Electric Cars: Introduction to Electric Vehicles

Introduction to Electric Vehicles

Aztec Kit Car
Credit: Electro Automotives

GM EV1
Credit: General Motors

Honda EV Plus
Credit: Honda

If you are reading this article, you may be wondering what exactly an "EV" is. Technically, an electric vehicle is any form of transportation that uses electricity as its power source. Examples of some electric vehicles include golf carts, trolleys, forklifts, and even your remote control car. All of these vehicles use some form of electricity to power an electric motor that makes the vehicle move. Although the name "EV" encompasses a wide variety of vehicles, this site concentrates on electric cars, or passenger cars like the one you probably have sitting in your garage.

You may be thinking that an electric car is just an enhanced golf cart, but you'll be surprised to find out that there are EV sports cars, sport utility vehicles, and even pickup trucks. In fact, many electric cars are converted from gas-powered cars, so they look just like an ordinary car.

Now you may be wondering how an EV is different from a gas-powered car. Basically, you have an electric motor instead of an engine, and anywhere from 16-30 batteries instead of a gas tank. The batteries that most EVs use are actually the same type of batteries that start your gas-powered car: Lead Acid. Since Lead Acid batteries are used in almost every gas powered car, they are very cheap and easy to find, and that is why many EVs use them. Unfortunately, Lead Acid batteries are big, heavy, and cannot store very much energy. EVs that use Lead Acid batteries have been plagued with a limited range for years. New types of batteries are now being used, such as Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium Ion, but unfortunately, these types of batteries are much more expensive and raise the price of the EV.

If you want to learn about the history of EVs, please read our History article. If you want to learn more about how EVs work, take a look at our How They Work article. To discover some more differences between gas and electric cars, check out our Pros and Cons article. You can read about some EVs that are currently on the market in EVs for Sale! and learn about what the government is doing to encourage EV use in Government Participation.

If you are interested about how EVs help out the environment, you will want to read our Effect on the Environment article. If you are just curious about what it would be like to own an EV, check out our Living with an EV article. Finally, you can find out about other types of Alternative Fuel Vehicles that are currently on the market.