Although electric cars are – at first glance – a good alternative to these issues, not everything is as simple as it seems. There are some issues that make it difficult for electric motors to completely replace combustion engines, and we will present them in this text.

How does an electric car work?

When you accelerate a fossil fuel-powered vehicle, the compound is injected into the combustion chamber, where it will combine with the air and the spark produced by the spark plugs and then make the pistons work to turn the wheel axles. In electric vehicles, the movement of the wheel axles arises from a magnetic field generated by an electric current.

The processes are simpler, but the technology is more advanced, and therefore much more expensive. In short, an electric car runs on electrical energy, with a system that contains far fewer components than a gasoline-powered car, for example, but requires much more expensive technology.

Origin

The first electric car was launched in 1975, but with a much simpler structure and features compared to more modern electric cars. The car, called “Itaipu E150”, in honor of the Itaipu Hydroelectric Plant, was developed by mechanical and electrical engineer João Augusto Conrado do Amaral Gurgel. It weighed only 460 kg and reached a maximum speed of 30 km/h. The main problem with the first cars was the weight of the batteries, around 320 kg, their low autonomy (around 50 km) and their long recharging time (approximately 10 hours).

Components

Current batteries, although they present problems similar to those found by Gurgel, are much more advanced, produced from lithium ions, the same technology used in cell phone and notebook batteries. Today, batteries weigh around 250 kg and account for around 35% of the value of the car.

The components of a current electric car are basically the control module, which acts as the “brain” of the car, responsible for receiving acceleration and braking information and sending the information to the battery, with the amount of energy it should produce. Electric cars also have a motor, responsible for putting the vehicle in motion by turning the axles of the wheels. The motors of electric cars are significantly more efficient than the motors of fossil fuel-powered cars.

New technologies

There are even more advanced technologies involved in electric vehicles, such as an intelligent braking system, which recharges part of the battery when the driver steps on the brake. In addition, the vehicle significantly reduces its speed when there is no acceleration, acting as a brake in some cases. Although electric cars only have two gears (forward and reverse), some models are equipped with different driving modes, such as Eco, which reduces engine performance but saves battery power, B, which increases battery recharge when braking, and D, which uses the engine’s maximum power but consequently consumes more charge.

Hybrid cars

There is also a third type of vehicle, manufactured to run not only on electricity, but also on petroleum-derived fuels. In this case, the car can have more than one engine, and its traction can be chosen between only fossil fuel, only electricity, or a mix of both. This way, it is possible to save fuel and also travel longer distances without the risk of the car’s battery running out.

In addition to the variety of options for driving the vehicle, the combustion engine also works as a generator for the electric motor, making it possible to recharge the batteries even while the car is moving.

Currently, the most modern hybrid cars are known as hybrid electric, and they make up the majority of energy-powered vehicles. These cars are primarily powered by fuel, but they also have the option of running on electricity, aiming to reduce fuel consumption and increase sustainability.

Pros and cons of electric cars

No noise

Since electric car engines do not work with combustion, they are extremely quiet, which – although not the most important – is an extremely positive point in many situations.

Reduced pollution

Although the production of electrical energy is harmful to the environment, pollutant emissions into the atmosphere are significantly reduced with the use of electric cars. Therefore, when the means of energy production are developed so that they are less harmful to the environment, electric cars will undoubtedly be much better when it comes to reducing pollution.

Performance

Although the first electric motors had a much lower performance than combustion cars, modern models do not have this problem and, on the contrary, have an even better performance than fuel-powered cars. This is because the response time to acceleration is shorter and much less dissipative, which greatly improves performance.

Price

Although they are innovative and an excellent alternative to the price of fuel, electric cars have a much higher market value than other vehicles. Prices vary greatly between models, but for the price of an electric car considered to be “simple”, it is possible to buy top-of-the-line models from major brands.

Repairs

Like any machine, electric cars are also subject to problems. Since they are extremely advanced technology, their maintenance is also at the same level. Therefore, it is much more difficult (and also more expensive) to find qualified maintenance for these cars than for combustion engines.

Batteries

Just like cell phone and laptop batteries, electric car batteries also have a useful life, and at some point they will have to be discarded. With the increase in the use of batteries, this can be a major problem for the environment, mainly due to the toxic emissions of these materials, of course, if there is no proper recycling.

In general, electric cars emerge as a great alternative to get around some problems with combustion cars, but they are also not exempt from other concerns. Greater development of current technologies is needed so that these problems can be overcome, but all of this is still just the beginning.

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