Simply put, an electric car is a car that is driven by some electric motors, which take their power from an onboard source of power-the batteries. The batteries give power to the controller, which in turn regulates the amount of power needed to drive the engine. There are two types of electric cars; battery-operated electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles.

There are actually two types of electric cars: battery-operated electric vehicles, and hybrid electric vehicles. A battery-electric vehicle (BEV) uses only electric motors. The electricity for the motors is stored in a battery that must be recharged from an external power supply. Finding a BEV on the road is extremely rare. A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uses electric motors and an internal combustion engine (ICE). An HEV is the type of hybrid you see on the road, like the Toyota Prius. This essay will talk about in more detail about how these two hybrids work.

Electric vehicles are powered by one or more electric motors that are “fueled” by electricity. The source of the electricity may be rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, or photovoltaic solar cells that convert the sun’s energy into electricity. However, since fuel cell and photovoltaic solar cell vehicles are not currently available to customers, this article will focus on electric cars that run on rechargeable batteries.

A law of nature that is critical to an understanding of anything that moves or does work is that energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be moved from one point to another. This is an important law to consider when trying to understand the efficiencies of an electric drive vehicle. The internal combustion engine is a loved, but very inefficient machine.

Although there are some energy losses with electric drive, the amount is very low if the vehicle is designed properly. One of the keys to the overall efficiency of an electric drive vehicle is called regenerative braking.

Regenerative braking is the process by which a vehicle’s kinetic energy can be captured while it is decelerating and braking. Whenever the driver applies the brakes in a conventional car, friction converts the vehicle’s kinetic energy into heat. That heat is useless to the car and becomes lost energy.

The operation of most electric drive vehicles is based on batteries, electric motors, and electric generators. Batteries supply the power to operate the motors. The motors take that electrical power and change it to mechanical energy, which rotates the wheels and allows the vehicle to move. A generator takes the kinetic energy, or the energy of something in motion, and changes it to energy that charges the batteries. When the generator is operating during regenerative braking, it helps slow down the vehicle.

The rotation of the wheels turns the generator, which generates a voltage to charge the batteries. Because of the magnetic forces within the generator, the vehicle slows down. A conventional brake system is used in conjunction with the regenerative brake system to bring the vehicle to a safe stop. Regenerative braking can recover about 30% of the energy normally lost as heat when a vehicle is slowing down or braking. Regenerative braking is unique to electric drive vehicles.

A battery-operated electric vehicle, sometimes referred to as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) uses one or more electric motors to turn its drive wheels. The electricity for the motors is stored in a battery that must be recharged from an external electrical power source. This technology is used for passenger cars, forklifts, urban buses, airport ground support equipment, and off-the-road industrial equipment. BEVs are zero-emission vehicles because they do not directly pollute the air. The only pollution associated with them is the result of creating the electricity to charge their batteries.

Even when those emissions are included, BEVs are more than 99% cleaner that the cleanest ICE vehicle. Normally, a battery-operated vehicle drives the same way as any other, but it is quiet and carries no fossil fuel. However, rather than filling a tank with fuel, you need to recharge the batteries. The batteries are recharged by plugging them into a recharging outlet at home or other locations.

Currently, there are no BEVs widely available to customers since they cost a lot, the batteries were expensive, and the limited driving ranges-around 120 miles-before the batteries needed to be recharged.

A BEV’s electricity supply comes from one or more of the following items: atomic power, coal, gas petroleum, or hydroelectric power. This is converted into electricity, which enters the car. The electricity is stored in the batteries, until it is needed. When electricity is needed, it gets sent to the controller, the device that regulates the flow of electricity into the electric motor(s). The motor(s) turn the transmission, which powers the drive wheels, or in the case of a four-wheel drive, all the wheels.

A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) uses one or more electric motors and an ICE to propel the vehicle. Depending on the design of the system, the ICE may propel the vehicle by itself, act together with the electric motor to propel the vehicle, or it may drive a generator to charge the vehicle’s batteries. The electric motor may propel the vehicle itself or assist the ICE while it is propelling the vehicle.

Some hybrids rely exclusively on the electric motor(s) during slow speed operation, the ICE alone at higher speeds, and both during some driving conditions. A hybrid’s electric motor is powered by batteries, which are continuously recharged by a generator that is driven by the ICE. The battery is also recharged through regenerative braking. Complex electric controls monitor the operation of the vehicle. Based on the current operating conditions, electronics control the ICE, electric motor, and generator. The system recharges the batteries while driving, therefore plug-in charging is not required.

The engines used in hybrids are specially designed for the vehicle and electric assist. Therefore, they can operate more efficiently, resulting in very good fuel economy and very low tailpipe emissions. Hybrids will never be true zero-emission vehicles, however, because they have an ICE.

HEVs have an extended range, going further that a BEV can on just the charge in its batteries. They also have a longer driving range that a comparable ICE-equipped vehicle. HEVs also provide the same performance, if not better, as the same vehicle equipped with a larger ICE. The delivery of power to the wheels is smooth and very responsive.

There are two types of hybrids: the parallel and the series designs. A parallel HEV uses either the electric motor or the gas engine to propel the vehicle, or both. A true series HEV only uses the ICE to power the generator to keep the batteries charged. The vehicle is powered only by the electric motor(s).

All electric vehicles are definitely more environmentally friendly, so choose any electric car avaliable, scrape some money together, and go right to the store and buy one today!

This picture shows the Aptera, a very efficient electric car-it gets 120 miles per gallon! It is currently for sale in California, with a price tag of about $27,000.