The Basics of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) use electricity as their primary fuel or to improve the efficiency of conventional vehicle designs. EVs include all-electric vehicles, also referred to as battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). In colloquial references, these vehicles are called electric cars, or simply EVs, even though some of these vehicles still use liquid fuels in conjunction with electricity. EVs are known for providing instant torque and a quiet driver experience. Other types of electric-drive vehicles not covered here include hybrid electric vehicles, which are powered by a conventional engine and an electric motor that uses energy stored in a battery that is charged by regenerative braking, not by plugging in, and fuel cell electric vehicles , which use a propulsion system similar to electric vehicles, where energy stored as hydrogen is converted to electricity by the fuel cell.

An electric power source and can also be charged through regenerative braking. All-electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, although there are “life cycle” emissions associated with the electricity production. All-electric vehicles typically have shorter driving ranges per charge than conventional vehicles have per tank of gasoline. Most new BEVs are designed to travel between 110 and over 300 miles on a fully charged battery, depending on the model. For context, 90% of all US household trips cover less than 100 miles.1 An all-electric vehicle's range varies according to driving conditions and driving habits. Extreme temperatures tend to reduce range because energy from the battery powers climate control systems in addition to powering the engine. Speeding, aggressive driving, and heavy loads can also reduce range.

Source: Electric Drive Vehicles. (n.d.). https://afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/electric_vehicles.pdf

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