Types of Electric Vehicles and their power sources - swapnilmankame1995/EV-course GitHub Wiki

We now know what sets Electric vehicles apart from internal combustion engines! but there are different types within electric vehicles too! let's have a look!

There are four main types of electric vehicles (EVs), classed by their energy source. BEVs or battery electric vehicles, PHEVs or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, HEVs or hybrid electric vehicles and FCEV Hydrogen Fuelcell Evs.

Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV)

electric-high-res.jpg image credit : afdc.energy.gov

Battery Electric Vehicles also called BEVs, and more frequently called EVs, are fully-electric vehicles with rechargeable batteries and no Petrol engine. Battery electric vehicles store electricity onboard with high-capacity battery packs. Their battery power is used to run the electric motor and all onboard electronics. BEVs do not emit any harmful emissions and hazards caused by traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. BEVs are charged by electricity from an external source.

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)

plugin-high-res.jpg image credit : afdc.energy.gov

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles or PHEVs can recharge the battery through both regenerative braking and “plugging in” to an external source of electrical power. While “standard” hybrids can (at low speed) go about 1-5 Kilometers before the gasoline engine turns on, PHEV models can go anywhere from 10-40 Kilometers before their Petrol/diesel engines provide assistance.

Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV)

hybrid-high-res.jpg image credit : afdc.energy.gov

HEVs are powered by both gasoline and electricity. The electric energy is generated by the car’s own braking system to recharge the battery. This is called ‘regenerative braking’, a process where the electric motor helps to slow the vehicle and uses some of the energy normally converted to heat by the brakes.

HEVs start off using the electric motor, then the gasoline engine cuts in as load or speed rises. The two motors are controlled by an internal computer, which ensures the best economy for the driving conditions.

Hydrogen Fuel cell Electric Vehicles (HEV)

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Like BEVs, fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) use electricity to power an electric motor. In contrast to other electric vehicles, FCEVs produce electricity using a fuel cell-powered by hydrogen, rather than drawing electricity from only a battery. During the vehicle design process, the vehicle manufacturer defines the power of the vehicle by the size of the electric motor(s) that receive electric power from the appropriately sized fuel cell and battery combination.

The amount of energy stored on board is determined by the size of the hydrogen fuel tank. This is different from a BEV, where the amount of power and energy available are both closely related to the battery's size.

Although automakers could design an FCEV with plug-in capabilities to charge the battery, most FCEVs today use the battery for recapturing braking energy, providing extra power during short acceleration events and to smooth out the power delivered from the fuel cell with the option to idle or turn off the fuel cell during low power needs.

*Only BEVs are capable of charging on a level 3, DC fast chargers.

For our course, we will only stick to Battery electric vehicles or BEVs for now, as they are the most popular and currently highly developed.

Lets move on to understand the different parts of a Battery Electric vehicle!