THE ELECTRIC CAR

THE MOTOR THAT WORKS IT ALL

Every thing about the electric car is fascinating and proves we can (only if we want to) improve our condition of living and as a result reduce the risk of diseases caused by emission from combustion engines.  Electric cars have a motor just like conventional, internal combustion engine cars. The difference is that the power supply is derived from battery-stored electricity rather than the mechanical power derived from burning gasoline. The batteries used in electric cars vary in design, and include the lead-acid type familiar to all conventional car owners, lithium ion, similar to those used in laptops and mobile phones, but once again much larger, molten salt, zinc-air, and various nickel-based designs.

An electric motor (DC)

In an electric vehicle the traditional gasoline or diesel engine and fuel tank is replaced with an electric motor, a battery pack and controllers. The vehicle also has a controller that powers the electric motor that uses rechargeable batteries as its energy source. The motor itself can be either AC or DC. The main advantage to electric vehicles is that the motor and battery configuration allows the vehicle to run more fuel-efficiently. DC motor installations tend to be easier and less expensive to build. DC motors also have an overdrive feature which means that for a short period of time the motor will accept more energy and deliver more horsepower as a result. This feature is useful in a vehicle because it can help during acceleration. The motor, however, cannot be run in overdrive too often because the motor will overheat and could malfunction.

AC motor installations are more expensive than DC installations. They usually use a three phase AC motor that allows regenerative braking. This means that during braking the motor acts in reverse as a generator and delivers power back to the batteries. 15% of the energy used for acceleration can be recovered using regenerative braking. This amount is not enough to fully recharge the battery pack, but it will extend the range of the vehicle.

In a DC electric car, the controller delivers the power from the batteries to the engine in a controlled way. The controller pulses the power to the engine usually at a frequency of 15,000 times per second. The frequency is outside of normal human hearing which is why the controller and motor is silent. In an AC electric car, the controller needs to create three Electric vehicles T-611-NYTI-21652 New Technology Page 8 pseudo-sine waves. The controller takes the DC voltage from the batteries and pulses it to the motor. In addition, the controller via transistors reverses the polarity of the voltage. (McClellan, 2010) The biggest technology challenge for electric vehicle engineers comes with the batteries. Lead acid batteries are not ideal for the job because they are heavy and bulky, have a limited capacity, take a long time to charge, have a short life, and are expensive. Therefore, either lithium-ion or nickel metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries are used instead. NiMH batteries double the range of the car and have a long useful life. However, the cost of the batteries is at least ten times higher than lead-acid batteries, and like lead-acid batteries, they are not good for the life of the vehicle.

An electric vehicle also has a normal 12-volt lead-acid battery. This is the same type of battery that

every vehicle has and is used to power all of the vehicle accessories such as the radio, lights, power windows, etc. An electric car needs a DC to DC convertor to convert the voltage from the main battery back to 12 volts and to keep this battery charged. Finally, an electric vehicle needs a charging system to recharge the batteries. The two main functions of the charging system are to charge the batteries as quickly as possible and to avoid damaging the battery pack during the charging process.

The technology and components used in an electric vehicle is constantly evolving, and engineers are finding new solutions every day to the technological issues. It looks like electric vehicles are here to stay, and the battery and other electric vehicle technology will only continue to improve.

Now lets take a look at the balancing and battery placement on this impressive machine and maybe you will start to understand better the level of space that has been created as well as the impressive finishing that's was put into this great design. Most designers prefer to pack the batteries just beneath. At that, it fits in most and considering the type of battery being used and how compact it can be, the shape and design just varies. Surprisingly, this batteries are highly efficient and reaches a long range (distance) and brings it head-on with regular combustion engines. For the advantages if gives and its eco-friendly nature, it has also proven to be cost effective and with time, we hope this revolution spans across the globe.