ELECTRIC CARS

INNOVATION
 TESLA IS, AT ITS CORE, AN ENGINEERING
COMPANY. THE COMPANY AS WE KNOW IT TODAY
WAS FOUNDED ON THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF
LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC MOTORS.
HAVING AN EARLY INTEREST AND EXPOSURE TO
SUPERCAPACITORS, ELON MUSK SAW THE
POTENTIAL WITH LITHIUM-ION AND ELECTRIC
MOTORS AND ULTIMATELY FOUND THE GOLDEN
COMBINATION HE WAS LOOKING FOR AT AC
PROPULSION.
 THE ELECTRIC CAR (ALSO KNOWN AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE OR EV) USES
ENERGY STORED IN ITS RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, WHICH ARE RECHARGED
BY COMMON HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY. UNLIKE A HYBRID CAR—WHICH IS
FUELED BY GASOLINE AND USES A BATTERY AND MOTOR TO IMPROVE
EFFICIENCY—AN ELECTRIC CAR IS POWERED EXCLUSIVELY BY ELECTRICITY.
ELECTRIC CARS IS AN AMERICAN ELECTRIC VEHICLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
COMPANY BASED IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA. THE COMPANY SPECIALIZES IN
ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANUFACTURING, BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE FROM HOME
TO GRID SCALE AND, THROUGH ITS SOLARCITY SUBSIDIARY, SOLAR PANEL AND
SOLAR ROOF TILE MANUFACTURING. AN ELECTRIC CAR IS POWERED BY AN
ELECTRIC MOTOR INSTEAD OF A GASOLINE ENGINE. THE ELECTRIC MOTOR
GETS ENERGY FROM A CONTROLLER, WHICH REGULATES THE AMOUNT OF
POWER—BASED ON THE DRIVER’S USE OF AN ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE
ELECTRIC CAR (ALSO KNOWN AS ELECTRIC VEHICLE OR EV) USES ENERGY
STORED IN ITS RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES, WHICH ARE RECHARGED BY
COMMON HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICITY.
 ELECTRIC CARS PRODUCE NO TAILPIPE EMISSIONS, REDUCE OUR DEPENDENCY
ON OIL, AND ARE CHEAPER TO OPERATE. OF COURSE, THE PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE
ELECTRICITY MOVES THE EMISSIONS FURTHER UPSTREAM TO THE UTILITY COMPANY’S
SMOKESTACK—BUT EVEN DIRTY ELECTRICITY USED IN ELECTRIC CARS USUALLY
REDUCES OUR COLLECTIVE CARBON FOOTPRINT. ANOTHER FACTOR IS CONVENIENCE:
IN ONE TRIP TO THE GAS STATION, YOU CAN PUMP 330 KILOWATT-HOURS OF ENERGY
INTO A TANK COMMONLY HOLDING 10 OR MORE GALLONS. IT WOULD TAKE SEVERAL DAYS
TO GET THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENERGY FROM HOUSEHOLD ELECTRIC CURRENT.
FORTUNATELY, IT TAKES HOURS AND NOT DAYS TO RECHARGE AN ELECTRIC CAR,
BECAUSE IT'S MUCH MORE EFFICIENT. ULTRA-FAST HIGHWAY DC CHARGERS CAN TOP UP
A BATTERY TO 80 PERCENT IN ABOUT 30 MINUTES. SPEAKING OF CONVENIENCE, LET'S
NOT FORGET TWO IMPORTANT POINTS: CHARGING UP AT HOME MEANS NEVER GOING TO
A GAS STATION—AND ELECTRIC CARS REQUIRE ALMOST NONE OF THE MAINTENANCE,
LIKE OIL CHANGES AND EMISSIONS CHECKS, THAT INTERNAL COMBUSTION CARS
REQUIRE. ELECTRIC MOTORS DEVELOP THEIR HIGHEST TORQUE FROM ZERO RPMS—
MEANING FAST (AND SILENT) ZERO-TO-60 ACCELERATION TIMES.
 HOW DO ELECTRIC CARS WORK?
• BATTERY (ALL-ELECTRIC AUXILIARY): IN AN ELECTRIC DRIVE VEHICLE, THE AUXILIARY
BATTERY PROVIDES ELECTRICITY TO POWER VEHICLE ACCESSORIES.
• CHARGE PORT: THE CHARGE PORT ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO CONNECT TO AN
EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY IN ORDER TO CHARGE THE TRACTION BATTERY PACK.
• DC/DC CONVERTER: THIS DEVICE CONVERTS HIGHER-VOLTAGE DC POWER FROM THE
TRACTION BATTERY PACK TO THE LOWER-VOLTAGE DC POWER NEEDED TO RUN
VEHICLE ACCESSORIES AND RECHARGE THE AUXILIARY BATTERY.
• ELECTRIC TRACTION MOTOR: USING POWER FROM THE TRACTION BATTERY PACK, THIS
MOTOR DRIVES THE VEHICLE'S WHEELS. SOME VEHICLES USE MOTOR GENERATORS
THAT PERFORM BOTH THE DRIVE AND REGENERATION FUNCTIONS.
• ELECTRIC TRACTION MOTOR: USING POWER FROM THE TRACTION BATTERY PACK, THIS MOTOR
DRIVES THE VEHICLE'S WHEELS. SOME VEHICLES USE MOTOR GENERATORS THAT PERFORM
BOTH THE DRIVE AND REGENERATION FUNCTIONS.
• ONBOARD CHARGER: TAKES THE INCOMING AC ELECTRICITY SUPPLIED VIA THE CHARGE PORT
AND CONVERTS IT TO DC POWER FOR CHARGING THE TRACTION BATTERY. IT MONITORS BATTERY
CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS VOLTAGE, CURRENT, TEMPERATURE, AND STATE OF CHARGE WHILE
CHARGING THE PACK.
• POWER ELECTRONICS CONTROLLER: THIS UNIT MANAGES THE FLOW OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY
DELIVERED BY THE TRACTION BATTERY, CONTROLLING THE SPEED OF THE ELECTRIC TRACTION
MOTOR AND THE TORQUE IT PRODUCES.
• THERMAL SYSTEM (COOLING): THIS SYSTEM MAINTAINS A PROPER OPERATING
TEMPERATURE RANGE OF THE ENGINE, ELECTRIC MOTOR, POWER ELECTRONICS, AND
OTHER COMPONENTS.
• TRACTION BATTERY PACK: STORES ELECTRICITY FOR USE BY THE ELECTRIC TRACTION
MOTOR.
• TRANSMISSION (ELECTRIC): THE TRANSMISSION TRANSFERS MECHANICAL POWER
FROM THE ELECTRIC TRACTION MOTOR TO DRIVE THE WHEELS.
THANKYOU
AUSTRIA, ARRAH KASSANRA B.
COE2-1