Electric Cars Explained

Eco-friendly cars are big at this year’s motor shows. But what makes them tick over?

1 Lithium-ion fuel cells

This power source is the primary reason the world now gives a damn about electric cars. Because lithium-ion batteries’ energy storage density (stop snoring at the back) mean that electric cars can now almost rival their petrol-powered brethren. Lithium-ion cells – also the in-vogue batteries for modern laptops and mobiles – are valued because they discharge 20% slower. They pack far denser, and more powerful, energy and suffer no memory loss if charged before being empty. Tesla, packed several thousands consumer-grade lithium-ion cells into its Roadster. The result? An electric car that goes from 0-60 in 3.7 seconds.

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2 Charging stations

Your electric car charges just like your mobile phone – i.e. by plugging the connector that comes with it into a standard 240-volt plug socket. The Nissan Leaf (its scheduled to hit the western markets in 2013) claims it will get to 80% power in just thirty minutes and the Tesla Roadster reaches full charge in three-and-a-half hours, but most are designed to be topped up overnight.

Range is and always has been the major negative of electric cars, with current models doing less than 400 kms per charge. Electricity bills aren’t as much of an issue, however. American research has discovered that electric cars increase a household’s energy consumption by 13-19% a year – even then it means more cash for beer. Plus, you can drive the newer lot of electric cars to the pub as well.

At present India has a piddly number of charging stations where you can charge an electric car. The mother of all ugly electric zebra-print rickshaws have already started getting in the way of SUVs. In London, the Mayor is planning to introduce 100,000 electric cars and 25,000 charging points by 2015. The Danish government is trying a number of ‘switch’ stations, where you can trade your dead engine for a fully charged one. So you can nip in, swap your dud battery and be back on the road in a far more palatable four minutes.

Electric car motors work in the same way as other electric motors (think vacuum cleaners). It involves a tightly wrapped coil of wire being fastened to an axle that is connected to the wheels. This coil is then placed inside a magnet and connected to the car’s battery, making it an electromagnet.

To cut a long story short, the electric motors flips the direction of the electrons flowing down the wire. This in turn flips the electromagnetic field causing the coil to complete a full turn.

From the September 2010 issue of FHM India.