Electric vehicles

• Battery-Operated Electric Vehicles – are vehicles which use electricity to recharge sets of on-board batteries at public refuelling spots. While driving, the batteries feed one or more electric engines fixed to the vehicle’s tyres/tires, enabling them to travel for up to 200 km.
• Hybrid Electric Vehicles – combine two distinct types of energy sources in the same vehicle to supply energy to drive. One of the sources is a battery which can store electricity and send it to the electric engine. The other source is a fuel tank connected to a thermal engine which can drive the wheels directly or provide mechanical energy to an electric generator.
• Fuel Cell Vehicles – the fuel cell is a system installed in the vehicle which produces energy from hydrogen. This is a non-polluting option since the vehicle exhaust is water vapour only; the majority of the research and development in this technology envisions a large-scale application of fuel cells in the medium-term only.

 Advantages of electric vehicles

• Cleaner and quieter driving. Electric vehicles are characterized by the lack of exhaust fumes when driving, thus offering a much quieter and smoother driving experience.
• Ease in handling and driving and a greater ability to accelerate – Electric vehicles do not have a gear box, nor do they have a clutch, so no more jerky driving.
• Lower operating costs – Studies carried out show that the cost of electricity used by electric vehicles with a system for storing electricity using electro-chemical batteries represent one third of the costs of fuel for internal combustion engines for the same distance covered and under the same driving conditions. Maintenance costs are also reduced when compared with conventional vehicles.
• Reduced dependence on petroleum-based fuels. Electric vehicles allow for the diversification of fuels and the use of renewable energies in public transport.

Learn more about electric vehicles here.