So how do electric cars work anyway? They have batteries and a motor, right? Yes… well for the most part. In laymen’s terms EV’s have a battery pack, an electric motor, and a charger. After all that, things begin to become complicated. I’m going to try and explain the fundamentals of an electric car in the simplest way possible. Here it goes!
The Batteries – The battery pack is like the gas tank of an electric vehicle. Battery packs come in all shapes, sizes and types. The beginning of EV’s started with simple lead-acid batteries. These are the same ones that start your everyday gasoline powered vehicle. Lead-acid batteries are cheap, heavy and hold a considerably good charge. Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are a newer technology battery than lead-acid, but are less efficient in holding a charge. However, NiMH batteries last relatively longer than lead-acid if properly maintained and have a far higher energy density. Last for the traditionally used batteries are the lithium ion batteries. These are the same ones that power your laptops and other electronic devices. Lithium ion batteries are expensive, have the highest energy density out of the three and are the most common in production EV’s. The only drawback to lithium ion is their short cycle lives, meaning you can only charge them so many times before they are completely useless.
Part of a lithium-ion battery pack in a Mazda Miata converted by my Dad
The Motor – This is going to be short because even I don’t know very much about electric motors. For starters, there are two types of electric motors, AC and DC. DC motors are direct current motors and are the most popular among electric vehicles and conversions. AC motors are alternating current motors and are far more expensive than DC motors. However, AC motors are more efficient and even have a regenerating feature so you can charge your batteries when you brake.
Typical DC motor
The Components – So what else besides the battery pack and the motor? Well… a lot, but I’ll only mention some of the other basic components. Another very important component is the controller. The controller does exactly what it sounds like. It controls the amount of energy going to the motor at any certain time. The controller gets its signal from the potentiometer or the throttle. A potentiometer is an electric version of the throttle and gas peddle. Depending on what position the potentiometer is at is how much energy the controller gives the motor. And the last basic component is the charger. EV chargers are either built into the car or separate from the car. Most manufacturers put the charging plug the same place where you fill up for gas!
Still interested?? Here’s some more reading.
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