Featured Press Release
EDTA Applauds Congressional Support for Electric VehiclesFrom Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) President Brian Wynne: "We are extremely pleased that this week both Houses of Congress issued key proposals that recognize the vital role that electric drive will play in our national energy policy." : : MORE
More Information For:
- Theodore F. Craver, Jr. Named Co-Chairman of the Electric Drive Transportation Association
- EDTA Statement on the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2010
- President Obama Urged To Create Task Force For Plug-in Electric Vehicles
- Investments in electric drive delivering dividends for consumers, the industry and the economy
- DOT, EPA Set Aggressive National Standards for Fuel Economy and First Ever Greenhouse Gas Emission Levels For Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
What is Electric Drive?
In an Electric Drive vehicle, the torque is supplied to the wheels by an electric motor that is powered either solely by a battery, or an internal combustion engine using hydrogen, gasoline or diesel, or, by a fuel cell.
Types of Electric Drive:
Battery
Uses
batteries to power an electric motor which
propels the vehicle. In "extended range"
electric vehicles, batteries are charged from
the grid and by a small gas engine that powers
a generator which powers the batteries (the
engine doesn't propel the vehicle, it recharges
the batteries.)
Plug-in hybrid
Uses
electricity and gas to move vehicle's
wheels. Some, or all, of that electricity comes
from the grid -- from "plugging in."
Hybrid
Uses
both an electric motor and an internal
combustion engine to propel the vehicle.
Fuel Cell
Combines
hydrogen fuel and oxygen to produce electricity
used to power an electric motor that moves the
vehicle.
Extended Range Electric
Vehicle:
Electric vehicle with
a small gas engine that turns a generator
to extend range once the battery is
depleted. Only the batteries propel the
vehicle, not gas.