This course compares the driving principles of gasoline and diesel cars and electric vehicles, and explains why electric vehicles have advantages in terms of environmental pollution and maintenance costs. It also covers the types of electric vehicles and the potential for advances in battery technology, and discusses the challenges and future prospects for commercializing electric vehicles.
Comparing gasoline and diesel cars to electric vehicles
Recently, an unusual thing happened: the stock price of an American car company skyrocketed by more than 1000%. Tesla is an electric car company founded by Elon Musk, the founder of PayPal, along with four fellow engineers. Musk is leading a new trend in the automotive market by making battery-powered cars a reality. The demand for electric vehicles is skyrocketing, not only because of the growing global concern for environmental pollution, but also because of the low cost of ownership for consumers. As proof of this, it is estimated that electric vehicles will account for about 20% of the total automotive market by 2025. It’s safe to say that electric vehicles have become an essential choice for car companies.
In fact, the need for electric vehicles has been around for a long time. As global warming and environmental problems caused by automobile emissions have become more prominent, the need for electric vehicles has emerged as a solution, but commercialization has been difficult due to battery power and charging time. However, recent advances in electronics technology, including smartphones, have improved battery efficiency, making it possible to mass produce electric vehicle models. In this article, we’ll take a look at the principles of electric vehicles, compare them to conventional gasoline and diesel cars, and discuss the future of battery technology.
How gasoline and diesel cars work
Most rear-wheel drive cars follow the basic structure established in 1891 by the Frenchman Panard Lebasso. A car is made up of around 30,000 parts, divided into two main parts: the body and the chassis. The chassis is the part that generates the power needed to drive the car, which in turn is divided into the engine, transmission, and wheels. In a gasoline car, high-pressure, high-temperature gases produced by burning fuel and oxygen in a cylinder expand to move a piston. This is a four-stroke cycle of intake, compression, power, and exhaust, and the exhaust emitted into the atmosphere during the exhaust stroke is a major source of environmental pollution.
Diesel cars are powered in a similar way to gasoline cars, but the fuel is ignited differently. Diesel engines are more fuel efficient and have more torque than gasoline engines, but they have emissions and noise issues. By burning fuel at higher pressures, diesel engines are more thermally efficient, but technological improvements are needed to address emissions issues, including particulate matter and nitrogen oxides.
How electric vehicles work
Electric vehicles, on the other hand, are powered by electricity, using electricity as a source of power to turn a motor. Unlike gasoline and diesel cars, they are structurally simple because they don’t require a piston engine, and they are characterized by virtually no engine noise. Electric vehicles are divided into several types depending on the power source they use. The first is the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV). These cars use hydrogen as fuel to generate electricity in a fuel cell. In a fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen undergo a chemical reaction to generate electricity, and the only emissions are water. However, the infrastructure such as hydrogen refueling stations is not yet in place, so commercialization will take time.
The second is battery electric vehicles (BEVs). These cars charge electricity into a battery built into the vehicle and then use that electricity to drive a motor. They are sometimes called “pure electric vehicles” because they are powered solely by electricity. These are the models that Tesla produces. However, battery electric cars take a long time to charge and have limited battery performance. There are also concerns about the use of fossil fuels to make the batteries, which challenges their reputation as a green technology.
The third is hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which use a small internal combustion engine to compensate for the battery’s limited storage capacity. They are considered a transitional technology between battery electric vehicles and conventional gasoline vehicles because the internal combustion engine can be used to charge the battery while driving.
The evolution and future of battery technology
Battery technology is one of the most important factors for the popularization of electric vehicles. Currently, most electric vehicles use lithium-ion batteries, which are relatively efficient but have a low energy density, meaning that the range of a single charge is shorter than that of an internal combustion engine vehicle. To address these issues, next-generation battery technologies such as solid-state batteries are being researched around the world. Solid-state batteries use solids instead of liquids as the electrolyte, which has the potential to increase safety, energy density, and reduce charging time. If this technology is commercialized, it is expected to significantly solve the problem of electric vehicle range.
Battery recycling technology is also emerging as an important issue. Lithium-ion batteries need to be effectively recycled at the end of their life cycle. If battery recycling technology is successfully introduced, the environmental benefits of electric vehicles will be further expanded.
Challenges to commercializing EVs
The challenges to commercializing EVs are not only technical advances, but also a combination of infrastructure and policy support. In recent years, various regulations and support have been announced by governments to promote the commercialization of EVs.
In the U.S., the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) has been passed, benefiting manufacturers of electric vehicles, and new policies related to tighter CO₂ emissions standards are also in place. The European Union (EU) also published the EU Battery Regulation in 2023, strengthening legislation to promote sustainable battery management and recycling. The regulation aims to minimize the environmental impact of batteries over their entire lifecycle and encourage a circular economy.
The biggest challenges to the commercialization of electric vehicles are charging infrastructure and battery performance. Countries are investing huge amounts of money to expand charging infrastructure, with Europe and the U.S. implementing policies during 2022-2023 that focus on installing charging infrastructure. In response, battery technology is also advancing rapidly. The demand for lithium-ion batteries continues to grow, and in 2023, battery performance and productivity have improved significantly.
In addition, new battery technologies-solid-state batteries and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries-are reducing battery costs, extending their lifespan, and making electric vehicles more competitive. In particular, these batteries are expected to play an important role in a sustainable future electric vehicle industry by reducing the use of rare metals.
Therefore, challenges such as expanding charging infrastructure, improving battery performance, and enhancing battery recycling technologies still remain for the commercialization of electric vehicles, but policy support and technological innovation around the world are rapidly addressing these issues.
