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It’s a new world of motoring. We’re here to help you along the road. Let’s start with the basic features of an Electric Vehicle.
Electric Vehicle (EV) and Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) (traditional petrol/diesel engines) are fundamentally different in the way they generate power and propel a vehicle.
Here are some factors to consider when comparing an EV motor with an ICE:
Electric Vehicle motors provide instant torque and acceleration, while ICE engines typically require time to build up power. In addition to being more responsive, many EVs offer faster acceleration than ICE vehicles. When driving an EV, you will also notice the excellently matched response to the driver’s input: the torque delivered to the wheels is proportional to your foot’s input on the accelerator pedal in almost all situations – unlike ICE vehicles, where things like the engine specific torque curve or the gear you select make this much more complex. In an EV, you get the acceleration you want and that makes driving EVs feel effortless. A positive difference you can’t help notice!
EVs have a driving range of typically between 250-370Tooltip miles per charge, while most ICE vehicles can travel further on a single tank of fuel.
EV motors have fewer moving parts than ICE engines, which means they require less maintenance. ICE engines require oil changes, spark plug, filter replacements, and other maintenance tasks.
Without adaptations, EV electric drives are virtually silent, so EVs are engineered to achieve a certain level of noise in order to be noticeable to other road users. ICE engines generate noise and vibration.
Electric Vehicles produce zero emissions whilst driving, while ICE vehicles emit pollutants such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter. In addition, EVs produce significantly less greenhouse gasses over the lifetime of the vehicle, even if production of the vehicle and its HV battery as well as real well-to-wheel electricity generation are taken into account.
For “normal” AC charging, e.g. charging overnight at home, or at work during your working hours, electric vehicles use a so-called onboard charger (acting as a rectifier) to convert AC (alternating current) power from a charging station or wall outlet into DC (direct current) power that can be stored in the vehicle's battery. Typical empty to full charging times for AC charging range from 5 to 10 hoursTooltip, depending on the individual (infrastructure side) electricity installation and vehicle.
For fast DC charging, e.g. at a motorway charging station during a long distance trip, the charging station provides DC power directly into the high-voltage (HV) battery. While charging, the vehicle continuously communicates the required/allowed power to the charging station, which provides the power by adequately matching the output voltage relative to the high-voltage (HV) battery. Typical DC charging times from 10% to 80% range from 25 to 40 minutesTooltip.
The EV charging system is designed to charge the battery safely and efficiently. The EV Charger and converter may also have built-in safety features such as overtemperature, overcurrent and overvoltage protection, which help to prevent damage to the battery or other components of the vehicle's electrical system.
Found on most all-electric vehicles, a single-speed transmission consists of a single gear set that couples the motor to the wheels. In EVs with a single-speed transmission, there is no gear shifting at all, hence no lag, as is common on conventional transmissions.
Overall, EV motors and ICE engines have different strengths and weaknesses, and the choice between the two depends on factors such as driving needs, personal preferences, and environmental considerations.
When driving an EV, an electric motor/machine converts the electrical energy stored in the high-voltage battery into mechanical energy to drive the wheels. When decelerating, e.g. lifting the accelerator pedal or pushing the brake pedal, the electric motor/machine acts as a generator, converting kinetic energy into electrical energy for storage in the high-voltage battery. This is called regenerative braking. As a driver, in terms of the vehicle response, you won’t notice any difference to an ICE: in an EV, you get the braking response you’re used to, just in a much more energy efficient way!
Decode the language of electric vehicles in our Electrifying Talk glossary.
