What is an electric vehicle?
There are probably fewer and fewer people in today’s world who have never heard of this type of vehicle as an electric vehicle (or electric vehicle, EV). Electric cars are cars that are powered by one or more electric motors, which, in turn, are powered by rechargeable batteries or other electrical energy (electricity) storage devices. The electric motor provides the electric vehicle with a constant level of torque (traction) and creates powerful and smooth acceleration. In addition, electric cars are 3 times more efficient than their traditional counterparts with internal combustion engines.
History
The first electric vehicle (meaning the first fully functional one) was created in the 1880s, and even before the internal combustion engine had developed so far that it took over the world, electric cars were quite popular. Yes, yes, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, electric cars were more popular than internal combustion engine vehicles! The development of electric motors dug a hole “itself” – there were compact electric starter motors for internal combustion engines and since then no longer had to start the car from a crooked starter or “push”. The mass production of cheap internal combustion engines also poured water on the mill of the “oblivion” of EC for a while.
Modernity
In the 1970s and 1980s, the oil crisis made EC relevant again, although for a short time and mass production did not start. But the XXI century with its technical progress, incredible development of electronics and chemical industry, an explosive interest in alternative energy sources, and the fight against global warming has turned the topic of electric cars into a dynamic upward trend. In a couple of years, electric car sales may account for 1% of all car sales in the world, and this will mean that EC has begun its ascent to the top. When sales of electric cars will reach 50%, the tipping point will come and EC will begin to displace cars with gasoline and diesel engines, and the era of internal combustion engines will be declining.
Yes, the renaissance of electric cars after 2008 is of course related to the development of rechargeable batteries, which, in turn, owe their improvement to electronic technology, various gadgets, smartphones, tablets, and other wearable electronic devices, which need a quickly rechargeable, lightweight and high capacity battery. To give more impetus to the mass market of electric cars, in an attempt to make even non “advanced” fans of everything modern buy an electric car, governments of many countries have established various incentives for electric vehicles. Buyers of electric cars are exempted from some taxes and fees, and the purchase of EC is subsidized by the state treasury. Among other things, such initiatives are used to reduce the greenhouse effect and CO2 emissions to curb global warming.
