Planning to Buy an EV? Keep these facts in mind

The engineering behind Electric Vehicles

In our fight against our own global carbon footprint, for the first time in the history Governments around the world are taking a serious interest in the alternative solution to Combustion Vehicles. The transportation industry is quite heavily dependent on fossil fuel consumption and so is the first place we need to start our fight against Climate Change and pollution.

An obvious yet unoriginal solution would be to shift to Electric Vehicles or EVs. There is no doubt that EVs are the next step and that they are going to replace the current generation of cars. The concept was just there within our reach, but a concrete decision to pursue EV technology is yet to be set in stone.

It was only recently that companies like Jaguar and Land Rover had decided to reveal their FIA Formula E World Championship that allows global car manufacturers to take the stage in Electric Vehicle Engineering. Eyes of the world are now searching for an electric SUV or even a rival to Tesla’s Model X.

Adapting Electronic Vehicles has just begun its ascent and is now gaining more investor confidence as an effective renewable transport solution that would significantly reduce the emission crisis.

What is an EV?

As you already know, EV is the short for Electrical Vehicles. An EV is designed to fully or partially run on an Electrical Power alternative. Since Electrical Vehicles are constructed with less number of operating parts that are only a little or not at all dependant on fossil fuels, they are considered to be extremely harmless to the environment.

The concept of EVs have been around for a while and traditional EV systems rely on nickel metal hydride batteries or lead acid batteries. Today, the standard go-to power source for electric cars are lithium ion batteries. They are much more efficient in retaining energy, giving them lasting longevity at the expense of 5% discharge every month.

The road to our transition from fuel based vehicles to electric vehicles is not one without obstacles. We still need to factor in the cost of productions and other issues like the thermal runaway that caused the Tesla S model to explode. With the priority now on building safer batteries, we can expect electric vehicles to progress a little further in its evolution.

The current scene for electrical vehicle refuelling (or recharging) involves the availability of public or private charging facilities since they are essentially powered by an electric motor.

Types of Different EVs

Electronic Vehicles are classified based on their source of power and so there are two different types of EVs;

• BEV or Battery: Battery Powered Electric Vehicles run on stored energy which means they are completely free of combustion energy like petroleum or diesel.  This energyisdrawn from rechargeable batteries and does not involve any form of tail-pipe emission compared to gas or petrol powered engines. These vehicles are super light and easy to maintain as the engine model requires 99% less moving parts. Less parts, less friction and lesser maintenance. Few of the upsides to Battery Powered Engines is that there’s very little noise, very little chance of sparking, no clutch or gears and negligible exhaust. You have the choice between recharging them at home or haul up at a gas station with a recharging port. Your average recharge time would be 30 minutes and for long hour recharge them overnight. The only drawback is how much horsepower can the battery of an EV produce.

• PHEV or Plug-in Hybrid

Plug-in Hybrids like all other hybrids, combine the power of both an engine and an electric motor. In case of a PHEV, you have a much larger battery that can also use regenerative braking as a means to recycle any energy lost. So even if your battery on an empty pack, there is a means to recharge your car while driving via the fuel engine. It is true that this only partially counteracts the rate of urban emissions but it makes up for the loss of range of the EV. It’s a good things that your average PHEV engine can push up to 40 miles per hour before needing support from its gas engines. The downside to PHEVs is that it has all the drawbacks of your usual combustion engine, which means more noise, more emission and cost of petrol.

• Liquid H²

Imagine having all the energy you need to run your car for a lifetime while having 0% emissions? There is no sound, your car would run for miles at extraordinary speeds and the only by-product in the end would be water.

Sounds futuristic? It is and soon will be with cars running on Electro fuel. Electrofuel is all about using Hydrogen Gas (H²) to release energy and as result, it turns into water. Now though the science is simple, it does entail taking up certain measures that may slim down its cost effectiveness. Electrofuel needs to be stored in a pressurized tank which means it would make the vehicle 5 times heavier. The tank must be made crash and fire proof but that’s not even the beginning of all the complications it could entail. For now the liquid hydrogen fuel solution remains a futuristic dream which requires the united conviction of investors, innovators and administrators combined.

How EVs are better than Internal Combustion Vehicles?

The whole inspiration behind Electrical Vehicles is that swaps out the drawbacks of combustion engines with the sustainability behind electrical engines.

They are rechargeable and renewable. Some of their best advantages are enlisted below for your convenience;

• Energy Efficiency: There is lesser wastage of energy as 77% of the energy is charged directly from the grid to the wheels whereas combustion engines can only convert 12% to 13% ofthe energy stored in fuel like gasoline.
• Friend to the Environment: Theplanet is suffering from dangerous emissions powerful enough to punch a hole in our ozone layer. In case electric cars, that emission is reduced to only the power plants producing that electrical energy.
• Performance: EV engines boost the performance of your car overall. Its electric motor emits no sound, runs smoothly and requires only of a third of the maintenance needed in regular vehicles.
• Domestic Energy: Fossil fuels were always a radical source of energy which was crude and unmeasured. Electricity is more controllable and coordinated.

With progress comes compromise and so here are couple of drawbacks to help tip the scales;

• Driving Range: This is where it becomes a matter of time. Technology is constantly improving and we do not yet know the full potential of electricity. Current day EVs have a shorter driving range than average vehicles.
• Waiting Time: When we completely transition to a world filled with electrical vehicles, one thing that would feel incredibly nostalgic is refuelling the tank. Instead we would need to wait a minimum half hour to get back on the road again. In terms of wait time, EV engines aren’t that glamorous.

The goal here is to conserve and recycle our energy consumption so as to make it more bearable for nature to withstand the damage of modern day fuel combustion.

Inner Parts of an EV

You already know how most EV cars only require 1/5^th of the number moving parts compared to combustion engines. Here are the components of the EV;

1. Engine Motor: Possibly either a DC or AC type motor though AC types are more common. It makes provision for powering the vehicle.
2. Inverter: This is where the Direct Current (DC) is converted into Alternating Current (AC).
3. Drivetrain: In charge of conveying the power from the motor to the wheels.
4. Batteries: Is where the energy is stored. The vehicular range depends on the kW capacity of the battery.
5. Charging Port: You can now charge your cars by plugging it into an EV charging port.

kWh-Kilowatts is the unit of power needed by a device to work.

Kilowatt-hour or kWh is the unit of measure that scales the energy consumption of your vehicle.

The Latest EVs from Affordable to Exclusive!

EV Cars are going to drive us into the future and they will do so in style. With some of the latest models and innovation numbers rising each year. Some of these cars are top of the line while other are mass produced.

Tata Tigor Ziptron

After receiving a few design changes, the Tigor Ziptron is good pitch for energy efficiency and features on a budget that offers a maximum ARAI certified range of 306 kn/charge.

Tata Nexon EV

Currently the bestselling EV SUV in India that draws from a 30 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. It has stylish design and comes with fast charging facilities.

Mahindra XUV300 Electric

Cutting into the luxury SUV range is the the latest XUV300 from Mahindra & Mahindra. It has a fashionable modernistic design with features like LED headlights.

Porche Taycan

Porche recently announced their entry into the EV market with the Taycan. The cars expected distance per charge capacity is 308 km.

Conclusion

At this point in time the EV market has just begun to expand into reality and we can sure hope to see greater improvements in the future models to come.