The power source of an electric car is the battery which takes the place of the fuel tank and supplies the electric motor with the energy needed to move the car. When the car is at a complete stop electric motor doesn’t have to rotate like an internal compassion engine car, so there is no energy lost because of this. The controller which basically an inverter controls the speed of the electric motor and thus the speed of the car by simply varying the frequency of the electric current accordingly. This battery also powers all of the electronic devices in the car, just like the battery in a gas-powered car. Everything else in the electric car is basically the same as its gas-powered equivalent: brakes, air conditioning, airbags… . Also there is no need for a transmission and clutch us the electric motor runs efficiently in all speeds. Since electric vehicles use an electric motor, the driver can take advantage of the motor’s momentum when pressure is applied on the brakes. Instead of converting all the potential energy in the motor into heat like a fossil fuel-powered car does, an electric car uses the forward momentum of the motor to recharge the battery by electronically converting it to a generator. This process is called regenerative braking.
This image shows the basic part that change in an electric car (green) compared to a gas-powered car (red):
Reference:
Jordan Belfort, Author Initial. (Aug, 12 2017). The Principles Behind The Working Of Electric Cars. [online] Available at:
http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/principles-behind-working-electric-cars/ [19/04/2019]
electric cars 