laptops – to power the wheels and all the car’s accessories like the radio, power windows, and air conditioning.
As an EV slows down, regenerative braking captures some of the energy from the moving wheels to help recharge the battery. When more power is needed, the battery is plugged into an electricity source (a wall outlet or charging station) to recharge the battery.
To learn about the different types of chargers, visit https://afdc.energy.gov/fuels/electricity_infrastructure.html.
4. How is it better than the older technology?
It’s cleaner: EVs use electricity as their fuel and don’t emit any emissions while driving. Most vehicles on the road today are powered by internal combustion engines (ICEs) using gasoline or diesel, which emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants into the air. And even though some electricity still comes from fossil fuels like natural gas and coal, EVs are cleaner and have less of an impact on the environment than gas and diesel vehicles. And the best part is, as power companies turn away from fossil fuels and use renewable energy sources like the sun and wind, the electrical grid becomes cleaner and thus EVs become even cleaner.
It’s cheaper to own and operate: Unlike gas and diesel prices, which go up and down throughout the year depending on many uncontrollable factors, electricity is a stable, reliable energy source. EVs also have fewer parts than a traditional vehicle, so there’s less maintenance and lower costs when owning and operating an EV.
It’s faster and more efficient: EVs are single-speed and don’t have a transmission, so instant torque is delivered to the wheels when a driver accelerates. Because EVs have fewer moving parts, less energy is lost to heat and friction, making EVs more efficient than traditional vehicles.
It’s quieter: An EV’s electric motor is very quiet, and the only significant noise comes from the tires and wind resistance when traveling down the road. This reduction in noise pollution improves the quality of life for everyone, especially if you live near a highway or busy road.
5. What classes should I take in school to work on this?
STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) courses are a great way to get familiar with the basics to prepare for a career in the automotive or electrical industry. Computer science is also important with all the new technologies being developed.
Ongoing innovation to improve the battery, motor, vehicle design, and charging infrastructure means there are many different jobs associated with EVs: engineering, deployment, planning and design, maintenance, and more.
6. Pictures
7. Links
Electric Drive https://electricdrive.org/
Check out these other links about different kinds of EVs:
Electric garbage trucks are the quiet, clean titans of waste collection (Popular Science)
World’s largest EV never has to be recharged (Green Car Reports)