Electric Vehicles (EVs)?

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been gaining traction in the automotive industry as an increasingly popular and viable alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. EVs offer a range of benefits including decreased environmental impact, lower running costs, and greater freedom of movement. With the increasing availability of charging infrastructure, EVs are becoming a more viable option for many people. As the technology behind EVs continues to evolve, their popularity is expected to continue to grow.

In this blog post, we will explore what electric vehicles are, their key features. And the advantages and disadvantages of electric vehicles compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. We will also discuss the types of electric vehicles available on the market and their relative costs. By the end of this post, you should have a comprehensive understanding of what electric vehicles are and what they can offer.

What is Electric Vehicle?

A vehicle that uses an electric motor or an arrangement of motors instead of the combustion engines powered by fossil fuel are known as electric vehicle. Since by the word “electric vehicle” it is clear that it uses electricity as its power source. The electricity is generated by various sources like batteries, fuel cells, solar panels, etc. In present time electric vehicles are getting popular since it is more efficient and have lower operating costs. In comparison to the traditional gasoline engines EVs produce no emissions thus are cleaner and eco-friendly.

There are various electric vehicles used now as a better means of transportation. Some of the vehicles include electric cars, electric scoter, electric bus, electric rikshaw, electric bicycles. Electric cars among them is becoming so much popular now days. Most of the companies like Tesla, Porche, Ford, BYD company, BMW, General Motors Company are involved in manufacturing electric cars. The companies like Volvo, Rolls Royce has announced that they will go fully electric by 2030. These vehicles are considered to be zero emission vehicle.

Types of Electric Vehicles

There are various types of electric vehicles in the market. On the basis of the engine electric vehicles can be categorized into 4 types. They are mentioned below:-

1. All-Electric Vehicles (AEVs)

These vehicles contain electric motor and are fully electric powered only by electricity. They do not have any type of combustion engine in it. All the parts in the vehicles are run by electricity. Some of the all-electric vehicles include Audi e-tron, BMW i4, Ford F-150 Lightning, Tesla Model S, Renault Zoe.

The AEVs are charged through external power source such as charging station. The battery in it stores electricity and used further to propel the vehicle. Since the vehicle run by battery it has limited speed and range. With the advancement in technology the batteries are also getting improved which ultimately has increased its range.

All-electric vehicles are comparatively cheaper since it has low operation cost. It is operated by electricity which is cheaper rather than gasoline and fossil fuels. Furthermore such type of vehicle has a limited number of parts. Due to this the manufacture and maintenance costs also get reduced. The most important benefit of this type of vehicle is that it produce no tailpipe emissions. This helps to reduce air pollution and decrease the emissions of Green House gases.

2. Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)

The HEVs are the type of vehicle which has both electric motor and internal combustion engine. Since the electric motor has less power it is used to propel the vehicle for less speed. Also it provides additional power in need. Unlike AEVs it does not need to charge externally. The internal combustion engine generates electricity and used to charge the battery. The battery is then used to power the vehicle. Some Hybrid Electric Vehicles are Honda Accord Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Toyota Avalon Hybrid.

They are designed to use both electric motor and internal combustion engine for optimum use of fuel. These vehicles have better efficiency and performance. They give better mileage than the AEVs and the traditional combustion engines. Also they do not produce as much gas emission as the traditional engines powered by gasoline. In some of the hybrid vehicles the battery can be charged externally. Thus, we can operate the vehicle completely on electricity for a limited distance.

3. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs)

The PHEVs are a most similar to the HEVs in many ways. The major difference is in their batteries and the electric motors used. Generally, PHEVs have larger battery for more power supply and have powerful electric motor. Thus the vehicle can be used in heavy lifting in the comparison of HEVs. Some Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles are Audi A3 E-Tron, Audi Q5 TFSIe PHEV, Audi A7 TFSIe, Bentley Bentagya, BMW 330e

Driving a PHEV is as similar as the Hybrid vehicles. It can automatically switch when to use electric motor and when the gasoline engine. Also a driver can have manual control on the system. The driver can run on fuel (petrol) when the battery is not charged and similarly solely on battery when the fuel is used up.

4. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs)

This type of electric vehicle uses fuel tank to produce electricity which powers the electric motor. Hydrogen is used as fuel in this electric vehicles, which is stored in tank in the vehicle. In the cell, hydrogen reacts with oxygen in air and generate electricity. The electricity generated is used to power the electric vehicle. In 2021, there were only two cars publicly available they are Toyata Mirai, Hundai Nexo.

In the process of generation of electricity, hydrogen combine with oxygen and as a byproduct water is released. It does not emits any kind of gases(green house gases). Thus, this type of vehicle is also called as “zero emission vehicle“.

This vehicle is much preferred in the environmental point of view. Since it does not pollutes the environment it is eco-friendly. So the nature conservationists as well as the entire world is focused on the use of such type of EVs.

What are the features of Electric Vehicles?

Electric vehicles are getting more famous nowadays because of their excellent features on them. Some of the features of the vehicles are explained below:

1. More Economical

The electric vehicles are comparatively cheaper in the comparison of gasoline engines. The reason behind being so cheaper are as follows:

• Less mechanical parts
• Requires less maintenance
• Electricity is cheaper then fuel
• Lower manufacture cost

2. Environment friendly

Since we have mentioned earlier EVs do not emits any type of gases which harms the environment. So it can be called as environment friendly more precisely eco-friendly. The FCEVs are often called “zero emission vehicle” because it does not emit anything as byproduct beside water.

3. Quieter

Having less number of movable parts EVs does not produce any kind of sound as the internal combustion engines. This make the device highly preferred in residential areas. Sine it does not use any kind of fuel it is free from knocking. This property makes it suitable in noise sensitive areas.

4. Conservation of Fossil Fuels

Fossil fuels are found in limited amount in the earth. So once it is finished it can never be regained. Thus it has become one so essential to decrease dependence on fuels. So electric vehicles are run(operated) by electricity and hence fossil fuel gets protected.

5. Provides charging options

This feature allows the vehicle to get charged at any places having charging stations. So there is no any matter of fuel consumption. The vehicles can be charged at home too. Fast charger is also available in the modern EV launched. In the past there is not used to be enough charging stations. But nowadays you can see charging stations at many places which has encouraged people to use electric vehicles.

6. Better technology

Comparatively the EV posses more advanced technology then the combustion engines vehicles. In the combustion engines everything is manual while in the EVs most of the features are digitalized. Some of other technology are listed below:

• Remote technology
• Does not requires any key to start
• Can charge your phone laptop and other devices up to 240V.
• Connect to phone through application

Advantages of Electric Vehicles

There are several advantages of EVs over the internal combustion engines. The most important advantage is decrease in consumption of fossil fuel and the “zero emission”. The present world is facing energy crisis. In this case electric vehicle has worked a lot to minimize energy shortage. Climate change is another problem that we are facing at the present time. 15% of air pollution is caused by vehicles globally and 27% of total green house gases in USA are from transportation. Electric vehicles has reduced the emission of such gases that helps to promote the quality of air.

Disadvantages of Electric Vehicles

In spite of having a plenty of advantages electric vehicles have disadvantages too. Some of the disadvantages are presented below in the table: