What happens when EV comes ? (1)

The biggest change will be the power-train.  The combination of the traditional powertrain, internal combustion engine and transmisssion, will be disappered and electric motor will take the position of the heart of EV. This powertrain change is really the most important one, all the other changes are the changes which supports this major change.

 

The electric motors has very strong start-up torque, which is very powerful relative advantage against internal combustion engines. Therefore we do not need to have a "transmision" which convert the torque coming our from the combustion chamber. Maybe one-step reduction gear would be the most for EV as a form of transmission if necessary.

 

The next import component of EV's power plant is an "inverter". Normally an AC motor is used in EV with the power plant of Lithium-Ion battery which has cell voltage of 3.6 V. To supply 220V 3-phase AC, the DC from battery should be converted from DC to AC. For this purose an inverter is necessary.

 

Then, what happens in the other accessories, such as air-conditioner, head lighter, heater, radio, steering system, ABS, etc ? All of these devices are using 12 V electricity the alternator generates, again of course the alternator turns from owing to engine. With internal combustion engine, the devices can have rotational movement from the engine regardless the vehicle moves or not. Now, in the EV, the story is different. If the vehicle stops, the motor stops, means all the devices will also stop. This means the devices cannot rely on the motor which runs the vehicle. Therefore, we need an additional drivers, normally separate small electric motor for every purpose. For this purpose we need DC-DC converter which changes the electrical voltages.

 

In summary, when EV comes, the traditional concept of "Automotive Industry" will be significantly damaged. The parts operated by mechanical an d hydraulic principle will be reduced dramatically and driving forces will be replaced by electr0-magnetic principle based on the chemical power. This means the core industry of EV will be shifted from "mechanical" to "electronic, eletrical and chemical".

 

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