
Electric Vehicles Type
Large Scale Electric Car
There are many type of electric cars, trolleybus is one of biggest cars. A trolleybus uses two overhead wires providing electrical current supply and return to power source. Most of large energy systems are powered by the stationary sources of electricity that are connected to the vehicles through the wires. Because of its complicated system, customarily, it is belonging to publicity or large companies to transport mines, heavy metals or stones. These are the specific electric car types such as electric buses, trams, metros, trolleybuses and electric locomotives. Today, you can buy sedan, van and truck with same energy system for your personal usage.
Small Scale Electric Vehicles
Nowadays, you can buy bicycles that have been converted to electric power with small battery and small electric motor. Even some of them have solar panels that are used to analyze when the vehicle is running out of power. Small scale electric vehicles include light truck, neighborhood electric vehicles, motorcycle, motorized bicycles, electric scooters, golf carts, milk floats, forklifts and other similar vehicles.
Electric Vehicles Power Supply

Lead Acid
Most of electric vehicles used lead-acid batteries as the main power supplier to the mature technology and low cost (some of them are expensive too, such as Detroit Electric used Nickel-Iron.) It is not different with the other batteries, these have been an environmental impact through their production, use, disposal recycling. Deep-cycle lead batteries are expensive and have shorter life that the vehicle itself, and typically must be replaced every three years. The battery that is applied in electric vehicles end up being significant 25%-50% portion of the final mass. Same with all batteries, they have lower energy density than petroleum fuels. These Lead-acid batteries have been re-developed by Firefly Energy that succeeds to increase longevity, slightly energy density, and significantly increasing power density. In addition, it was used for early modern electric vehicles as the original version of the EV1 and RAV4EV.
Lithium Ion
Lithium Ion is similar with lithium polymer batteries that are known well through in laptops, cellular phone and consumer electronics, majority used by the recent group of electric vehicles in development. The traditional version of this battery involves a lithium cobalt oxide cathode and graphite anode, this battery has impressive energy density and good power density, it has 80%-90% charge efficiency. The downsides of traditional lithium ion batteries include short cycle life and significant degradation for a long time. Majority of the electric vehicles are utilizing new version of lithium ion chemistry, but it sacrifice energy density-result in batteries with 100Wh/kg or less-to provide extreme power density fire resistance environmental friendliness, very rapid charges and very long lifespan. There are many kind of lithium ion that available now such as phosphates, titanates, spinels, etc, and have been proved to have much longer lifetime more than 10 years and 7000 charge cycles, even some of them can survive until 40 years.
Nickel Metal Hydride
Nickel metal hydride is more powerful and has higher energy density than lead-acid, they boast and energy density of 30-80Wh/kg. It is now considered a relatively mature technology that less efficient (60%-70%) in charging and discharging. If you use this kind of battery properly, nickel metal hydride can have exceptionally long lives, and it has been used in their use in hybrid cars and surviving NiMH RAV4EVs that still operate well after 100,000 miles or 160,000 km and over a decade of service. General Motors Ovonic has been producing this battery for their electric vehicles in second generation of EV-1, and Cobassy. It works very well in Cobassy and General Motors Ovonic has purchased the patent of this product so that there are no other car manufacture can produce the same specification especially with similar performance, type and brand. However, today lithium ion is one of the best alternatives for future electric vehicles.
Advantage and Disadvantage of Electric Vehicles
Advantages of Electric Vehicles
There are many advantages of electric vehicles, these are only part of the full version:
- Electric vehicle has very simple motor system, and does not release any air pollutants at the place where it is operated. It is safe for environment and atmosphere.
- Electric motor achieve more than 85% energy conversion efficiency over the full range of spend and output power and can be controlled. Beside that, it can be modified with regenerative braking system that has ability to convert movement energy back into stored electricity.
- It can be controlled properly and provide high torque from rest, unlike internal combustion engine, and does not need any multiple gears to match power curve. It removes the necessity for gearboxes and torque converter.
- You can drive your car without any noise vibration or pollutant engine.
- It is much cheaper when you use electric vehicle than gasoline.
- You do not need to worry about fuel filter problem, carburetor jam, or sparkplug.
- You do not need to spend hundred dollar to maintain and service you machine, it is not same with gasoline or diesel machine, it need to be maintained and checked up periodically to avoid broken machine while driving, especially for long distance journey.
Disadvantages of Electric Vehicles
The biggest problem for electric vehicle now is design and recharge times. It has limited design including body, interior, and even the battery itself. Electric vehicles force car manufacture to develop light material for the body, they must also consider about the energy density of the batteries if compared to the fuel of internal combustion engine vehicles. And then it has long recharge time compared to the relatively fast process of refueling a full tank.
In fact, it still problem for the electric vehicles development until today. Moreover, people want to do something instantly, even to eat something. Therefore, if the car manufactures can provide consumer of the instant recharge, surely this will be the greatest innovation in transportation world.
The production of electric vehicles today has been rapidly growth year to year. Most big car manufactures such as Daimler AG, Toyota Motor Corp, General Motors Corp, Renault SA, Peugeot-Citroen, VW and Mitsubishi Corp are developing new generation of electric vehicles. They are competing to produce the most innovative electric vehicle with several advantages as the main promotion.

Today, some of developing and growing country is starting to sell electric vehicles, South Africa takes action selling Joule that is designed by Cape Town based Optimal Energy, in 2008 in Paris Motor Show. It was claimed to has maximum driving range of 400 kilometres, it is equipped with two large cell lithium ion battery packs. China does not want to be left behind, China has released BYD F6DM in 2008, Nanjing Dongyu Electric Motorcycle and electric Bicycle, then Tradwin Hongkong International. European Union released Morgan Life Car in 2009, Lighting GT still in 2009, Imperia Gp planned to sell in 2010-VAT, Preoders in 2009 and eRUF.

India as the growing country is now developing this electric vehicle technology as well, practically the only electric vehicles to have been produced for several years is the India REVA that is manufactured by REVA Electric Car Company Private Ltd (RECC) in Bangalore, India. This country has produced great various electric vehicles such as Mahindra and Mahindra (Four seat model by 2010,) Tata, produced in 2008-2009, Ajanta Group or the low cost electric vehicle, Tara and Hero Electric planned to sell in 2013. United States start with Myers Motors with three wheeled cars called NMG or no more gas, but this car can only take one passenger and is being sold in very small number in the US market only. In 2008, US have released 4 kinds of EV: Phoenix SUT, Tesla Roadster, Zap Xebra, and eviLight Truck. In 2009, United State produced four type such as Miles XS500, Fisker Karma, Lightning GT, and Aptera type 1e. Then in 2010, United State plans to produce Chevy Volt, Tesla Model S, Toyota 1Q PHEV, Toyota Prius PHEV, Visionary Vehicles and Zap X as the future cars.