Working of Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicle:

Working of Electric Vehicle:

An electric vehicle consists of following main components which play an important role in the operation of EV –

1. Battery bank
2. Inverter & Controller
3. Motor
4. Charger
5. EPCU (Electric Power Control Units)
6. Body of vehicle
7. Wheels (numbers depending on the type of vehicle such as 4 wheelers, 3 wheelers ..)

Battery Bank –

Battery bank is an important component in electric vehicle because it stores electrical energy in the form of DC & it is rechargeable. The battery capacity determines the maximum driving distance of electric vehicle – higher the capacity – maximum distance covered.

Lethium-ion batteries are most suitable for electric vehicle as these batteries have higher capacity of storing electrical energy for same weight & package. Lithium-ion batteries are boon for electric vehicles because of its storing capacity of electrical energy. Battery gives power to inverter.

Inverter and Controller –

The function of inverter to convert DC power into AC power which is used by motor. The main function of controller is to control the electrical energy which in turn controls the speed of vehicle & torque it produces.

Motor–

The function of motor is to move the vehicle through wheels. Generally, BLDC (brushless DC) motor is used in electric vehicles. Motor may be AC or DC it depends upon the design of EV.

Charger –

It is a battery charging device that gets electricity from external source (grid power etc). AC electricity is converted into DC electricity & stored in the battery. Chargers are of two types –

1. On board Charger- It is installed in the car,
2. Off board Charger – It is not installed in the car.

Each charger comes with charger port that allows the vehicle to connect with external source of AC power to charge the batteries.

Body of vehicle –

Body of an vehicle depending on the type of vehicle such as 2-wheelers, 3-wheelers, 4-wheelers, buses etc. The function of body is to provide space on the vehicle so that persons could sit /material could be stored in it. Body of vehicles helps all components to be fitted properly & interconnected with each other.

Wheels –

Wheels takes power from motor & helps vehicle to move forward.

We can understand the working of EV (4 wheeler) through the diagram given below-