Electric vehicle
An electric vehicle (EV) is a type of vehicle that is powered by electricity. Unlike traditional cars with petrol or diesel engines, EVs and electric trucks use an electric motor powered by batteries or fuel cells. The main advantage of electric vehicles over other types of transport is their potential to significantly reduce pollution as they produce zero exhaust emissions.
Electric vehicles can be classified into several basic categories depending on how they are powered and what kind of energy they use:
- Fully electric vehicles (BEV - Battery Electric Vehicles): These vehicles are completely powered by electric energy stored in batteries. They have no internal combustion engine and are charged from the mains.
- Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs): these vehicles combine a traditional internal combustion engine (petrol or diesel) with an electric motor. The electric motor's battery is charged through regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine itself, which increases fuel efficiency.
- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV): Similar to HEVs, these vehicles have a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, but the battery can also be charged via external sources of electricity (for example, from a home socket ), which allows them to drive purely on electric power for longer.
- Extended Range Electric Vehicles (EREVs): these vehicles operate mostly on electric power with a battery that can be charged externally. In addition, they have a small internal combustion engine that is used to generate electricity and extend the range when the battery runs down.
- Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV): These vehicles use a fuel cell that produces electricity directly on board from hydrogen. The advantage is high energy efficiency and zero emissions, the disadvantage is the limited infrastructure for refueling hydrogen.