OVERVIEW OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES
As your Touchstone Energy® cooperative, we want to be your source for energy and information. Since electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more mainstream, we put together a variety of fact sheets and information to help answer questions you might have. Contact us for more information about EVs.
Is it smart to rely on such a “new” technology? Electric vehicles (EVs) are actually not a new technology — they have been around for over a century. In the 1890s, electric cars were more popular than gas-powered cars because of their simplicity, reliability and low cost to operate. Henry Ford’s wife even drove an EV. For a variety of reasons, EVs disappeared for much of the 20th century, but they are on the rise once again. What do the terms mean? We are most familiar with conventional combustion-engine vehicles, but the market is changing, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest technologies, models and terminology. For simplicity, vehicles can be sorted into four main categories. 1. Conventional vehicles have an internal combustion engine, with the most common fuels being gasoline and diesel. 2. Hybrid electric vehicles have both a gasoline engine and an electric motor and battery pack; both gas and electricity power the wheels. The electric motor and battery are designed to improve fuel economy, so less gasoline is used to operate the vehicle. The battery is charged solely by operating the vehicle; it is not possible to charge by plugging in.