What the Frunk? Part 1: What Moves the EV
I am sure we’ve all had those moments where we have had to pop open the hood of our traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle and saw all of the hoses, wires, engine block and all of the auxiliary components like the compressor or the alternator and wondered “wow that’s a lot“. The battery electric vehicle is a lot less complicated than its ICE counterpart. In the first series of “What the Frunk” we will dive into the basics of the electric motor.
The Motor
The electric motor is the main component that provides the power to the vehicle. With the use of coils and internal magnetic field changes, the rotor inside of the motor provides the rotation and power that eventually transfers to the wheels of the vehicle, thus making it move. Its the only component that moves inside the motor of an electric vehicle which is way less than its ICE counterpart which has hundreds of moving pieces. And this has significant implications.
Efficiency and Motor Life
Since there are minimal components in an electric motor when compared to the ICE, there is a lot less energy losses in the electric motor thereby allowing more of the energy provided from the battery to power the motor. Some estimates put the electric motor efficiency anywhere from 85% to 95% efficiency. Its ICE counterpart has a lot more moving pieces and thus not as efficient, with efficiency ranging from 25%-30%! Every 1 gallon of gas only returns 25-30% of the power; the rest is lost in the form of heat.
Less moving components in the electric motor also means less wear and tear and longer motor life.
Performance
If you’re like me and love being pushed into the seat as soon as you step on the pedal, you’ll love the torque and acceleration that comes from an electric motor. Due to its physical nature, an electric motor can generate high torques and acceleration very quickly compared to its ICE counterpart. Majority of electric vehicles boast a 0-60 time (time taken to go from 0-60 MPH) of 6 seconds or less while their ICE counterparts come in at a 7-8 seconds range. Talk about thrill when stepping on the pedal of an electric vehicle!
Stay tuned for part 2 of “What the Frunk?” where we will dive into the inner workings of the electric vehicle battery.
