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This book is dedicated to Skye and Spencer.
It always seems impossible until it is done.
—Nelson Mandela
Foreword
Electric vehicles (EVs) are fascinating. In fact, I would bet they are just as fascinating to drivers today as they were when the first ones were invented over 100 years ago. I know that this topic does not get boring because I have written thousands of articles about EVs over the last decade and a half. I have covered everything from the very beginning of Tesla to the work that the EV activists from Plug In America did to turn California into the EV leader it is today to the slow but steady progress EVs have made toward the mainstream. In fact, let me double down on that bet: I think EVs are more fascinating now than they were a century ago. And everything I have seen points to another 100 years of fascinating, zero-emission rides.
Personally, it has been fascinating to cover advances in EVs for everyone from The New York Times to Car and Driver to blogs dedicated to green transportation. The news never ends, which is exciting. I remember the days when we talked about the first-generation Nissan LEAF being able to go over 100 miles on a charge if the driver was careful and the conditions were right. And now here we are wondering if the 200+ miles in the Polestar 2 will be enough.
Of course, it is, but not everyone “gets it” at the same pace. Over the years, I have learned there are three main types of people who develop an interest in EVs, but people can easily fall into multiple categories.
A friend once jokingly called the first group “cashed-up greenies.” These are people who are willing and able to spend a bit extra to put their environmental values into action. Especially in the 1990s and 2000s, buying an EV—or converting a gas vehicle
to battery power—was an expensive proposition. But these early advocates quickly discovered there was more to driving electric than doing less damage to the environment.
Which is why so many of them joined the second category: the performance folks. It is thrilling to be behind the wheel of an EV, and the first time I drove a Tesla Roadster back in 2008 or so, it blew my little blogger mind. The thrill of instant torque is no joke, and automakers are finally starting to realize this side of EVs in the way they market and sell their vehicles. Looking at you, Porsche Taycan.
Which brings us to the third category: you, i.e., everyone. Yes, despite the prevalence of internal combustion vehicles on the road today, the segment of the population that can afford an EV is growing. Prices are coming down, used EVs are a real option and there are a number of programs in the United States focused on getting zero-emission EVs into the hands of average drivers and car shoppers. Two of the big issues that may have kept buyers away in the past have changed in the last few years. Range is less and less of an issue and more and more body styles are going electric. You can buy plug-in sedans, wagons, SUVs, and pickup trucks in North America right now. While this book focuses on the EVs you can buy in North America—where more than three dozen are available—the number of EVs available in other parts of the world, including China, is mind boggling. I have rarely been as amazed walking through an auto show as I have in Shanghai or Guangzhou in recent years. There I saw not just a fair number of models I had never heard of but entire brands that were new to me. It was, well, fascinating.
Those experiences were also proof that something big is happening. EVs have not seen the constant development that gasoline and diesel vehicles had throughout the 20th century, thanks to the cheap reliability of fossil fuels and the never-ending challenge of convincing people to try something new. Thankfully, now that the EV R&D “dark ages” are coming to an end and automakers around the world are charging up their EV programs, there is no doubt that we are about to see massive, valuable change in our transportation landscape.
All signs point to 2023 being a transformational year for EVs. This book is a guide to the fascinating world that is coming. Read it and be ready.
Sebastian Blanco
Freelance Writer
@SebastianBlanco
sebastian-blanco.com
Sebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles since 2006. The New York Times, Forbes, Car and Driver, Automotive News, Reuters, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, and NPR’s Car Talk listen to his advice and publish his articles. Since the launch of the Tesla Roadster, he has been America’s voice tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles.
Introduction and Key Takeaways
We wrote the first edition of The Arrival of the Electric Car to be a comprehensive, fact-based encouragement for people to switch to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). A major motivation was the sense that the industry was at the cusp of an inflection point. As luck would have it, our timing could not have been any better. Our book was published in November of 2020, and in February 2021, seven electric vehicle (EV) commercials during the Super Bowl accounted for a record $6.5 million in ads spent for thirtysecond commercial spots. Even more compelling, EVs accounted for 7.2% of global car sales in the first half of 2021, up from a meager 2.6% in 2019 to a 177% increase in two years. This uptake is unprecedented in the history of the automotive industry. At the end of this introduction, we list some of the most compelling things you will read in our book.
When Chris first sat in an electric car, it was clear that it had not been designed in Detroit or Bavaria. It was clean and modern looking but also comfortable and inviting. During the first drive, he was delighted by the silence and how well he could hear the stereo. Most of all, he was shocked by the acceleration. It was not just the acceleration, but the instant response—something that you simply do not experience in a gasoline-powered car due to mechanical lag. He felt much more in control because of how smoothly it accelerated and how well the power steering responded.
Now, after three years of owning it, he still looks forward to every drive. The transition from his beloved gasoline-powered car to his EV brought to mind the change from using a BlackBerry keyboard to an iPhone screen. At first, there was a little apprehension, but after a day, there was no way he was going back to the old phone.
Now, the thought of having to go back to gas stations or the hassle of oil changes makes him cringe like the thought of having to go from a smartphone back to a flip phone. Many EV owners tell the same story.
They tell us the price is right. The driving range is not a concern. They love the modern design. They have made the switch, and they are not going back.
All of us are witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime transformation. For over 100 years, gasoline and diesel fuels have powered ground transportation throughout the world. Now that is changing, and 2023 is the year when most people will recognize that change is happening.
Ed, at first, approached driving an EV with some apprehension. He did not get the concept of one-pedal driving: “You’ve got to have a brake!” Also, the instantaneous and lightning quick acceleration grabbed his attention immediately. We should note that his EV does have an actual brake pedal even though you can perform “one-pedal driving.”
Now, as the one-year owner of an EV, he loves driving it. When forced to drive a gasoline-powered rental car, he misses both the one-pedal driving and acceleration.
For me, driving an EV without using the brake pedal is a challenge. I try to complete each trip without touching the brake. Very quickly after buying an EV my skill level increased so I could lighten the pressure on the accelerator at the right moment to coast to a stop at traffic lights, Ed reports.
I think I’m a better driver when driving an EV. One safety aspect I hadn’t considered before owning an EV is acceleration. Entering an onramp in a cluster of other cars, I can accelerate away from them and get into open space on a highway. So far, I haven’t gotten a speeding ticket.
I tend to leave more space from the car ahead of me so I don’t have to touch the brake pedal. I can make up the distance instantly when the light changes due to the superior acceleration, Ed reports.
We wrote this book to share our excitement and what we have learned about EVs. Our goal is to be objective, nonpolitical, and data-driven. What would you expect from authors who are an engineer and a scientist?
Although we describe EV variants like hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) and fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV), this buyer’s guide is focused on the North American mass market for BEVs, also referred to as “pure EVs.” In 2020 and prior, there were a handful of EVs on the North American market. With more than 25 massmarket EVs from which to choose, 2023 promises to be another breakout year.
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the most compelling things you will read in our book. Treat this section as a sneak preview.
• Cost of Ownership: A gasoline-powered vehicle will cost almost eight times more to operate and maintain than a comparable EV. EV owners never have to buy gasoline and never have to get oil changes. Their brakes last about 170,000
miles. They do not have to pay for tune-ups, replace spark plugs, water pumps, and fuel pumps, or a variety of other maintenance items.
• Reliability: Due to their engineering simplicity, EVs are far more reliable than gasoline-powered vehicles. EVs have far fewer moving parts in their drivetrains than cars with internal-combustion engines (ICEs). More parts, and especially more moving parts, mean more potential points of failure.
When it comes to batteries, Consumer Reports estimates that EV batteries should last 200,000 miles.
• Why Now? Why are we seeing an EV revolution now? EVs have overcome their three major challenges of range, price, and styling.
• Preparing to Own an EV: It is easier than you think to prepare your home to charge an EV.
• Comparison of Carbon Footprints: An oft-mentioned narrative is that the carbon footprint to manufacture EV batteries is so high that it negates the environmental benefits of purchasing one. The reality is that, over a 200,000 mile life, the average light-duty gasoline-powered vehicle has a carbon footprint that is more than two and a half times larger than the average light-duty EV.
• History: We included a chapter about the history of EVs because it is so interesting. For example, the first six recorded land-speed records of any vehicle were all held by EVs. An EV was the first vehicle of any kind to drive faster than 100 km/h (62 mph). Also interesting, starting in 1912 Baker Electric Victoria was used by five first ladies of the United States (US).
• Safety: For a number of reasons, EVs are the safest on the market. Replacing the gasoline drivetrain with electric enables designers and engineers to make EVs much safer with respect to the likelihood of a rollover and crash survivability.
• Traditional Auto Manufacturers: All major automotive manufacturers are “betting the farm on EVs.” For example, this is the first time in 55 years that Ford is using the Mustang badge (their most valuable) on a new car, and it is an EV.
• Gasoline-Powered Cars Use a Lot of Electricity: In addition to the fuel that they burn, gasoline-powered vehicles use about the same amount of electricity as EVs. Yes, you read that correctly. Gas vehicles use about the same amount of electricity as EVs. This is because extracting, refining, and distributing gasoline or diesel fuel is an energy-intensive process.
What Are We Talking About? Cars Powered by Batteries, Hybrids, Fuel Cell Cars, or Others
We focus on BEVs, which are often referred to as “pure EVs.” They are called pure EVs because they do not use gasoline or diesel fuel in any way. However, there are other types of electrified vehicles which, in our opinion, are interim steps to finally achieving mass-market BEVs. Because the various names can be confusing, we summarize them below.
Why do we focus on BEVs and not the other types of electric cars? BEVs are more efficient. When you have to generate electricity with a relatively small fossil fuel engine, you introduce inefficiencies. It is much more efficient to generate electricity at a power plant and deliver it to your home or charging station to power your car than it is to transport gasoline or diesel fuel to your car and generate electricity in it.
The mitigation of climate change and air pollution is the second reason we focus on BEVs. Pure EVs do not emit climate-changing, lung-searing pollution. It is easier to control pollution at the powergenerating station than it is on millions of cars densely packed in a city.
Under the Hood: The American Lung Association analysis shows that rapidly changing from ICE to EV will save Americans $1.2 trillion in health benefits and $1.7 trillion dollars in environmental cost savings by 2050. Some 100,000 lives will be saved, and 2.8 million asthma attacks will be avoided. A healthier population also means that 13.4 million fewer sick days will be used by 2050.
Hybrids and other technologies were a logical choice when batteries were not able to deliver adequate driving range. That has changed. Now you do not need to buy an engine and all its associated components in addition to buying an electric motor. Nor do you need to pay the maintenance for two systems. The revolution has come and BEVs have won.
BEVs
BEVs are 100% powered by rechargeable batteries. Their main components are batteries, one or more motors, and a motor control system that manages torque, traction slip, and regenerative braking. All vehicles in our Buying Guide are BEVs.
Cars designed as BEVs differ significantly from vehicles powered by ICEs. Vehicles need to be designed as BEVs to get all the advantages offered by a pure electric drivetrain.
Some manufacturers have converted existing gas-powered chassis to electric drive. A current example is the Kia Niro, which is available in either gas powered or electric. Without making major modifications, they removed the ICE, transmission, and other associated components and replaced them with batteries, an electric motor, and the necessary EV electronics.
Because conversion vehicles were not designed specifically to be BEVs, they will not be able to fully leverage the features of a specifically designed BEV. For example, a vehicle specifically designed to be an EV will tend to have its batteries placed lower in
the car. Batteries are heavy so placing them lower gives the car a lower center of gravity. A lower center of gravity makes a car more stable and safer because it is less likely to roll over.
Placing the batteries beneath rather than in front of the car opens up space for secure storage. This space is ideal for concealing small items and increasing the overall carrying capacity. When we park at a forest trailhead to go for a run or hike, we can empty everything that is visible and lock it securely in the front trunk. Without the digital key or my cell phone, no one can open the front trunk (Figure 1.1).
This front trunk also provides a larger crumple zone in the front of the car. In a collision, the trunk absorbs much of the shock, reducing the likelihood or severity of injury for the passengers.
FIGURE 1.1 Where did the engine go? Under the hood of an EV, there is enough room for a front trunk, or “frunk.”
One reason we are sold on BEVs is that they offer the possibility of the least environmental impact. Looking strictly at vehicle operation (it is difficult to compare environmental footprints in manufacturing), if your regional source of electricity is green, your automotive energy use is green. If coal fires your electric generation, then your electric vehicle is spewing coal smoke and carbon dioxide (CO2) back at the electric generating plant. That smoke may be generated many miles from where you live, but it is entering the atmosphere and increasing greenhouse gases. The shift from atmospheric pollution inside a city to some rural generating plant may be a positive occurrence, but it is not the game changer we would like to see with electric cars.
How Does an EV Work?
The energy needed to drive an EV is supplied by a charging station, either at your home or along a road. As you plug the car into the charging station, electricity flows into the car battery.
The energy stored in the battery is direct current (DC), like the energy stored in a flashlight or television (TV) remote control. Most EVs do not use DC so the current has to be converted to alternating current (AC). Most of your appliances at home, the refrigerator, washing machine, and TV, use AC power. So EVs need a device, an inverter, that converts the DC power stored in the battery into AC power. The inverter is pretty efficient and only loses a couple of percentage points of power (Figure 1.2).
AC power comes out of the inverter into the traction or drive motor. The motor converts electric energy into spinning kinetic energy, and this drives the wheels. Some EVs have a gearbox that allows the wheels to turn faster than the motor just like ICE cars do.
Types of Battery-Powered EVs
How many motors do you think are in an EV? Quite a few if you count seat control, wing mirror control, and all the other convenience motors. But how many traction motors—motors that move the car—are in an EV?
Turns out there can be one, two, three, or four. One motor will be enough to power especially a smaller car in normal driving. For higher performance, two motors are an improvement. One motor powers both front wheels and the other powers the rear wheels.
If you really want performance and are prepared to pay for it, having three motors is better than two. Two motors are in the rear; each powers one wheel. One motor is up front to power both front wheels. The advantage of this configuration is that when the car accelerates, the back of the car moves downward. You can see that movement when watching sprint cars race. Having twice the power in the rear takes advantage of the downward forces increasing tire traction during acceleration. Examples of cars that use a trimotor configuration are the Audi e-tron S and the Tesla Model S Plaid. If three motors provide a better performance (Figures 1.3 –1.5), four motors are ideal. Each is controlled electronically to provide optimal torque and acceleration to each wheel.
FIGURE 1.3 Illustration showing an EV chassis with a single-motor configuration.
FIGURE 1.4 Illustration showing an EV chassis with a dual-motor configuration.
Alexander Kondratenko/Shutterstock.com.
Chesky/Shutterstock.com.
FIGURE 1.5 Illustration showing an EV chassis with a trimotor configuration.
Under the Hood: If your friends are impressed that your new EV has four motors, explain at length that having four motors allows superb torque vectoring. This means that the drive computer sends the ideal amount of power to each wheel to do what the driver wants.
Hybrid Electric Vehicles
Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine features of both EVs and ICE vehicles. They usually have one electric motor, one gasoline engine, and all the associated complexity and cost of each motor and engine (Figure 1.6).
