BMW Electric Vehicle
Understanding EV Electric Vehicle.
An EV is an abbreviation for an Electric Vehicle. EVs are cars that are partially or entirely powered by electricity.
Electric vehicles have minimal operating expenses since there are fewer moving parts to maintain. They are also very environmentally friendly because they consume little or no fossil fuels (petrol or diesel).
While some electric vehicles use lead acid or nickel metal hydride batteries, lithium-ion batteries are currently considered the norm for modern electric battery vehicles, as they have a longer lifespan and are exceptional at retaining energy, with a self-recharge rate of only 5% per month.
Despite this increased efficiency, there are still issues with these batteries since they can experience thermal runaway, which has resulted in fires or explosions in the Tesla Model S, despite efforts to improve battery safety.
Fully charging an electric car from home can cost as little as $4.80 and can even be free in public parking lots.
EV Electric Vehicle Types
There are two broad categories of electric vehicles (EV) – fully electric and plug-in hybrids.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)
Battery-powered electric vehicles have around 99% less moving parts that require maintenance as compared to internal combustion engines.
Benefits of a BEV:
- Produces little noise
- There is no exhaust, spark plugs, clutch, or gears.
- Does not use fossil fuels and instead relies on rechargeable batteries
BEVs can be charged overnight at home, offering ample range for normal trips. Longer travels or those with a lot of hill climbs, on the other hand, may necessitate charging the fuel cells before arriving at your destination, however regenerative braking or going downhill can assist reduce this by charging the battery packs.
An electric vehicle’s charging time might range from 30 minutes to more than 12 hours. The size of the battery and the charging station’s speed are what determine this.
Even though industry is working to solve it, range is one of the most important issues for electric vehicles in the real world.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
Instead of relying primarily on an electric motor, hybrid electric vehicles use a combination of battery and gasoline (or diesel) power. This makes them better for long-distance driving because you can switch to standard fuels instead of finding charging sites to top up the battery.
Of course, the same drawbacks to combustion engine vehicles apply to PHEVs, such as increased maintenance, engine noise, pollutants, and the cost of gasoline. PHEVs also have smaller battery packs, resulting in a shorter range.
