Electric Cars: The future of transport?

At present, with the huge increase in prices for petroleum products, there has been a huge increase in people transferring from the use of conventional cars or other modes of transport to electric modes of transport.

This has become a case not just for India but for the whole world as well. This brings us to question as to why electric cars are better than conventional cars and if they are worth their price. Electric cars are being launched and supported by various multinational corporations and celebrities around the world. With new innovative ideas, electric cars have taken over the market.

OVERVIEW

An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by electric motors powered by an electric battery. The energy is stored in the battery and can be charged and reused. Unlike conventional cars, they do not rely on liquid fuels and do not require any mechanical components that need to be oiled and serviced regularly. But we do need to replace the battery once in a while and that can be costly. But with high efficiency and no-cost fuel, it is economically and ecologically friendly and hence considered as a good buy by many consumers.

WORKING OF ELECTRIC CARS

As we have described before, electric cars have an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine(IC) like regular conventional cars. Hence electric cars function in an entirely different way than conventional vehicles.

• Traction battery Pack- The battery that powers the electric car. It is a huge battery that can store a lot of energy.
• Charging Port- It is used to charge our battery. Charging may take 6 to 14 Hrs depending on the battery capacity and model.
• Electric Traction Motor- It is what produces the power by using the energy from the battery to drive the vehicle.
• Thermal cooling system- It prevents the motor from overheating. Since electric motors produce less heat than conventional engines we only need a small and lightweight system for this.
• Power electronics controller- It controls and maintains the engine power generation as well as distribution of power to other systems as well.

Evolution Of EV's In India

Electric vehicles were first introduced in India in 1996. Scooters India Pvt. Ltd developed and launched an electric three-wheeler in the name of Vikram EV. Almost 200 units were made and sold. But they did not do well in the market because of high cost as well as low battery capacity.

In June 2001, Mahindra Reva launched India's first electric vehicle commercially. This saw the new rise in electric vehicles in India. REVAI was equipped with lead-acid batteries which has a nominal range of 80Km per charge and a top speed of 80Km/h. And after almost two decades later Tata Launched Nexon EV. It is a 5-door SUV. And in May of 2022 Mercedez Benz will launch its new EV EQA which is claimed to have a range of up to 500Km per charge.

Advantages of Electric Vehicles(Pros)

• Low Maintenance


• No Emissions


• Cost-Effective


• Safe and Quiet drive


• No liquid fuel required


• Energy Efficient

Disadvantages of Electric Vehicles(Cons)

• Can travel less distance


• Takes longer to "refuel"


• The initial cost is very high


• Battery packs need to be replaced.