One of the most visible forms of renewable technology is electric vehicle (EV) propulsion. Range anxiety plays a role in the adoption of EVs as the current charging infrastructure and energy grids are not capable of supporting a fully-electric future, yet.
Transportation is a major source of environmental pollution, mainly due to fossil fuel-powered vehicles emitting CO2 into the atmosphere. However, the shift towards green cars offers hope for a cleaner future
EVs, or Electric vehicles, are another remarkable green technology innovation. Using electricity as their primary power source instead of gasoline or diesel, EVs produce zero tailpipe emissions, reducing the overall carbon emissions from transportation. With advancements in battery technology, EVs are becoming more accessible and practical for everyday use.
There are several types of electric vehicle (EV) available. Some run purely just on electricity, these are known as Pure Electric Vehicles - aka EVs. With new technologies there are now some electric powered engines that can also be run on petrol or diesel, these are called Hybrid Electric Vehicles - aka Hybrids.
A hybrid car is a car that uses more than one means of propulsion - that means it combines a petrol/diesel engine with an electric motor too. The main advantages of a Hybrid car are that it consumes less fuel and emits less CO2 than a comparable petrol/diesel-engined vehicle. Hybrid cars have a conventional engine, an electric motor and also a battery. Hybrids are categorized as either strong or mild and this depends on the amount of battery power that they have. With more battery capacity, strong hybrids can drive further than mild ones on electric power only.
Electric cars function by plugging the car into a charge point. Like all electrical devices, it then begins to take electricity from the grid and charge the car. The car stores the electricity in rechargeable batteries that then power an electric motor, which turns the wheels as a normal fuel-enginge would. Electric cars accelerate faster than vehicles with traditional fuel engines – so they feel lighter to drive as there are no gears to go through.
Battery capacity is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery when it is at 100%. It is determined by the overall mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the total amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain specified conditions.
