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Home , Electricity, Electric motor, Electric vehicle, Motor vehicle

Electric Basics

Electric (EVs) use Electric vehicles are charged by plugging the vehicle into an electric source. as their primary or to improve Photo courtesy of Forth. the efficiency of conventional vehicle designs. EVs include all-electric an source and can also be charged through regenerative braking. vehicles, also referred to as battery Regenerative Braking All-electric vehicles produce no tailpipe Regenerative braking allows EVs to electric vehicles (BEVs), and plug-in emissions, although there are “life cycle” hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). In emissions associated with the electricity capture normally lost during colloquial references, these vehicles production. braking by using the are called electric , or simply EVs, as a generator and storing that All-electric vehicles typically have captured energy in the battery. even though some of these vehicles shorter driving ranges per charge than still use liquid in conjunction conventional vehicles have per tank of with electricity. EVs are known for . Most new BEVs are designed Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles to travel about 100 to 400+ miles on providing instant and a quiet PHEVs use batteries to power an electric a battery, depending on driver experience. motor and use another fuel, such as the model. For context, 90% of all U.S. gasoline, to power a conventional . household trips cover less than 100 Other types of electric-drive vehicles The batteries are typically charged by miles.1 An all-’s range not covered here include hybrid plugging the PHEV into an electric power varies according to driving conditions and source, although they can also be charged electric vehicles, which are powered by driving habits. Extreme temperatures tend by the conventional engine and through a conventional engine and an electric to reduce range because energy from the regenerative braking. motor that uses energy stored in a battery powers climate control in battery that is charged by regenerative addition to powering the motor. Speeding, PHEVs have an all-electric driving range aggressive driving, and heavy loads can braking, not by plugging in, and fuel of about 15 to 50+ miles, depending also reduce range. on the model. As long as the battery is cell electric vehicles, which use a similar to electric vehicles, where energy stored as EVs at a Glance is converted to electricity by EVs run on electricity alone. They are powered by one or more the . electric motors and a battery. The battery is charged by plugging the vehicle into an electric power source and through All-Electric Vehicles regenerative braking. All-electric vehicles do not have PHEVs can travel moderate distances on electricity alone. conventional but are driven solely by one or more electric motors powered The battery can be charged by plugging into an electric by energy stored in batteries. The batteries power source, through regenerative braking, and by are charged by plugging the vehicle into the engine. PHEVs don’t have to be plugged in before driving. They can also be fueled solely 1 National Highway Travel Survey, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, with conventional fuel. However, they will not achieve maximum fuel economy or 2008, fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/pubs/pl08021/ fig4_5.cfm. take full advantage of their all-electric capabilities without plugging in. charged, a PHEV can draw most of its often be done with little or no required power from electricity for typical daily electrical upgrades, as most homes driving. The engine will then kick in have 240-V service for appliances like when the battery is mostly depleted, dryers and electric ranges. A Level 2 during rapid acceleration, at high unit can be portable or “hard wired” speeds, or when intensive heating or air into a building and can be purchased for conditioning is required. as little as $200. For more information on installing charging equipment, see When running on battery power alone, Charging Procurement and PHEVs produce no tailpipe emissions. Installation on the AFDC (afdc.energy. Even when the conventional engine is gov/fuels/electricity_infrastructure_ running, PHEVs typically consume less More heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers development.html). gasoline and produce fewer emissions are now offering plug-in models for than similar conventional vehicles. fleets. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL To make long-distance travel more 46574. accessible, the Federal Highway What EV Models Are Administration is establishing a network of alternative fueling and charging Available? How Do These Vehicles “Fuel Up”? infrastructure along highway corridors. Nearly all major vehicle manufacturers Designated EV corridors2 supported have EV models available, and some Charging equipment provides electricity by DC fast charging stations are under have committed to transitioning to selling to charge EV batteries. The charging unit development nationwide. To find public only EVs by 2030. communicates with the vehicle to ensure stations, use the Alternative Fueling that it supplies an appropriate and safe Station Locator (afdc.energy.gov/ Medium- and heavy-duty options are flow of electricity. stations), which is available as an iPhone also available for fleet applications. See and Android app. Considering an EV for fleet-specific There are more than 100,000 publicly considerations. available charging outlets—and counting—across the country. The Equipment Types and Costs For up-to-date information on available average range of a light-duty BEV was Charging units are classified according models, use the Alternative Fuels Data 260 miles in 2020, with some models to the rate at which they charge batteries. Center (AFDC) Vehicle Search tool (afdc. exceeding 400 miles. Technological Two types—Level 1 and Level 2— energy.gov/tools) or the Find a tool advances such as larger batteries and provide AC power to the vehicle, with the on FuelEconomy.gov (fueleconomy.gov/ growing access to charging are increas- feg/findacar.shtml). ingly addressing “,” or the fear of running out of charge. Learn Charging Made Simple more about trends in EV charging Most EV owners charge at home or infrastructure (afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ at because charging is more electricity_infrastructure_trends.html). convenient and cost-effective than It may take as little as 20 minutes to fully using public stations. But public charge an EV’s battery, but charging equipment is also easy to use. times vary based on the type or level of Depending on the station, drivers charging; the type of battery, its capacity, might use a network card, credit and how depleted it is; and the capacity card, phone, cash, or even just enter of the vehicle’s internal charger (see an account number. There are also Charging Options table). free chargers where users can just Charging units can be installed in plug in. residential, fleet, workplace, and An added benefit of going electric is public settings. Most EVs come with a 110- “Level 1” cordset that can be that electricity prices are less plugged into a typical electrical outlet. volatile than gasoline and diesel For quicker charging, homeowners prices, so drivers can more easily can install a 240-V “Level 2” unit on forecast their fueling expenses. See Getting started with an EV is easy a dedicated electrical circuit. This can a comparison of all fuel prices over thanks to the charging “cordset” that comes with most vehicles. Photo by time on the AFDC Fuel Prices page Erik Nelsen, NREL 64277. 2 fhwa.dot.gov/environment/alternative_fuel_corridors (afdc.energy.gov/fuels/prices.html).

2 Charging Options Federal and state tax credits and Cost for Equipment, Installation, Typical Charging Time private and utility rebates may also be and Site Costs* available to help offset the cost of EVs. Level 1 2–5 miles of range per hour $0 to $1,800 For information on available vehicle of charging incentives, see the AFDC Laws & Incentives page (afdc.energy.gov/laws). Level 2** 10–30 miles of range per $800 to $33,000 hour of charging To find fuel economy ratings and fuel/ vehicle cost comparisons among DC Fast 100–200+ miles of range in $30,000 to over $120,000 currently available models, visit Charging** 30 minutes FuelEconomy.gov.

*Costs do not include the price of operation (network charges, electricity, utility How Do Their Emissions demand charges). Factors affecting the price include equipment (charging equipment, Compare With Those of electrical supplies), electrical installation (upgrading or adding electrical service, upgrading the electrical panel, conduit, and trenching), site improvements (adding Conventional Vehicles? pavement), activating a network, payment collection, labor, permitting, and taxes. EVs typically produce fewer emissions **Charging unit cost (Level 2 and DCFC) is proportional to the unit’s power rating. The than conventional vehicles. All-electric higher its rating, the higher the cost. A Level 2 unit can range from 2.9 to 19.2 kW vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions, output. A DCFC unit can range from 25 to 350 kW. Charging varies by charging unit and PHEVs produce no tailpipe emissions power, vehicle, and battery state of charge. when in electric-only mode. Life cycle emissions are generated when vehicle’s onboard equipment converting How Much Do the fuel or electricity is produced, as well as AC to DC to charge the batteries. The Vehicles Cost? during the of the vehicle other type—DC fast charging (DCFC)— itself. The life cycle emissions of an EV EVs are generally more expensive than provides DC power directly. largely depend on how the electricity their conventional counterparts. However, is generated (and how much a PHEV’s lower fueling and maintenance costs can Wireless or “inductive” charging engine is being used), and this varies by make them a competitive option. For equipment uses an electromagnetic region. Generally, all-electric vehicles example, electric are more to transfer electricity to an EV without and PHEVs produce one-third to half efficient, making BEVs (and PHEVs a cord. Today, this is used the emissions of conventional vehicles, operating in electric mode) more than primarily at higher power levels in heavy- respectively. Regions with high use three times as efficient. Electricity is also duty applications like transit . of will see stronger less expensive than gasoline or diesel on emissions benefits. See a comparison Some states and utilities offer financial an energy-equivalent basis. BEV drivers of emissions by state using the AFDC incentives for charging stations; see the can save as much as $14,500 in fuel costs comparison tool at afdc.energy.gov/ AFDC Laws & Incentives page for more alone over 15 years (see table: Benefits ev-emissions.html. information (afdc.energy.gov/laws). of Electric-Drive Vehicles). Generally, all-electric vehicles produce a third of the emissions of conventional vehicles and PHEVs produce less than National Average Annual Emissions per Vehicle half, considering both air pollutants and gases. Purchasing or Electric emissions installing renewable energy sources will All Electric Gasoline emissions further reduce emissions.

Plug-in Hybrid What About Safety and Maintenance? Hybrid All EVs undergo the same rigorous safety testing as conventional vehicles sold in the and must meet Gasoline Federal Safety Standards (including those for batteries). For 0 3k 6k 9k 12k 15k additional safety information, refer to Light-duty vehicles excluding fuel cell electric Pounds of CO Equivalent 2 the AFDC’s Maintenance and Safety of Based on assumptions updated in 2020 Hybrid and Plug-In Electric Vehicles

3 Bene ts of and demand charges), as well as Electric-Drive managed charging Vehicles compared to conventional vehicles PHEVs All-electric vehicles • Exploring private or utility incentives for equipment installation or power use Fuel Economy Most achieve combined fuel Most achieve fuel economy ratings economy ratings higher than higher than 100 mpge.* • Evaluating equipment vendors and 90 mpge.* considering needs/options such as charging, cloud , Emissions Produce no tailpipe emissions Produce no tailpipe vendor payment, and equipment owner- Reductions when in electric-only mode. emissions. and maintenance Generally, they produce less than Generally, they produce one-third • Timing the purchase and installation half the emissions. the emissions. of charging units with the delivery of vehicles (this can be especially Fuel Cost In electric-only mode, PHEV All-electric vehicles run on slow/complicated for municipal electricity costs range about electricity only. Electricity costs are Savings** organizations). 3¢–10¢ per mile. 2¢–6¢ per mile. On gasoline only, fuel costs are For medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, about 4¢–36¢ per mile. there are additional considerations:

Fueling Can fuel at gas stations. Can charge at: • Examining auxiliary loads (e.g., heating/cooling, lights, power take-off/ Flexibility Can charge at: • home hydraulics use), and optional auxiliary • home • public charging stations • some workplaces power units or heating, ventilating, and • public charging stations air-conditioning (HVAC) units powered • some workplaces by diesel or another fuel

Electricity is produced from varied, domestic sources: • Determining the impacts of increased electricity consumption, especially when several vehicles need to be Sources: AFDC (afdc.energy.gov), FuelEconomy.gov charged simultaneously at high * EVs are rated not in miles per gallon (mpg) but miles per gallon of gasoline charging rates equivalent (mpge). Similar to mpg, mpge represents the number of miles the vehicle can travel using a quantity of fuel (or electricity) with the same energy content as a • Understanding original equipment gallon of gasoline. manufacturer vehicle maintenance and **Compare to 10¢–15¢ per mile for conventional gasoline- or diesel-powered sedans. support if issues arise. Find additional information on EVs on page (afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/electric_ All-electric vehicles lack conventional the AFDC at afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/ maintenance.html). engines and have far fewer moving electric.html. parts and fewer fluids to change, so they Because PHEVs have conventional typically require less maintenance than engines, their maintenance requirements conventional vehicles or even PHEVs. are similar to conventional vehicles.

For all EVs, the electrical system (battery, Considering an EV motor, and associated ) Fleet managers should consider: requires minimal scheduled maintenance. A manufacturer’s warranty of a battery • Arranging for basic technician and typically covers 8 years or 100,000 driver training miles, and the expected battery lifetime • Conducting site planning for charging is 12 to 15 years under normal operating units, including setbacks, electrical conditions and in moderate climates. service locations, potential service Check with your manufacturer about upgrade needs, and future upgrades vehicle and battery warranties. Brake systems on these vehicles typically • Determining when and how the For more information, visit: last longer than conventional vehicles vehicles will charge (including working afdc.energy.gov because regenerative braking reduces with utilities to understand time-of-use DOE/GO-102021-5606 • August 2021 brake wear.

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