11 Interesting Facts about Electric Cars: You might probably don’t know

facts about electric cars
Interesting facts about electric vehicles

Today we discuss some interesting facts about electric cars. Electric cars are newcomers in the automotive market (are they really?) Yeah. As far as market is concerned EVs are new even though they were first constructed in 1837.

Gasoline Vehicle is a quiet common and widely used mode of transportation. But all major manufacturers already declared their plan of electric cars production in near future. Here I tell you 11 interesting facts about electric cars that probably surprise you.

Private charging stations are constructed in shopping malls, company premises, etc. to encourage eco-friendly transportation.

#1 Manufactures planning to add Engine Noise to Electric Cars

Why engine noise in an electric car? Electric Cars are ultra silent Vehicle that never let passengers know that vehicle runs. But passengers are used to the noise inside and outside the vehicle.

European Union and US government urged Electric Vehicle manufacturers to add noise to the vehicle when it travels at low speed so that the pedestrians identify the presence.

#2 Electric Cars may get priority in lanes

Bicycles have dedicated lanes and priority in many streets and roads. Similarly, to promote Electric Vehicles they might get priority in lanes. The government tries to encourage the use of the electric vehicle by subsidizing them and reducing tax, etc.

#3 Electric Cars become affordable

Electric Cars cost much more than gasoline cars. The battery has been the factor that significantly influences the cost of Electric Vehicle.

But now everything gets changed. And, EVs are slowly becoming cost competitive with IC engine cars. Reduction in the cost of battery which is the main part of the EV helps to reduce electric vehicle price. Are electric cars economical?

#4 Extra charge at Emergency

What will an electric car driver do if they run out of battery at a remote location where no charging stations available nearby?

There might be some emergency extra charge that can be requested from the battery. If the indicator shows the battery is drained, it doesn’t mean that there is no charge in the battery.

The useful range of battery would be in an around 30 to 90 % of capacity. So it’s possible to supply a little charge in an emergency to the vehicle.

The driver has to request the extra charge of EV through mobile App so that the feature is activated in the car and make it possible to travel a few more kilometers.

#5 EVs require less maintenance

Another interesting fact about the electric vehicle is their reduced maintenance cost. The maintenance cost of Electric Cars is much lower than that of IC engine cars.

EV does not have a combustion engine, coolant for the engine, exhaust system, etc. Obviously, maintenance is much less in EVs.

#6 EV market grows fast

Electric Vehicles market grows exponentially. Since the last few years, the number of people who buy Electric Vehicle (battery electric, and hybrid electric, and plug-in hybrid) increased as a result of government policies, cost reduction, etc. Internal energy agency forecasts the growth of Electric Vehicle from 3 million to 125 million by 2030.

#7 Charging is easier

Easiness of charging Electric Cars can be measured by two factors – charging speed, and the number of charging stations.

Facts about electric cars
Electric Car charging stations in Ludwisberg, Germany

Charging time has been a constraint in Electric Vehicles. The time required to fill fuel in the conventional vehicle is a matter of minutes whereas battery charging takes hours.

But fast charging facilities make the vehicle to travel 270km in 30 mins of charging. Does the charging time of electric car really matter?

Electric car charging stations are being constructed in large number around the world. So it’s not a problem to get the electric car charged.

#8 All OEMs declared their EV policy

Electric cars are now getting wide acceptance. Almost all major car manufacturers have already declared their plan on EVs.

BMW would manufacture 15-25% of their vehicle as electric by 2025. Honda plans to shift 2/3 of their Vehicles to electric by 2030. Read more about the future of EVs.

#9 Electric Car doesn’t have exhaust

Electric Cars are zero emission Vehicle. The name Electric Vehicle refers Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) which runs 100% on energy stored in the battery.

Hybrid Electric Vehicle does have an exhaust system but a Battery Electric Vehicle doesn’t. Electric cars do not have an engine and other fuel injection systems as well.

#10 Electric Cars are highly efficient

What does efficiency mean? If the power conversion from the battery to the wheels of EV is considered, efficiency would be much higher than IC engine cars.

IC engines have a thermal efficiency of about 26%. In some highly modified engines such as race engine, the efficiency goes up to 34%.

However, it could not beat the efficiency range of electric motor which is around 70 to 95%. If all losses are taken care we could say that Electric Cars convert 60% of energy from grid to wheel of a vehicle whereas conventional gasoline vehicle converts only 17 -21% of energy from the fuel to the wheels. (Reference)

#11 Biggest EV market is China

China electric car market became the biggest one in 2017. Their EV market grows twice as they of the US (53% growth in 2017).

Facts_electric_cars
Number of Electric Vehicles

Do you find more interesting facts about electric cars?

Please comment and let me know. 🙂

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