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What is an EV?
Very simple, it's a vehicle that uses an electric motor for propulsion.
How is it powered?
By electric.
Wow, that was easy!
We've had electric motors for a hundred years so why was I so EV Phobic?
Mostly, I was afraid of change.
However, if I just look at the EV as a machine doing a job of converting energy and laying that energy down on the asphalt as a conversion to motion, that's really all it is.
The technology of motors and energy storage and computing power is advancing so fast!
Some people like myself will prefer ICE for now and others will prefer EV, even if new EV offerings from Toyota/Lexus come available.
But then again, who knows, my driving needs may change and I may park an EV in my carport. I'm really not gonna worry about it. Lol
Ok Cool! 😎 . .
We are a long way from the humble beginnings of the first battery powered motor...
Just ideas for discussion, even if I'm the only one here. Lol
* only if the mods allow, and is not intended as a place for EV hate or fan boying
<Please no politics, clean air stuff, trolling, and debate topics>
Electric vehicles were actually being produced over a century ago, in the early 1900s, but, of course, were quite inefficient, and gas-engine vehicles took over because they solved what were considered the EV's worst problems back then. Today, at least to some extent, it is the other way around......EVs are replacing ICEs.
I remember many years ago when I was doing plant tours and laid my eyes on machine running Twin 500 HP DC motors turning what looked like a gearbox with 8 foot long screws on an extruder.
These were high torque motors and they were huge of course because they were constant duty rated for that power all day long.
That's when I fell in love with electric motors and machines and the electronics that runs them.
PS- I love ICE motors too, just thought I should mention that, lots of electronics to love on ICE too.
Originally Posted by mmarshall
Electric vehicles were actually being produced over a century ago, in the early 1900s, but, of course, were quite inefficient, and gas-engine vehicles took over because they solved what were considered the EV's worst problems back then. Today, at least to some extent, it is the other way around......EVs are replacing ICEs.
Thank you mmarshal.
I heard something about that and I can't remember where or know the details on it but I think you are correct.
Any of the OGs on here know me. I love cars and consider myself to be an automotive enthusiast.
I had a Lexus GS400 that I modded so much, it ended up being a very different car that rolled out of the factory. Different in how it drove, handled, stopped, sounded and was a ton of fun. I still miss that car to this day.
6 years ago I drove my first EV - a 2016 Tesla Model S and in less than 15 minutes I was totally and completely smitten. Two major differences between an ICE and an EV convinced me I had to get one someday.
The driving experience - the buttery smooth, almost silent, relentless thrust, very effortless feeling acceleration completely blew my mind. It was nothing like I had ever experienced before - no slamming hard gear changes on hard acceleration, the millimetric precision of the accelerator pedal was and is still hard to describe to anyone that they can really appreciate it unless they drive one.
The one pedal driving experience in a Tesla is second to none - I got used to that in just as short a time too and can't imagine driving a car again without that.
Yes an EV is not perfect, just like anything else is not perfect. It comes down to what you're willing to live with. I have a Level 2 charger at home and I don't have to sit at a charger and waste time charging. When I do have to use a charger outside my home I deliberately plan for that to reduce the "inconvenience" of the wait and I'm fine with it.
I've had a Tesla Model S for almost 4 years now and I've spent almost nothing on it in terms of maintenance or charging cost in about 50k miles.
While I sometimes miss the sound of a great V8 engine, I would not trade my car for a gas car. The rest of the driving experience far outweighs the sound track of a great V8 engine as far as I'm concerned.
While I sometimes miss the sound of a great V8 engine, I would not trade my car for a gas car. The rest of the driving experience far outweighs the sound track of a great V8 engine as far as I'm concerned.
Awesome and fair post, enjoyed it, Imo
I grew up with ICE and love the feel of a gas engine for personal transportation whether car, truck, or motorcycle.
That may never change for me or maybe it will, but all that to say it's just a personal preference for me and others and that's what is awesome.
Even ICE cars, while running a petrol engine for motion, are being heavily updated with modern electronics that rival the electronics in EV's- such as sensor arrays and infotainment, driving assist, and OTA's if they add that which I dont see why they won't since the tech is there.
Going forward I suspect there will not be much difference between ICE and EV electronics other than one has an electric motor with batteries and one has a petrol engine with gas tank.
The EV will have dedicated electronics for motor & battery management and ICE has electronics for engine & transmission.
The driving experience can be different tho from the info ya'll post. Just ideas.
One of the many Fritchle electric cars manufactured in the early 20th century. 30003403, History ColoradoWelcome to Curbed’s first-ever Transportation Week!
It's time for a weeklong romp through all things related to transportation in the U.S. We'll be focusing on the topics most pressing to cities: everything from ways to improve public transportation in cities to ranking the best neighborhoods across the country for living a car-free life, plus a friendly competition between NYC, San Francisco, and Los Angeles to determine which city has the best public transit in the U.S. All aboard!
An electric car buzzes along the road of a downtown street, with pedestrians and fellow drivers alike stopping to stare at the wealthy owners inside. The car costs roughly 7 times more than a normal Ford, and its reputation and design has helped to fuel long wait lists and pent-up demand.
The scene could be straight out of Silicon Valley in 2013, but it’s not. For a brief period in the early 20th century in the United States, the electric car was high society’s hottest commodity, sought after by socialites and businessmen alike.
Electric cars might seem like the vehicles of the future, but they are actually a status symbol of the past.
The rise of early electric cars
During the early years of the “Automotive Age,”—from about 1896 to 1930—as many as 1,800 different car manufacturers functioned in the U.S. While innovators in Europe had been working on battery-powered vehicles since the 1830s, the first successful electric car in the U.S. made its debut in 1890 thanks to a chemist from Iowa. His six-passenger was basically an electrified wagon that hit a top speed of 14 mph.
Oliver O. Fritchle stands in front of one of his cars. 10025305, History ColoradoBy 1900, electric cars were so popular that New York City had a fleet of electric taxis, and electric cars accounted for a third of all vehicles on the road. People liked them because in many ways early electric cars outperformed their gas competitors. Electric cars didn’t have the smell, noise, or vibration found in steam or gasoline cars. They were easier to operate, lacked a manual crank to start, and didn’t require the same difficult-to-change gear system as gas cars.
Electric cars became extremely popular in cities, especially with upper-class women who disliked the noisy and smelly attributes of gasoline-powered cars. A New York Times article from 1911 reported, “The designers of electric passenger car-carrying vehicles have made great advances in the past few years, and these machines have retained all their early popularity and are steadily growing in favor with both men and women.”
It goes on, even the “best known and most prominent makers of gasoline cars in this country use electrics for driving between their homes and their offices.”
The Fritchle Garage full of new electric cars to sell. The building in Denver, Colorado, is now a concert venue. 30001283, History ColoradoLike today, one of the challenges for early electric car owners was where to charge them. But by 1910 owners could install their own charging stations on their property, and an increasing number of car-repair shops popped up that allowed electric cars to charge overnight.
One of the most eccentric and interesting manufacturers of early electric cars was Oliver P. Fritchle, a chemist and electrical engineer who began as an auto repairman until he realized he could build a better electric car himself. Fritchle sold his first vehicle in 1906 and set up a production plant in Denver, Colorado, in 1908.
An advertisement for a Fritchle electric car. Via American-Automobiles.comFritchle made one of the best car batteries in the business, which he claimed could travel 100 miles on a single charge. He challenged other manufacturers to match his range, and set out on a publicity stunt in 1908 from Lincoln, Nebraska, to New York City in a two-seat Fritchle Victoria model that sold for $2,000.
The trip took him 20 days of driving and Fritchle drove the 1,800 mile journey over rough and nonexistent roads with only one flat tire, charging at electric central stations or electric garages as night. After the nationally publicized trip, he and his car returned to Denver by train, triumphant.
Fritchle marketed his cars as the “100-mile Fritchle,” and promised delivery 10 days after an order was placed. In Denver and the American West, his high-ceilinged cars reigned supreme with celebrities like Molly Brown driving around town in Fritchles. He was so successful that Fritchle even opened a sales office on Fifth Avenue in New York City, catering to the city’s affluent.
Why early electric cars declined
The production of electric cars peaked in 1912. Fritchle, for example, built about 198 vehicles per year between 1909 and 1914. And while at the turn of the century electric cars had made up a good proportion of the market, advances in gasoline-powered vehicles meant that electric cars owned a smaller and smaller market share as time went on.
When Henry Ford introduced the mass-produced and gas-powered Model T in 1908, it symbolized a death blow to the electric car. By 1912, a gasoline car cost only $650 while the average electric roadster sold for $1,750. In 1912 Charles Kettering also invented the first electric automobile starer. Effectively eliminating the hand crank, Kettering’s invention made the gas-powered auto even more attractive to the same drivers who had preferred electric cars.
One of the only remaining Fritchle electric cars is on display at the History Colorado Center in Denver, Colorado. Courtesy of History ColoradoDespite Fritchle’s impressive trek across the country in his electric car, most people in the early twentieth century were not so adventurous. As the U.S. developed a better system of roads after the First World War, drivers wanted longer-range vehicles that could go the distance. The discovery of Texas crude oil also reduced the price of gasoline, making both car ownership and car maintenance more affordable to the average consumer.
By 1935, electric cars had all but disappeared from the road.
It would take decades—and the persistent oil crises of the 1970s—before interest in electric cars once again fueled new technologies. In 1976, Congress passed the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act to support research and development in electric and hybrid vehicles. But even the electric cars of the 1970s still lagged behind their predecessors; many topped out at 45 miles per hour and some could only drive 40 miles—60 miles less than the 100-mile Fritchle—before needing to be recharged.
This pyramid-shaped two passenger vehicle is a Sebring Vanguard, an electric car manufactured in Sebring, Fla. in 1974. AP Photo/FileToday, it’s normal to see a Prius pull up at a signal, and the biggest electric car companies are once again household names. Whether Tesla is debuting game-changing solar roof tiles, expanding the production capacity of its electric cars, or doubling its charging network with the rollout of the Model 3, electric cars are big business.
But in our rush to embrace this new wave of electric vehicles, it’s easy to forget that today’s cars have their origins in the luxurious, top-dollar designs of the early 20th century. Electric cars might once again be mainstream, but it’s been a long road to get here.
A Tesla Model S sits in front of a power facility. Shutterstock
Thanks @Margate330 for this thread. Like @Hameed I've owned and driven so many different ICE vehicles over 30 years, I've lost count. I've driven everything from a Ford Pinto (it wasn't mine thankfully ) to a rented Lambo Huracan in 2017 when I was in Dubai for a friends wedding. I started my move to EV's in 2020 and we now own 4. I'm almost fully EV, and I've discussed why I made that move at length in my Polestar and Model Y threads, so I won't rehash.
Simply put, an EV is electric motors powered by a battery pack, or series of battery packs. It can be as simple as a golf cart, or more complex with added battery management and software controls like a Model 3 or Model Y
What is an EV? The previous posts have nailed that question. For me and my use case, an EV is likely the only car I will ever by. New at least.
It is fair to say the price of gas is key to my use case.
06-16-23, 09:32 PM
What is an EV?
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) to a rented Lambo Huracan in 2017 when I was in Dubai for a friends wedding. I started my move to EV's in 2020 and we now own 4. I'm almost fully EV, and I've discussed why I made that move at length in my Polestar and Model Y threads, so I won't rehash.
