About Electric Vehicles - History; Types of EVs; How they work and more.

Remember what electric cars used to be like? The slow driving, boxy-looking, small obstacles on the highway? Well, no more. The face, the looks, the style, the power, the speed, the efficiency, the performance and most importantly the technology of electric vehicles (EVs) has changed over time and now it is one of the classiest, good looking, stylish, silent, pretty fast and eco-friendly vehicles you will see on the roads today. Today’s EVs are way different and advanced than what you saw or remember from the time dating back to the mid-1900s. For starters, not even the battery is same anymore and don’t even get the debated started on the speed of the car and the efficiency of the batteries; that, and the higher prices were exactly the reason why they saw a worldwide decline in interest. Are you familiar with the ‘land speed record’? If you are then let us tell you that only one EV was able to make and maintain that record until around 1900. However, the interest levels in the EVs starting rising again as the technology got better and as some great souls started thinking about the environment. (click here to read a brief history about EVs)

Types of EVs:

EVs can be broadly classified into the following categories:

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV): These vehicles use a high-capacity electric battery pack to power the electric motor and other electronic components. They are fully electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries and no other source of power. BEVs are charged by electricity from an external source. They can be charged using 3 types of chargers. 

The chargers are classified according to the speed with which they recharge the batteries. The 3 types are: 

Level 1 – Charges using a standard household outlet of 120v; takes about 8 hours to create a charge enough for 75-80 miles; this type of charging is generally done at home or workplace. 

Level 2 – Requires a specialized station that provides power at 240v; takes about 4 hours to create a charge enough for 75-80 miles. 

Level 3 – The fastest charging solution. Also known as ‘DC fast charging’ or commonly, ‘fast charging’. Found at specialized charging stations, capable of providing a charge enough for 90 miles in about 30 minutes. 

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV): It is a hybrid electric vehicle whose battery can be recharged by plugging it into an external source of electric power, as well by its on-board engine and generator. PHEVs are capable of recharging their batteries through regenerative braking and plugging-in into an external source of electric power. While “standard” hybrids can (at low speed) go about 1-2 miles before the gasoline engine turns on, PHEV models can go anywhere from 10-40 miles before their gas engines provide assistance. 

A PHEV’s all-electric range is designated by PHEV-[miles] or PHEV[kilometers]km in which the number represents the distance the vehicle can travel on battery power alone. For example, a PHEV-20 can travel twenty miles (32 km) without using its combustion engine, so it may also be designated as a PHEV32km. 

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV): These are a combination of conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended to achieve either better fuel economy than a conventional vehicle or better performance. There is a variety of HEV types and the degree to which each functions as an electric vehicle (EV) also varies. The most common form of HEV is the hybrid electric car, although hybrid electric trucks (pickups and tractors) and buses also exist. 

HEVs start off using the electric motor, then the gasoline engine cuts in as load or speed rises. The two motors are controlled by an internal computer, which ensures the best economy for the driving conditions. 

Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV): These are powered by hydrogen. They are more efficient than conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and produce no tailpipe emissions—they only emit water vapor and warm air. FCEVs use a propulsion system similar to that of electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen and oxygen from the air are used to create electricity by the fuel cell. They do not produce any harmful tailpipe emissions. They are fueled with pure hydrogen gas stored in a tank on the vehicle. The tanks can be fueled in less than 5 minutes and have a driving range over 300 miles.

How do they work? 

As mentioned above, the EVs could be of several types and all of them function differently but one common component in them is the battery. So, let us understand how a battery works. A battery does not store electricity but electrical energy in the chemicals inside it. It has 3 main components, 2 terminals or nodes made of different chemicals, typically metals, the anode and the cathode and the 3rd component is the electrolyte. The electrolyte separates both terminals and is present to put the different chemicals of the anode and cathode in contact with one another, in a way that the chemical potential can equilibrate.

During the discharge of electricity, the chemical on the anode releases electrons through the negative terminal in ions in the electrolyte. Meanwhile, at the positive terminal the cathode accepts the electrons, completing the circuit for the flow of electrons, converting stored chemical energy into useful electrical energy. That’s what generates an electric current. It took a while before humans could improve the battery technology enough, that it could power an entire vehicle to travel practical distances. With time, we got there. From a single charge battery to a rechargeable, lead-acid battery to the lithium-ion battery. (click here to read more about how EVs work)

Should you buy an EV? 

People have different perspectives about the good an EV can actually do. Some individuals are still skeptical about the advantages that others think EVs might have. Following are some common opinions and concerns people have about EVs: 

Positive opinions: 

• Since electric motors react quickly, EVs are very responsive and have very good torque. Often EVs are more digitally connected than conventional vehicles, many EV charging stations provide the option to control charging from a smartphone app. 
• Just like a smartphone, you can plug in your EV when you get home and have it ready for you to use the next morning. Since the electric grid is available almost anywhere, there are a variety of options for charging: at home, at work or on the road. By charging often, you may never need to go to a gas station again! 
• EVs provide more than just individual benefits. EVs can help countries have a greater diversity of fuel choices available for transportation. For instance, the U.S. used nearly nine billion barrels of petroleum last year, two-thirds of which went towards transportation. The reliance on petroleum makes it vulnerable to price spikes and supply disruptions. EVs help reduce this threat because almost all U.S. electricity is produced from domestic sources, including coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewable sources. 
• EVs can also reduce the emissions that contribute to climate change and smog, improving public health and reducing ecological damage. Charging your EV on renewable energy such as solar or wind minimizes these emissions even more. 
• Earlier, owning an electric car would cost a bomb. But with more technological advancements, both cost and maintenance have gone down. The mass production of batteries and available tax incentives have further brought down the cost, thus, making it much more cost effective. 
• The maintenance cost of these cars is low. You don’t need to send it to service station often as you do a normal gasoline powered car. There are fewer moving parts and thus chances of wearing out are fewer. 
• The electric engine is quiet and thus does not contribute to noise pollution, unlike cars powered with gas. 

Negative opinions: 

• There isn’t sufficient infrastructure to support the technology yet. Electric powered vehicles require charging stations, and for people to travel long distances there needs to be a network of such stations located strategically. Not all charging terminals are equipped with Level 3 fast charging infrastructure. Majority have a Level 2 charging infrastructure which requires at least 3-4hrs for a battery to charge enough to travel 75-80 miles, and that is a significant amount of time. 
• Not all domestic households get their electricity from renewable sources. Majority of the countries still use a great amount of non-renewable energy sources to create electricity, like thermal power plants. A larger amount of thermal energy is required to create a small amount of electricity. This in no way is doing any good to the environment, in fact its worse because a lot of energy is getting wasted and the carbon footprint while doing so can be higher than just simply using a conventional source of fuel directly in the vehicle. This means electric power production per se entails pollution. 
• The traveling distance on an average is around 100 kms. Thus, it is not very practical for long distances. 
• In general, electric cars are still behind gasoline powered vehicles in their ability to accelerate and climb quickly. 
• Batteries that power these cars are a costly affair. The promising and long-lasting lithium-ion batteries contribute to about half of the cost of the car, which for the most part make these cars expensive. And if the batteries last only about 4 years, they could add to the maintenance costs. 
• The ‘clean & green’ electric cars cause pollution too, albeit indirectly. While themselves being clean, there are toxic elements within batteries and which could spew toxic fumes. Further, the car’s engines are powered by electricity, and all of which isn’t generated from renewable energy sources, as discussed further in the next point. 
• Silence can be a bit of a disadvantage as people like to hear noise if they are coming from behind them. An electric car is however silent and can lead to accidents in some cases. Due to this, the European Union will require automakers to fit their EVs with systems that emit warning noises when the car is moving at a slow speed — fake engine noises, essentially. 
• As electric cars need power to charge up, cities already facing acute power shortage are not suitable for electric cars. The consumption of more power would hamper their daily power needs. 
• The batteries are heavy, the pressure created on the batteries can lead them to drain faster.

Is India Ready for EVs?

Well, after reading some of the points from the opinions mentioned above, I’m sure you must have been able to relate some of the scenarios to India. Many say India is not ready for EVs. In terms of infrastructure, we are way behind and it is going to be a difficult task to have the required facilities installed. Many existing facilities will not be able to support the infrastructure that EVs require. Many cities in India have power shortages and many towns don’t even produce enough electricity to meet their daily requirements. Still many villages in India don’t even have electricity. Even if we think of restricting the use of EVs within tier 1 and 2 cities, setting up the charging facilities in the already cramped and overpopulated cities is going to be a big challenge. Even if facilities are installed to encourage purchases there is no surety that the people will get influenced and buy an EV.  We don’t even know to what extent is the decision for lower taxes on EVs by the government going to encourage people. The cars in itself are so expensive that people are already discouraged and not very keen on buying them. However, for electric 2 wheelers, the scenario is a tad bit better. Most of the electricity generated in India comes from non-renewable sources like thermal energy. Thus, it does not make sense to burn so much energy to create electricity, as discussed earlier a larger amount of thermal energy is required to create a small amount of electricity. Rather, using a car powered by gas will be more efficient and will be lower on its carbon footprint and vehicular emission levels, and it will also be cheaper to buy. Most Indians might not even be able to afford an EV and thus their main concerns will be related to the costs involved in both short term and long term, the added benefits if any like better mileage, long durability and others rather than concerns related to a cleaner environment and lesser emissions.  Just after nine months of the launch of Ola’s ambitious Electric Vehicle project in Nagpur, it faced major roadblock with Ola drivers wanting to return their electric cars and switch back to petrol or diesel variants. The reason being high operating expenses and long wait times at charging stations.

electric cars in India

electric bikes in India

Most players in the Indian automobile market are ready with their working prototypes just waiting for the right time to send them into production. Prominent manufacturers such as Maruti Suzuki India, Hero Electric Vehicles, Mahindra and Mahindra have already registered themselves as electric manufacturers in India, latest collaborations such as Suzuki and Toyota, are planning to launch electric vehicles in India. Players in the 2-wheeler segment such as Hero Electric, Revolt, Ather, BattRe Okinawa are already selling their vehicles in the Indian market. This is a sign of optimism, some say. Some say it's just a preemptive move to compete, being ready for what’s next. And facts as per the data of Society of Manufacturers of Electric Vehicles say, only 22,000 units of EVs were sold in India by March 2016, of which 2,000 were four-wheelers. At the same time, sales of electric cars grew at a staggering rate of 94% from 2011 to 2015 worldwide, led by China, the US, and Europe. As a signatory to the Paris climate agreement, India is obligated to bring down its share of global emissions by 2030. That is the reason why the government of India is taking key initiatives such as the launch of National E-Mobility Programme, planning guidelines to encourage the use of such vehicles by NITI Aayog, etc. to promote EVs in India. 

We all know that any trend takes time to come to India and have its impact due to inherent factors such as the size of the population, the diversity, the complex geography, the vast culture, and the developing economy. So, it is likely that EVs too will take some time as new trends and technology disruptions can cause few setbacks and adoption takes some time and requires a lot of strategic flexibility which is not prevalent. 

Thus, it is safe to say that the spirits are high and the optimism is visible but sufficient backing is not yet available for this to turn into a reality and have a significant and substantial effect yet. The momentum has just begun so it will take some time until the pace picks up.

How does an Electric Vehicle work?

The EVs could be of several types (BEV, HEV, FCEV, PHEV) and all of them function differently but one common component in them is the battery. So, let us understand how a battery works. A battery does not store electricity but electrical energy in the chemicals inside it. It has 3 main components, 2 terminals or nodes made of different chemicals, typically metals, the anode and the cathode and the 3rd component is the electrolyte. The electrolyte separates both terminals and is present to put the different chemicals of the anode and cathode in contact with one another, in a way that the chemical potential can equilibrate.

During the discharge of electricity, the chemical on the anode releases electrons through the negative terminal in ions in the electrolyte. Meanwhile, at the positive terminal, the cathode accepts the electrons, completing the circuit for the flow of electrons, converting stored chemical energy into useful electrical energy. That’s what generates an electric current. It took a while before humans could improve the battery technology enough, that it could power an entire vehicle to travel practical distances. With time, we got there. From a single charge battery to a rechargeable, lead-acid battery to the lithium-ion battery.

These days the batteries in most HEVs and BEVs are lithium-ion batteries which look like these. 

lithium-ion battery from the BMW i3

The metal case of these batteries holds a long spiral, comprising of 3 thin sheets pressed together. Inside the case, these sheets are submerged in an organic solvent, often ether, that acts as the electrolyte. The outermost sheet is the negative electrode, which is made of carbon (C). The middle sheet is a separator, which is a very thin sheet of micro perforated plastic. And the innermost sheet is the positive electrode, which is made of Lithium Cobalt Oxide (LiCoO2).

When the battery charges, ions of lithium move through the electrolyte, from the positive electrode to the negative electrode and attach to the Carbon. During discharge, the lithium ions move back to the Lithium Cobalt Oxide form the Carbon. 

So basically, it works on the same principle as any other battery but these lithium-ion batteries can store a lot of electric energy as chemical energy and that has helped electric cars take a leap from being a novelty to being a reality. These batteries can be recharged over and over again. 

The lithium-ion batteries used in most of the EVs are quite similar to each other. Each cell contains about 4.2 volts and about 30 amps. The voltage in a battery is like a stored charge it carries and the amps measure capacity – indicates how quickly the energy can flow out of it. The voltage and amperage in a battery can be changed as per need. But if you increase the amperage and don’t increase the voltage adequately, you can run out of juice before it does any good to you. Wiring the cells together can increase the voltage, amperage or both, depending on whether they are wired in series or in parallel. If you wire 2 identical batteries together in a series, the voltage rating doubles while the amperage rating remains the same. Whereas, in a parallel the amperage rating doubles while the voltage rating remains the same. In an EV the batteries are wired in a combination of series and parallels to get the desired output. For instance, the Tesla Model S uses 7104 cells wired in a combination of series and parallels over 16 modules to get the output of 400 volts and 1500 amps.

How does the electric motor work?

Back in the 1800s anyone and everyone was an inventor playing around with electricity and the resulting currents. Soon these people realized that wrapping wires and sending current through them can generate a magnetic field. This tangible physical force generated by the magnets is what electric motors use to actuate motion. Most EVs today, like the Tesla Model S use the induction motor. The motor consists of 2 parts, the rotor and the stator. The rotor is a series of conduction bars, short-circuited by end rings. A 3 phase AC pulse is given to the stator. This alternating current produces a four-pull, rotating magnetic field (RMF). The electricity running through the stator induces current on the rotor’s metal bars. The rotating field of the stator causes movement in the now charged rotor. In an induction motor, the rotor is just behind the RMF. The speed of the rotor is determined by the frequency of the AC current through the stator. When you accelerate, you increase the frequency of the current. An inverter switches the direct current (DC) from the batteries to an alternating current (AC) to drive the motor. It sits right by the motor and can determine the frequency of the current, which determines the speed of the rotor and the amplitude of the current, which affects the power output of the rotor. The only points of contact in this are the bearings that keep the rotor in place. Since there’s no other contact between the rotor and the stator they don’t wear out that easily. Unlike a conventional engine, who’s usable torque dwells within a limited rev range usually up to 8000 RPM, an electric motor, like the one in a Tesla Model S can effectively produce a much higher force to a rev range up to 18000 RPM. So, there’s no need for shifting or torque convertors of any kind. 

Unlike conventional engines that convert up and down or side to side motion of the pistons to rotational movement, the induction motor produces exclusively rotational force, that means almost all of that can be turned into forward motion when the wheels hit the road. Now, the biggest concern after discharging all that energy and spinning the rotors at 18000 RPM, is heat. Thus, so most of the components, including the motor, the frequency drive and the battery are liquid-cooled so that they don’t overheat. Also, in most electric cars, the induction motor, when it’s not producing movement at the wheels can be spun by the wheels which makes it like the alternator in your car, recharging the lithium-ion battery. 

So, that’s the science behind these cars.

EVs - A Brief History

Remember what electric cars used to be like? The slow driving, boxy-looking, small obstacles on the highway? Well, no more. The face, the looks, the style, the power, the speed, the efficiency, the performance and most importantly the technology of electric vehicles (EVs) has changed over time and now it is one of the classiest, good looking, stylish, silent, pretty fast and eco-friendly vehicles you will see on the roads today. Today’s EVs are way different and advanced than what you saw or remember from the time dating back to the mid-1900s. For starters, not even the battery is same anymore and don’t even get the debated started on the speed of the car and the efficiency of the batteries; that, and the higher prices were exactly the reason why they saw a worldwide decline in interest. Are you familiar with the ‘land speed record’? If you are then let us tell you that only one EV was able to make and maintain that record until around 1900. However, the interest levels in the EVs starting rising again as the technology got better and as some great souls started thinking about the environment. 

The first ever EV was built by… sorry we can’t tell you for sure because it is difficult to attribute the success to any one person. There were a series of simultaneous breakthroughs, that occurred in several places in the technology related to EVs, from the battery to the electric motor, it all happened in the early 1800s. There were several innovators in Hungary, the Netherlands and the USA who began experimenting with the concept of a battery-powered vehicle and created some of the first small-scale electric cars. The first crude electric carriage was built by a British gentleman named Robert Anderson in 1832. In 1834, professor Sibrandus Stratingh of Netherlands and his assistant Christopher Becker created a small-scale electric car powered by non-rechargeable primary cells. In 1890, William Morrison built the first successful electric automobile in the United States. And by 1897, most of New York’s taxis were electrically powered. In 1898, Ferdinand Porsche, founder of the sports car company Porsche, developed an electric car called the P1. He also created the world’s first hybrid electric car (powered by electricity and gasoline) around the same time. In the year 1900, electric cars accounted for around a third of all the vehicles on the road. They showed strong growth for the following 10 years. 

Porsche P1

At the turn of the 20th century, even though horse was still the primary mode of transport, people turned to the newly available motor vehicles available in steam, gasoline and electric versions; as individuals got more prosperous which led to the rise in their purchasing power. In 1914, Henry Ford partnered with Thomas Alva Edison for exploring the options of creating a low-cost electric car. This did not work out and meanwhile, Ford’s gasoline-powered Model T had started gaining more popularity by then and was made quite affordable and widely available since its introduction in 1908. By 1912, the gasoline car cost $650 and an electric one cost $1750. In the same year, Charles Kettering introduced the electric starter, eliminating the need for the hand crank and giving rise to more gasoline-powered vehicle sales. Other developments also contributed to the decline of electric vehicles on the road. For instance, the US had better-developed roads by 2020 and this led to more people going out and exploring and traveling for longer distances. Gas became cheap and readily available to the rural Americans after the discovery of Texas crude oil and more and more fuel stations started opening up. Somewhere after this point, electric vehicles lost their popularity as combustion engines became more popular. Very few Americans held electric vehicles and by 1935 they all disappeared. 

It wasn’t until the 1960s again that people started showing some interest in them. In 1959, American Motors Corporation (AMC) and Sonotone Corporation announced a joint research effort to consider producing an electric car powered by a "self-charging" battery. Many concept cars were developed but a handful made it to production and still weren’t as popular. In July 1971, an electric car developed by Boeing and Delco Electronics, a GM subsidy had the privilege of becoming the first manned vehicle to be driven on the Moon. That car was called the ‘Moon Buggy’, a Lunar Roving Vehicle which was first deployed during the Apollo 15 mission. Pretty cool right?

Moon Buggy

After years of being forgotten and out of the limelight, the energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s and the need for alternative and cleaner sources of energy led to the revival of interest in EVs. In the 1990s many companies like GM, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and others launched a series of EVs. Around the same time, in California, the California Air Resources Board (CARB), the government of California's "clean air agency", began a push for more fuel-efficient, lower-emissions vehicles, with the ultimate goal being a move to zero-emissions vehicles such as electric vehicles. But the people voted against this move as they were not interested and still preferred cheaper gasoline vehicles even though they were not as efficient because the fuel was cheap. A series of revolts took place against this move especially against GM’s EV1; in an unusual move, consumers were not allowed to purchase EV1s, but were instead asked to sign closed-end leases, meaning that the cars had to be returned to GM at the end of the lease period, with no option to purchase, despite the lessee’s interest in continuing to own the cars. The suit finally led to the neutering of CARB’s move. CARB and the automobile companies had failed in effectively promoting their interest. Many car manufacturers had to withdraw their EV models from the US market.

Most EVs were and still are slow driving, not so appealing and boring cars and yes expensive too. Only the really conscious consumers were willing to make do with whatever options were available. Some others tried to go for Hybrid EVs. However, the EVs constantly faced a fluctuation in interest levels. The year 2004 was a landmark year as Tesla had begun its journey in developing its first Roadster. And there on we all know how its disruptive moves have changed the face of the EVs and people’s perception about them.