You’re considering adding an electric vehicle to your fleet of wheels? If you answered yes, you probably want a vehicle with a whisper performance! Electric vehicles (EVs) have quite a reputation for traveling quietly. They accelerate fast without carbon monoxide emissions!
However, electric cars have disadvantages that affect their performance. Even though they’re more responsive and have a sporty feel, they have a reduced driving range. But still, electric vehicles are a popular choice because of the advantages that outweigh the drawbacks.
Want to learn more about electric vehicles’ advantages and look at a few things that plague EVs? Read on for more information.
What Are Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles are a type of vehicles that use either one or multiple electric motors to drive on the road. Unlike traditional vehicles with fuel in a gas tank, EVs store power in a battery pack placed underneath the floorboard.
The battery pack supplies power to electric motors that drive the wheels through a transmission and differential. Since the battery supplies direct current (DC) when electric motors only use AC power, an inverter onboard an EV converts DC to AC to power the motors.
How Electric Vehicles Work
We know electric vehicles run on an entirely different powertrain than traditional vehicles. But what many people don’t know is the powertrain composition:
Battery Charging
Just as you’d add energy to a traditional vehicle by filling its fuel tank, you add energy to an electric vehicle. But instead of fossil fuel, you add an electric charge to your EV battery pack. You can charge your EV at home or in a public charging station. You plug a charger into your EV, and its battery charges for some time, depending on the charging speed.
Power Delivery
The charger pushes DC power into the battery pack. That means the battery only delivers high-voltage DC (direct current) power. However, the electrical motors spinning the wheels use only alternating current (AC). An inverter changes the DC battery power to AC to power the electric motors.
EVs also have a voltage regulator that plays a crucial role. It steps down the high-voltage battery pack electricity to power lights, infotainment, air conditioning, and anything else that uses 12V power. The battery management system monitors the current requirements of essential electronics and manages temperatures.
Motor Power
Electric motors in an EV are engines since they produce the turning force that drives the wheels. Your vehicle may have one or many motors. An inverter onboard the vehicle supplies AC power to the motor. The electricity creates a magnetic field in the motor as it flows through the coils in the motor. The magnetic field interacts with the permanent magnet in the motor, causing the motor shaft to spin.
A differential transfers the spin to the wheels. However, it’s important to note that electric motors can spin very fast at thousands of RPMs. A reduction gearbox trades the incredibly fast rotation power for more torque to generate enough power to drive the car.
However, not all EVs need a reduction gearbox, especially those with more powerful motors generating more torque at lower RPMs. The horsepower rating is constant, however fast (or slow) the motor spins. So, a reduced gearbox doesn’t increase power output but enhances motor performance.
Regenerative Braking
Electric motors take advantage of the slowing vehicle by turning the braking force into electrical energy. The battery pack can store this energy, slightly increasing the range. However, the efficiency of the recaptured energy depends on the driving condition.
Electric Vehicles Advantages
Electric vehicles have many advantages over traditional vehicles. Mostly, the advantages impact the environment positively. Here’s how EVs revolutionize transportation:
Smaller Environmental Impact
EVs run fully on electricity stored in their battery packs. They don’t burn fossil fuel for energy, producing zero greenhouse gasses.
Cleaner Energy Source
Usually, people charge EVs in charging stations mostly connected to hydro generators. What’s more, homes are connected to hydro generators, ensuring you charge your EV with clean energy.
Reduced Carbon Footprint
Traditional vehicles release carbon monoxide into the air since they don’t burn fuel 100%; they burn only 35%. Carbon monoxide doesn’t come from EV tailpipes because EVs don’t need tailpipes in the first place. They purely use electricity for propulsion.
Lower Dependence on Oil
Unlike traditional vehicles that heavily depend on oil for engine lubrication, cleaning and piston sealing, EVs only need oil to lubricate the gearbox and cool the battery. Some EVs use oil in their suspension. EVs use less oil than traditional vehicles, helping preserve the finite resource.
Improve Air Quality
Smoke from tailpipes pollutes the air and reduces air quality. Since EVs don’t emit smoke, they improve air quality in cities worldwide.
Lower Operating Costs
You pay much less to get a full EV charge than you pay for a full tank. If you want to reduce monthly expenses, driving an EV can achieve this goal.
Lower Maintenance Expenses
Electric vehicles have a simpler powertrain with fewer moving parts. The powertrain has less chance of breaking down, making EVs boast lower maintenance expenses!
Better Acceleration
Electric vehicles have built a reputation for churning out high torque instantly. As a result, they have the best accelerations, making them a popular choice for people looking for responsiveness and a sporty feel.
Quieter Driving
The main noise comes from the motor and gearbox whining when driving down a street. Also, tyres rolling on the road produce noticeable noise, especially when driving at high speeds. What’s more, aerodynamics creates noise. However, the noise level is significantly lower compared with traditional vehicles.
Electric Vehicles Disadvantages
Electric vehicles have drawbacks that might make some people avoid the greener transport method. These are the disadvantages that come with owning an electric vehicle:
High Upfront Cost
Electric vehicles might cost more to purchase than traditional vehicles. That’s the case with high-end luxury sedans like Tesla Model S Plaid and Audi e-tron GT. This high sticker price can deter some people from buying these electric vehicles.
Electric Vehicle Driving Range
Although manufacturers improve electric vehicles with every release, EVs lag in driving range compared with traditional vehicles. Many EVs travel for 216 miles on a full charge. On the other hand, traditional vehicles travel 300 miles on a full tank. EV driving range reduces if the road condition is poor.
Recharge Time
Putting gas in a vehicle’s tank takes less than 5 minutes. On the other hand, charging your EV battery to 100% takes hours! Your vehicle takes over 12 hours if charging from a level 1 charger. Even if you charge with a fast DC charger, you need 20 – 30 minutes to get an 80% charge!
Charging Infrastructure
EV charging stations are fewer compared to gas stations. If you go to a remote, off-grid area, you might have trouble topping the charge. Gas stations are everywhere, and people can get more miles from them anywhere. Unfortunately, you can’t find charging stations everywhere!
Battery Degradation
An EV battery degrades as you continue to charge it. After depleting its lifecycle, it becomes less efficient in holding a charge, in which case you probably throw it away in a landfill. Your vehicle’s driving range reduces significantly when battery efficiency is below 100%. You will replace a degraded battery pack. But that comes with a cost which can set you back financially.
Conclusion
Electric vehicles travel more quietly on the road because there’s no combustion and exhaust system to produce noise. Of course, they produce reduced noise since the motor whining and tyre rumbles aren’t as loud as the noise produced by traditional vehicles. What’s more, EVs run on clean energy stored in a battery pack.
EVs are greener transport vehicles. Even more impressive is that they boast faster accelerations. However, they take hours to charge fully. Also, they don’t travel further than traditional vehicles. But they break down less often, making their operation costs lower. Therefore, EVs are better vehicles. Buy an EV and reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
