Electric vehicles transform energy with outstanding efficiency
According to EV Magazine, as the process of transportation electrification takes place strongly globally, energy efficiency between electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles is becoming a topic of concern.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) said that electric vehicles have the ability to convert more than 77% of electricity from the grid into motion in the wheels. Meanwhile, vehicles using internal combustion engines can only convert about 12-30% of energy from gasoline into actual traction.
The reason lies in the operating principle of difference between the two types of vehicles. With gasoline cars, most of the energy is lost in the form of heat during fuel combustion. The engine must generate continuous explosions in the cylinder to generate power, causing a very large amount of heat waste.
Meanwhile, electric vehicles use batteries and electric motors for direct power transmission, significantly limiting energy loss. According to DOE data, electric power transmission only causes a loss of about 15-20% of energy, much lower than the 64-75% loss of traditional gasoline engines.
Professor Jan Rosenow, an expert on energy and climate policy at Oxford University, said that internal combustion engine cars are "gassing up to 80% of energy in fuel", while electric cars can be 3-4 times more efficient in terms of energy ultimately used for movement.
Another major advantage of electric vehicles is the energy-regenerating braking system. This technology allows the vehicle to recover part of the kinetic energy during deceleration or braking to recharge the battery, instead of completely losing it in the form of heat like gasoline cars.
According to the DOE, if including the renewable energy when braking, the energy efficiency of electric vehicles in urban driving conditions can exceed 90%.
This is also the reason why electric vehicles are especially suitable for the crowded urban traffic environment, where vehicles often have to stop and run continuously.
The life cycle emissions of electric vehicles are lower than gasoline vehicles
Not only is it more energy-efficient, many international studies also show that the total amount of greenhouse gases generated throughout the life cycle of electric vehicles is often lower than that of internal combustion engine vehicles. EV Magazine believes that electric vehicles do not generate emissions directly from the exhaust pipes during operation. However, this vehicle still generates emissions during battery production, mineral exploitation and electricity production for battery charging.
However, even when calculating the entire product life cycle, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) still assesses that electric vehicles often generate lower greenhouse gas emissions than an average new gasoline model.
The trend of battery recycling is also seen as a factor helping to further reduce electric vehicle emissions in the future. Many major car manufacturers such as BMW and Renault have implemented battery recycling programs to reduce the demand for new raw materials and cut emissions in the production chain.
