Electric Vehicles New Orleans LA
Electric Vehicles
Electric Vehicles: 2009 and Beyond By Alison Lakin
We are not going to mince words here: we are on the cusp of a monumental push by global automakers to bring electric vehicles (EVs) to market. They have quite a history , but our current energy situation means we need them now more than ever.
ZENN Electric Car 
Lithium-Ion Battery
DriverSide explains what’s behind the technology and what it has to offer.
How Do Electric Cars Work?
There are overarching EV categories, all using electricity in some capacity to power the vehicle.
1. Battery-Electric Vehicles (BEVs), or pure electrics: Their main energy source comes from batteries. These can be plugged-in to recharge the battery and examples include the Tesla Roadster and neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) such as golf carts.
2. Parallel Hybrids: Currently your most recognizable type of partially electric vehicle, these have a combustion engine that is mechanically connected to the wheels and can provide power from the engine when necessary to move the vehicle. In essence, the electric motor and combustion engine work together (in parallel) to power the vehicle. The Toyota Prius is considered a parallel hybrid and we generally separate these cars from other EVs due to their different capabilities.
3. Range-extended Electric Vehicles (REVs), also known as serial hybrids: The combustion engine acts only as an on-board generator and is completely disassociated from the drivetrain, unlike current hybrids. While there are not any on the road at the moment, 2010 should see many making an appearance .
To put it quite plainly, an electric car uses electricity to move an automobile’s wheels. Despite our lack of production EVs, the technology is actually far simpler than an internal combustion engine. Looking under the hood, you’ll immediately notice the differences. Belts and hoses are replaced by high voltage wires under the hood. And of course, for the battery electric vehicles, the gasoline engine is gone. In its place is the controller, which, as its name suggests, controls the electricity that moves the car. The controller sends power from the batteries to the car’s electric motor, which then converts the battery’s electric energy into kinetic energy to provide the power that makes you go. Turning the key in the ignition connects the batteries to the controller, giving the motor the juice it needs to get things moving.
The term “gas pedal” seems a bit of a misnomer in an electric car since it actually controls variable resisters, which tell the controller what to do. If you floor the accelerator, the controller simply sends all voltage to the motor. Taking your foot off means the motor receives zero volts, and pushing anywhere in between will return a variable amount of power. An electric water heater for the heat, and electric air conditioning unit, and “gas” gauge that displays the battery charge instead of gas level are j...