Electric Cars... An investment that pays off

Hello pals, it’s a New month and it’s such a perfect time to explore the world of engineering. I’m sure by now you know how much I love to write about cars and today would not be an exception.

Imagine driving a car without the noise of an internal combusting engine, fascinating right?

That is exactly what you get when you drive an electric car.

_{Electric cars from pixabay under CCO license}

The use of electric cars around the world is steadily increasing due to the inexpensive operational costs of running the car as well as the fact that it completely eliminates the reliance on fuel which is healthier and better for the environment.

Electric cars easily fit into the everyday lifestyle of consumers because the cars can be recharged at the convenience of the users. Owners can easily plug in their vehicles once they return from work and by the next morning they have a fully charged battery. Consumers like a stress-free life and the electric vehicles eliminate the need for consumers to go out of their way to refuel their cars because they can simply charge at home, at work or at public chargers effortlessly. With smart electric charging system fleet vehicles can be charged and this saves cost.

Electric cars range from economy to the luxury models and driving an electric car is an investment that would definitely be worthwhile overtime the more you drive the car because of the relatively low cost of electrical energy compared to that of Fuel. So it’s obvious that overtime one can save substantial amount of money compared to using fuel.

Performing basic calculations an electric car is a cost effective form of transportation because it requires less maintenance and the overall maintenance cost is basically lower because it has fewer moving parts compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. The chargers and controllers are electronic devices with no moving part, the only moving part in the electric motor is the shaft which requires relatively little or no maintenance.

Another major reason electric Cars have increasingly found more use is the fact that they are environmentally friendly and create less pollution because they don’t produce any tailpipe emissions compared to gasoline cars. Hence fewer greenhouse gas emission that would save the ozone layer in the long run. So as the use of electric vehicles increases we have cleaner air which would reduce diseases in the world.

One major thing that clears distinguish between driving an electric car and an electric car is the silent nature of the operation of an electric vehicle. The engine is silent. Electric cars have an almost whisper-quiet sound, imagine how traffic would be if everyone drives an electric car, there would be a significantly lower noise pollution.

In cases of accidents, it’s virtually impossible for electric cars to explode on impact, and when compared to gasoline vehicles they are far less likely to catch fire. The center of mass of electric vehicles are significantly lower because of the heavy battery packs, so the car would hardly roll over and it is agile to drive. Hence Electric cars are Safer to drive.

Fully charged most batteries in an electric car have a driving range of 70 – 100 miles, which is the day-to-day range requirement of an average consumer. Some batteries can go as far as 265miles on a single charge. The extremely fast acceleration and light or zappy feel driving an electric car gives makes it a whole new experience for anyone driving EV for the first time.

And by now I’m sure you would like to how electric cars give great performance with no noise of emission…….

Now let’s take a look….

What is an ELECTRIC CAR?
An electric car is an automobile with an electric motor as its primary source of propulsion. The electric vehicle make use of the energy stored in the rechargeable batteries for operations.

To understand how electric car functions let’s take a look at the components that make up the Electric car.

ELECTRIC ENGINE
The engine basically propels the electric car and they can either use an AC or DC current. The most commonly used engine is the AC engine because it is less expensive and lighter compared to an engine that uses DC current. Engines have fewer mechanical problems and requires less maintenance as a result of the fewer moving parts.

MOTOR CONTROLLER
This is the part of the electric car that governs the complete operation of the vehicle as well as the distribution of power within the vehicle. It simply regulates energy flow from the battery to the motor and allows adjustable speed.
Motor controllers act as intermediary between the motors and batteries. Another function of the controller is the regulation of the different performance indicator in all areas of the electric system.

REGENERATIVE BRAKING
Regenerative braking systems are preferred in electric cars due to the fact that the braking system can recover up to about 15% of energy used for acceleration. During braking energy is lost in an electric car, but with the help of regenerative braking systems some of the lost energy is recaptured and conveyed back to the braking system. Forward motion is generated by the electric motor as the electric car moves and this can be used to charge the batteries when the brakes of the car is applied.
Also the kinetic energy of the vehicle is converted into chemical energy by regenerative braking. The chemical energy is stored in the battery and is later used in powering the vehicle.

DRIVE SYSTEM
Transmission system is not necessary in an electrical car because Motion is generated in the traction wheels by the mechanical energy transferred by the drive system. Although depending on the components used it has several internal configurations.

BATTERY
The batteries store energy and provide the power to keep the electric car running. The major battery technology used for electric cars are lithium ion batteries, Lead Acid batteries, Nickel Metal Hydride Batteries among others.

_{An Electric Car from pixabay under CCO license}

Electric cars can be charged anywhere there is an outlet or charging station. Home, work, public charging stations available at gas stations, malls, retail stores, parking lots. For charging to take place there is an electric cord that plugs into the vehicle and into a standard household power outlet.

Electric Vehicle service equipment(EVSE) refers to ALL Electric Vehicle charging solutions and based on the rate or speed at which electric vehicles batteries are recharged, they are classified into Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 (DC fast charge)

LEVEL 1 Charging (120V)
This requires the use of a corded plug to connect a standard household (120v) outlet to the vehicles. It is the easiest and slowest form of EV charging. For a depleted battery to be recharged it can take over 8hours, it is really convenient but it has a really long charging time and it’s mostly used at home when the vehicle is parked overnight

LEVEL 2 Charging (240V)
In this case a specialized station which provides power at 220/240V and up to 30 amps is installed, and would require wiring and mounting of a charging pylon and cord. Although Some Electric car users install level two station at home for faster charging times but it’s mostly found at work places or public charging spots. For a depleted battery to be charged it about 4hours.

Level 3 charging (480v)
Installation requires wiring and mounting of a charging pylon and cord and in case there is no standardized charging protocols for level 3 charging stations. It is the FASTEST charging solution for electric vehicles and can charge a depleted battery in 30minutes. However, the cost and power requirements of level 3 chargers is relatively high, so the stations are only installed along transit corridors and only used for commercial purpose.

The time required to charge a battery is determined by the total capacity of the electric vehicle’s battery, the amount of charge required, the charger level or speed.

The life span an electric car battery is determined by the battery technology, total battery capacity and the use of the battery. The users to a large extent determine the life span of their batteries simply based on their charging habits and usage. it was clearly discovered that batteries increased 3-4 times life expectancy when they are regularly discharged to only 50% capacity, compared with batteries that get completely discharged before recharging.
Hence Constant partial discharge of the car battery to a great extent can significantly increase the duration of the battery usage. And it’s always advisable for users to recharge regularly and not let the battery drain below 1/3.

Finally, the range anxiety problem faced by quite a number of people with driving an electric is simply caused by inexperience. Range anxiety is a situation where the user is constantly worried about his car reaching its final destination or the next charging station before the electric car runs out of battery. Within a really short period of driving an electric car that range anxiety is replaced with range awareness, which is knowing how far your car can go at any battery level.

For cases where a user wants to set out on a journey where the distance is more than the available range of the car, the user simply checks the route he wants be travel by and check for the availability of fast chargers on that route and then the user can plan his journey.

But the fun part of driving an electric car is when driving well within the range of the car battery. Then you can enjoy the superb thrill of driving an electric car with smooth but fast acceleration, exceptional road holding due to its low center of gravity and you can enjoy your favorite music without the crazy noise and smell of an internal combustion engine.

CONCLUSION
Electric cars come in different models, size and capacities and they are cars that can easily fit into our everyday lives and you don’t need to break the bank to purchase an electric car, you can simply convert your gasoline powered cars to an electric cars and enjoy all its numerous benefits.

The range, speed and batteries of an electric car depends on the specific model of the vehicle. The more features you require the more money you must be willing to spend.

However, the weak link in electric cars at the moment are the batteries and that explains the excitement around gasoline cars at the moment because they solve the problem of batteries.

However, With the advancement of technology battery technology is steadily been improved as cheaper and more efficient batteries are being produced.

So If you have never driven an electric car by now, I suggest you Try it & I’m absolutely sure you would love it.

REFERENCES
Electric Automobile

How do battery Electric car work

primary component of an electric powered car engine

How electric Automobile is made

Electric cars