Since the beginning of the industrial revolution man has created ways on how he can make life easier by inventing and innovating machines to help us in our everyday life.
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Along with that progress came newer problems that has accelerated taking a toll to both ourselves and mother nature itself.
+ Air pollution is the major problem facing right now.
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“Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. It increases the risk of respiratory infections, heart disease and lung cancer. Both short and long term exposure to air pollutants have been associated with health impacts. More severe impacts affect people who are already ill.”
+ ~ World Health Organization. 15 November 2019
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“Emissions of pollutants into the air can result in changes to the climate. Ozone in the atmosphere warms the climate, while different components of particulate matter (PM) can have either warming or cooling effects on the climate.”
+ ~ United States Environmental Protection Agency, Jun 26, 2020
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+ One of the major contributors of these problem is the Internal Combustion Engine most commonly found in our everyday vehicles. If we could rectify this field of improvement we might be able to reduce the deterioration of our enviroment
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The Hiccup
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The internal combustion engine (ICE) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high-pressure gases produced by combustion applies direct force to some component of the engine. There are 2 types of interenal combustion engines diesel and gasoline
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Diesel engines work by compressing only the air. This increases the air temperature inside the cylinder to such a high degree that atomised diesel fuel injected into the combustion chamber ignites spontaneously.
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Petrol engine (British English) or gasoline engine (American English) is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition, designed to run on petrol (gasoline) and similar volatile fuels.
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The Remedy
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Early development of the electric car
+ The electric was already invented prior the creation of the internal combustion engine during the 1800’s the electric car has been one of the alternative forms of transportation. During the turn of the century however electric cars where place on the shelf to give way for petroleum-based vehicles primarily to its high production cost and low range of travel.
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1960’s and 70’s oil prices soared high due to the Arab oil embargo, this led to the redevelopment of the electric vehicle, the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1976 was created by the Congress of the United States.
+ Many major and small car manufacturers had been involved with this research but still cars back in those days still have a limited range compared with petroleum vehicles and as soon as the oil prices stabilized the idea of the electric vehicle was once again put back in the shelf.
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In the 1990’s more people got concerned of the environment because of acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions.. This led to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment and the 1992 Energy Policy Act created in the U.S.
+ GM or General Motors created EV1 or which has a greater range than its predecessor to 80 miles and could accelerate from 0 to 50 mph in just 5 sec. but sadly due to its high cost in manufacturing it was considered not commercially viable and was discontinued on 2001.
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Today's Technology
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+ Scientists and Researchers have long before identified the Achilles heel of the electric car which is the motor and its battery, hence as we speak right now, their continous efforts towards the advancement in technology and production plays a large part in the evolution of the modern day electric car.
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Batteries for Electric vehicles
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Batteries for electric vehicles are characterized by their relatively high power-to-weight ratio, specific energy and energy density; smaller, lighter batteries are desirable because they reduce the weight of the vehicle and therefore improve its performance.
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Lead-acid
+ Flooded lead-acid batteries are the cheapest and, in the past, most common vehicle batteries available. There are two main types of lead-acid batteries: automobile engine starter batteries, and deep cycle batteries. Automobile engine starter batteries are designed to use a small percentage of their capacity to provide high charge rates to start the engine, while deep cycle batteries are used to provide continuous electricity to run electric vehicles like forklifts or golf carts
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Nickel metal hydride
+ Nickel-metal hydride batteries are now considered a relatively mature technology.While less efficient (60–70%) in charging and discharging than even lead-acid, they have a specific energy of 30–80 Wh/kg, far higher than lead-acid.
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sodium nickel chloride or "Zebra"
+ The sodium nickel chloride or "Zebra" battery uses a molten sodium chloroaluminate (NaAlCl4) salt as the electrolyte. A relatively mature technology, the Zebra battery has a specific energy of 120 Wh/kg. Since the battery must be heated for use, cold weather does not strongly affect its operation except for increasing heating costs.
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Lithium-ion
+ Lithium-ion (and the mechanistically similar lithium polymer) batteries, were initially developed and commercialized for use in laptops and consumer electronics. With their high energy density and long cycle life they have become the leading battery type for use in EVs.
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Lithium Iron Phosphate
+ Lithium iron phosphate batteries have longer lifecycles and higher discharge and recharge rates. The trade-off is that iron phosphate has a lower energy density so battery packs could increase in size.
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Glass Battery
+ The design adds sodium or lithium to glass to form an electrode in the battery. Making it appropriate for mobility applications are the facts that it’s more stable than other sources, can handle temperature extremes better, and is relatively low cost to produce.
+ Glass battery technology is reportedly capable of storing three times the energy of a traditional lithium-ion battery of a similar size and can withstand many more charge and discharge cycles than typical EV batteries.
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Lithium Sulphur Batteries
+ Like lithium iron phosphate, lithium-sulphur could become a replacement for batteries that contain heavy metals. Researchers at Monash University have developed a lithium-sulphur battery design, tested on a cell phone, that held charge for five days. As a common element, sulphur would greatly reduce the mining costs that impede EV battery development and adoption.
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+ Monash researchers theorize that lithium-sulphur batteries can store more energy than lithium-ion by as much as six times. Until now, they have been unstable as the energy causes the battery to break apart.
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Motors for electric vehicles
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The power of a vehicle's electric motor, as in other vehicles, is measured in kilowatts (kW). 100 kW is roughly equal to 134 horsepower, but electric motors can deliver their maximum torque over a wide RPM range. This means that the performance of a vehicle with a 100 kW electric motor exceeds that of a vehicle with a 100 kW internal combustion engine, which can only deliver its maximum torque within a limited range of engine speed.
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DC Series Motor
+ High starting torque capability of the DC Series motor makes it a suitable option for traction application. It was the most widely used motor for traction application in the early 1900s. The advantages of this motor are easy speed control and it can also withstand a sudden increase in load. All these characteristics make it an ideal traction motor. The main drawback of DC series motor is high maintenance due to brushes and commutators. These motors are used in electric railways.
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Brushless DC Motor
+ It is similar to DC motors with Permanent Magnets. It is called brushless because it does not have the commutator and brush arrangement. The commutation is done electronically in this motor because of this BLDC motors are maintenance free. BLDC motors have traction characteristics like high starting torque, high efficiency around 95-98%, etc. BLDC motors are suitable for high power density design approach. The BLDC motors are the most preferred motors for the electric vehicle application due to its traction characteristics.
+ The main drawback is the high cost due to permanent magnets. Overloading the motor beyond a certain limit reduces the life of permanent magnets due to thermal conditions.
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Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM)
+ This motor is also similar to BLDC motor which has permanent magnets on the rotor. Similar to BLDC motors these motors also have traction characteristics like high power density and high efficiency. The difference is that PMSM has sinusoidal back EMF whereas BLDC has trapezoidal back EMF. Permanent Magnet Synchronous motors are available for higher power ratings. PMSM is the best choice for high performance applications like cars, buses. Despite the high cost, PMSM is providing stiff competition to induction motors due to increased efficiency than the latter. PMSM is also costlier than BLDC motors. Most of the automotive manufacturers use PMSM motors for their hybrid and electric vehicles. For example, Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Bolt EV, Ford Focus Electric, zero motorcycles S/SR, Nissan Leaf, Hinda Accord, BMW i3, etc use PMSM motor for propulsion.
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Three Phase AC Induction Motors
+ The induction motors do not have a high starting toque like DC series motors under fixed voltage and fixed frequency operation. But this characteristic can be altered by using various control techniques like FOC or v/f methods. By using these control methods, the maximum torque is made available at the starting of the motor which is suitable for traction application. Squirrel cage induction motors have a long life due to less maintenance. Induction motors can be designed up to an efficiency of 92-95%. The drawback of an induction motor is that it requires complex inverter circuit and control of the motor is difficult.
+ Tesla Model S is the best example to prove the high performance capability of induction motors compared to its counterparts. By opting for induction motors, Tesla might have wanted to eliminate the dependency on permanent magnets.
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Switched Reluctance Motors (SRM)
+ Switched Reluctance Motors is a category of variable reluctance motor with double saliency. Switched Reluctance motors are simple in construction and robust. The rotor of the SRM is a piece of laminated steel with no windings or permanent magnets on it. This makes the inertia of the rotor less which helps in high acceleration. The robust nature of SRM makes it suitable for the high speed application. SRM also offers high power density which are some required characteristics of Electric Vehicles. Since the heat generated is mostly confined to the stator, it is easier to cool the motor. The biggest drawback of the SRM is the complexity in control and increase in the switching circuit. It also has some noise issues. Once SRM enters the commercial market, it can replace the PMSM and Induction motors in the future.
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Currently
More and more car manufacturers are adopting electric cars to suit our everyday needs lifestyle.
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Electric cars in production as of "2020"
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Model
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Category
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Origin
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Porsche Taycan
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Overall best
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Germany
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Tesla Model S
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Plaid Best long-range
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USA
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BMW i4
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Best small electric
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Germany
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BMW iX3
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Best midsize electric
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Germany
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Tesla Model X
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Best large electric
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USA
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Rivian R1S
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Best off-road
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USA
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Tesla Cybertruck
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Most futuristic
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USA
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BMW Electric i8 Roadster
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Most sporty
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Germany
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Audi Q4 e-tron
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Best for families
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Germany
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Lordstown Endurance
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Best electric pickup truck
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USA
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Jaguar I-Pace
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Most high-tech
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UK
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Mercedes-Benz EQC
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Most comfortable
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Germany
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Polestar 2
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Most distinctive
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China
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Tesla Roadster
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Fastest acceleration/td>
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USA
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Lotus Evija
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Most powerful electric car
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England
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Ford Mustang Mach-E
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Best budget
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USA
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Mercedes EQS
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Most anticipated
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Germany
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+ Progress and technology is our greatest ally or adversary. Depending on the balance between Man's well being vs The state of our Environment. We've all traverse the sky the land and the sea, yet we tend to forget that the more we make things convenient for us the more we make things distressing for the Environment.
+ Electric Vehicles are already around the cornner and sooner or later they would be replacing our traditional vehicles. Both new and old names in the automotive industry has already clutch the importance and benefits of this revolutionary technology.
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trivia
+ Where is the furthest place
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