What is an EV? How does it work?
While this may seem like a stupid question to some of our visitors, we don’t think there are ANY stupid questions. We are here to be a resource for everyone interested in EVs, at all skill levels. For this reason, we want to cover the very basics.
An Electric Vehicle (or EV) is any mode of transportation that operates on electric power. Other terms for this are “electric car”, “battery vehicle”, or “battery electric vehicle” (BEV). In most cases, you operate an EV in much the same way as any other vehicle. Controls like the brake, accelerator, and steering are all in the same places, so doing basic things like actually driving the vehicle shouldn’t require any special training or skills.
An Electric Vehicle (or EV) is any mode of transportation that operates on electric power. Other terms for this are “electric car”, “battery vehicle”, or “battery electric vehicle” (BEV). In most cases, you operate an EV in much the same way as any other vehicle. Controls like the brake, accelerator, and steering are all in the same places, so doing basic things like actually driving the vehicle shouldn’t require any special training or skills.
EV is a broad term
One of the important things to understand about EVs is that there are a broad variety of them.
Over the last few years, advances in battery technology have changed this a lot. It used to take a large and heavy bank of battery cells to provide enough energy to move anything around for more than just a few miles, but that has changed. There are an increasing number of small and light EVs in all shapes and sizes.
The important point here is that the EV world is not only about cars. There are scooters, skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, semi-trucks, and even aircraft powered by batteries today. In some cases, these vehicles are just electric versions of the vehicles we were already familiar with, but even that is changing as batteries get better. We will start seeing an even broader variety of EVs.
Over the last few years, advances in battery technology have changed this a lot. It used to take a large and heavy bank of battery cells to provide enough energy to move anything around for more than just a few miles, but that has changed. There are an increasing number of small and light EVs in all shapes and sizes.
The important point here is that the EV world is not only about cars. There are scooters, skateboards, bicycles, motorcycles, cars, trucks, semi-trucks, and even aircraft powered by batteries today. In some cases, these vehicles are just electric versions of the vehicles we were already familiar with, but even that is changing as batteries get better. We will start seeing an even broader variety of EVs.
How EVs work
While we won’t go deep into the technical details, we want to give you a basic idea of how electric vehicles work, and how they differ from gas and diesel powered vehicles.
Instead of an engine, an electric vehicle uses an electric motor to drive the wheels. An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy with primarily two components: a rotor, and a stator. The only moving part is the rotor, which uses an electromagnetic force to turn the shaft and deliver the mechanical power. The stator is the stationary part of the motor's electromagnetic circuit and usually consists of either windings or permanent magnets.
But, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. To keep turning, at least some of the magnets need to be able to turn on and off. Permanent magnets, like the ones you stick to your fridge, can’t be turned off, so we have to use electromagnets, or magnets powered by electricity. The more force you make, and the faster you turn the motor, the more electricity will be needed.
Unless there’s a wire or track you can get power from (like a subway or trolley car), you’re going to need a battery to carry some electrical energy along for the ride. Batteries use chemical reactions to store and generate electricity. Typically, that battery is charged by plugging the battery into the electrical grid or solar panels, but some types of EVs use other sources of power. For example, a plugin hybrid can use a gas or diesel engine to charge the battery, and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle uses a hydrogen reaction to charge up.
Battery packs are usually made up of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of small battery cells that are all wired together to make the large amounts of electricity needed to power a vehicle. Usually mounted under the vehicle, battery packs can be rather large, and weigh hundreds of pounds.
Instead of an engine, an electric vehicle uses an electric motor to drive the wheels. An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy with primarily two components: a rotor, and a stator. The only moving part is the rotor, which uses an electromagnetic force to turn the shaft and deliver the mechanical power. The stator is the stationary part of the motor's electromagnetic circuit and usually consists of either windings or permanent magnets.
But, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. To keep turning, at least some of the magnets need to be able to turn on and off. Permanent magnets, like the ones you stick to your fridge, can’t be turned off, so we have to use electromagnets, or magnets powered by electricity. The more force you make, and the faster you turn the motor, the more electricity will be needed.
Unless there’s a wire or track you can get power from (like a subway or trolley car), you’re going to need a battery to carry some electrical energy along for the ride. Batteries use chemical reactions to store and generate electricity. Typically, that battery is charged by plugging the battery into the electrical grid or solar panels, but some types of EVs use other sources of power. For example, a plugin hybrid can use a gas or diesel engine to charge the battery, and a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle uses a hydrogen reaction to charge up.
Battery packs are usually made up of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of small battery cells that are all wired together to make the large amounts of electricity needed to power a vehicle. Usually mounted under the vehicle, battery packs can be rather large, and weigh hundreds of pounds.
