The why, what and who of EVs
All EVs have the benefit of regenerative power, which means they generate power when you break or go downhill. They are also aimed at specific urban driving distances.
EV is a collective term for three main kinds of vehicles, the PHEV, HEV and the BEV. There is also an FCEV or hydrogen power, but this one is probably slightly further down the line.
PHEV stands for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. You can charge the battery at home overnight, and this will give you enough juice for the typical urban daily trip – 50 – 80km. Should you have to go further, the ICE motor will kick into juice up the battery.
HEV is a hybrid electric vehicle. The ICE motor works through the battery to run the car, and you get some battery performance and regenerative benefits. This technology has come a long way since the Prius.
BEV is a battery electric vehicle. It only has a battery and you have to charge it when it runs down. Since most BEVs can easily do several hundred kilometres between home or office charges, the range is normally not a problem. But range anxiety is still a factor – the fear of getting stuck in the sticks. BEVs for longer trips to a large extent depend on a mature network of charging stations and, increasingly, fast charging facilities. In Europe, for example, there is a fast-charging (10 – 15min) station every 135km along all major routes. Battery technology is also improving to give better range and faster charging.
One major benefit to BEVs is that the batteries sit under the floor and the motors are on the axles or even on the wheels, meaning you have huge extra space in a conventional layout car or can design a totally new configuration that does not have to cater for an ICE, gearbox, driveshaft and petrol tank.
It will be a couple of years before EVs become mainstream here, but it will happen. Hybrids will probably arrive in numbers before BEVs, but eventually, most newish cars will be EVs. When looking for your next drive, see if you can spot when they start to arrive.
