Battery Electric Vehicles

Grant Bangerter
Research Paper
Electric cars, what are they, and where did this ideal image of a vehicle
come to rise? In this paper I would like to educate my peers into this not so
new idea. Perhaps help you get a grasp of the what they have to offer. As
technology advances and people become more aware of environmental
damages, there are more people looking into renewable energy sources and
lower emissions of the vehicles they drive. The electric car has been a
sought after technology for some time now but until recent breakthroughs in
technology, the dream may become true and they will be as common as the
combustion engine.
There are different types of electric vehicles that you see driving
around and not all are created equally. For example, a plug-in hybrid
vehicles (PHEVs), Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs), Fuel-cell Electric Vehicles,
and finally the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). A battery electric vehicle runs
entirely on a battery and electric drive train, without a conventional internal
combustion engine. These vehicles must be plugged into an external source
of electricity to recharge their batteries. Like all electric vehicles, BEVs can
also recharge their batteries through regenerative braking. In this process,
the vehicles electric motor assists in slowing the vehicle and recovers some

of the energy normally converted to heat by the brakes. (CAA Electric

Vehicles).
Although most people believe that the electric car was a new idea, it
has actually been around for quite some time now. Its hard to pinpoint the
invention of the electric car to one inventor or country. Instead it was a
series of breakthroughs - from the battery to the electric motor - in the 1800s
that led to the first electric vehicle on the road (Energy.gov.). There are a
lot of first concepts to the electric vehicle. The first successful electric
vehicle was created here in the U.S. by an inventor named William Morrison.
He managed to make a six passenger electric wagon capable of around
14mph. Back then, most cars were unable to reach the high speeds that we
are accustomed to today. By the early 1900s, around a third of the vehicles
on the road where electric. For the same reason that there is such a hype
now about electric vehicles is the same reasons that they sparked an interest
back then. The idea of a vehicle that didnt require conventional fuel.
The main ideal that drove the electric vehicles in the 1900s is that they
were easier to drive then the competitors vehicles, the steam and gasoline
engines. The steam engine took at times, forty-five minutes to warm up and
had to be refueled with water to run. The gasoline engine was hard to start
because you had to crank the motor, and when running it would be noisy and
the exhaust was really bad. The exhaust from the convention fuel (Gasoline)
vehicles had no regulations until the late 60s. Thousands of people have
died around the world from poor emissions from vehicles and fossil burning

plants. The electric car was the ideal mode of transportation in cities
because it would be a fairly short commute.
When the internal combustion engine became easy to use and fuel was
abundant, the electric car went for a downfall in technological advancements
because the internal combustion engine was so much cheaper and had a
much larger range of travel. In the 60s and 70s oil prices went up
substantially do to world affairs so Congress took note and passed the
Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research, Development, and Demonstration Act
of 1976 (Energy.gov.). Even NASA joined in on the electric vehicle research
when they made the Rover that drove on the moon. Fast forward a little too
the early 2000s and you have one of the biggest electric only manufactures
that have help shape the new future of the electric vehicle Tesla Motors.
Started in Silicon Valley California in 2006, they said that they would start
producing a luxury electric sports car that could go more than 200 miles on a
single charge (Energy.gov.).
The next big thing for the battery electric vehicle is the new technology
into the battery, as most would say the EVs Achilles heel. When the Lithium
ion battery was introduced with help from the U.S. Energy Department and
the large scale production of these batteries, the prices of batteries have
drop nearly 50% in the last four years. Consumers now have more choices
than ever when it comes to buying an electric vehicle. Today, there are 23
plug-in electric and 36 hybrid models available in a variety of sizes -- from
the two-passenger Smart ED to the midsized Ford C-Max Energi to the BMW

i3 luxury SUV. As gasoline prices continue to rise and the prices on electric
vehicles continue to drop, electric vehicles are gaining in popularity -- with
more than 234,000 plug-in electric vehicles and 3.3 million hybrids on the
road in the U.S. today (Energy.gov.).
They main pros that these cars have mostly dive into the
environmental effects that they can remove if everyone had an electric car.
With an electric vehicle you have zero tailpipe emissions because there is no
tailpipe to even have them come out. The simplicity of having almost no
moving parts compared to a convention combustion engine makes
maintenance of the electric vehicle very easy. There are almost no fluids to
change or fill so that eliminates almost all the routine maintenance items
that are involved with internal combustion engines vehicles. One that seems
to be the most popular in advertising is the fact that you dont need to refuel
with gas, instead you can just charge your car at home. If you live in a
metropolitan area, then the electric car can be the perfect fit for you or your
family. Although they have limited rang in which can be traveled in one step,
they excel in your daily commute.
The electric car has an almost silent drive because the electric motors
make almost no noise compared to the combustion engine. The electric
motors have no explosions for propulsion instead it uses electricity to
magnetically rotate a drive shaft. Electric cars have only been getting
better as time goes on. The technology that drives them is constantly
advancing to make the parts cheaper and increase the range in which you

can drive on a single battery charge. The cost to operate an electric vehicle
is a lot less in comparison to other vehicles to the consumer. This is due to
the limited maintenance that is required and the simple fact that electricity is
cheaper than gas. Gas price is currently $2.35 in Utah on average and the
E-Gallon is currently $1.08, this makes a big difference if you have a lot of
commuting to do in a day. There are many other factors that play in the pros
and cons of operating an EV compared to a tradition ICE vehicle.
Charging stations have been on the rise as more electric vehicles are
making their way to the consumer. Between the government incentives and
the independent companies providing them, there are thousands of public
charging stations around the US. By using a super charger station to
charge your vehicles battery it can be done at times depending on your
vehicle in under thirty minutes. The charging stations that have been being
built are to calm the consumers worries of being able to take your electric
vehicle on for instance a road trip. You can install a 220v charger in your
own house to make charging quick, this is the equivalent of a standard
electric dryer outlet.
To say that they have zero emissions is kind of an oversight to where
the electricity comes from and how it was created. The electricity that
powers your home and in turn your car can come from a source that emits
more emissions than any type of vehicle could ever even try to. If you are
thinking of purchasing a EV you should do your research into where your
power is coming from. The east coast is mainly power by coal burning power

plants and the west coast has more power coming from renewable energy.
The EV has some major improvements needed in the battery, with most
electric cars only being able to travel under 200 miles on a single charge and
the limitations of where you can charge the vehicles makes it hard to
convince yourself to buy one. The price tag of an electric car is noticeably
hirer than a ICE vehicle due to the cost of producing the battery. Electric
motors themselves are fairly cheap and have a very long lifespan with
almost no maintenance.
The batteries in the electric vehicle can be a dangerous matter in an
accident or even working on your vehicle. The batteries have really high
amperage rating and if shorted can cause severe burns or death. In the case
of an accident the battery can start on fire or electrify the vehicle. Although
great measures are taken to conceal the battery in a hard shell case they still
have the potential of damaging. With newer battery technology they have
been able to make the battery cells flexible to resist rupture during an
accident. The lithium ion battery loses charge even when the vehicle is not
running and has a vampire loss when being charged so not all of the
electricity makes it to the battery when you are charging it.
As for most car manufacturing the electric car is similar to ICE vehicles
in the production area. The Tesla factory is one of the most advanced car
manufacturing plants in the world capable of producing 400 cars in a week
although some of Toyotas plants can produce more than 400 cars a day. The
Tesla plant is impressive for a company that started producing cars in 2012.

The model S from Tesla has a frame primarily made from aluminum to allow
the car to be light yet still strong. The production plant brings in the raw
materials and shapes them by using a press, laser cutters, welders, and
sheering. Each part will be made separately and then on an assembly line
be fitted together by a teem of robots and the operators. The Tesla plant has
more than 160 robots to assemble the cars. As the car is going down the
line the robots work in unison to bring the car to life.
The Lithium Ion battery is composed of three major parts the Cathode
the Anode and Electrolyte. The cost of these batteries to be manufactured is
the major downfall to the lithium ion battery. State-of-the-art cathode
materials include lithium-metal oxides [such as LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, and
Li(NixMnyCoz)O2], vanadium oxides, olivines (such as LiFePO4), and
rechargeable lithium oxides.11,12 Layered oxides containing cobalt and nickel
are the most studied materials for lithium-ion batteries (tms.org). Anode
materials are lithium, graphite, lithium-alloying materials, intermetallics, or
silicon.11 Lithium seems to be the most straight forward material but shows
problems with cycling behavior and dendritic growth, which creates short
circuits. Carbonaceous anodes are the most utilized anodic material due to
their low cost and availability. However, the theoretical capacity (372 mAh/g)
is poor compared with the charge density of lithium (3,862 mAh/g)
(tms.org). Liquid electrolytes are mostly organic, solventbased electrolytes
containing LiBC4O8 (LiBOB), LiPF6, Li[PF3(C2F5)3], or similar (tms.org).

One of the major companies that are producing the lithium ion
batteries for EVs is LG Chem. They are the leading manufacturer of
batteries. The race for a better battery is ongoing there are lots of
companies researching the topic trying to create a new, more affordable
alternative to the lithium ion battery.
Although the initial price of the electric vehicle may be an astounding
number, the cost to operate one is a much more reasonable price. Not only
do you not have to worry about the cost of fuel and oil but you also have
much lower maintenance costs. The EV does not have all the same moving
parts that you can expect to see in the ICE vehicles. There is no
transmission, no pistons, and a lot less parts in the drive assembly. As
mentioned earlier the E-Gallon is much cheaper than a gallon of gas. With
that said the E-Gallon can vary a lot depending on local prices for a KWh
(Kilowatt Hour). Because of the variety of utility rates in the U.S., a 2013
Nissan Leaf that's a bargain to drive at average electricity rates in
Washington (approximately $25 for 1,000 miles) is pricey in Hawaii, where
those 1,000 miles would cost about $107. A conventional car would have to
be getting 140 mpg to make that trip for the same money in Washington,
while in Hawaii, a 38.5-mpg gasoline vehicle would do the trick (Carroll
Latchnit).
The battery Electric vehicle may have its flaws but the technology that
runs them is an ongoing development of research. The future of the vehicle
is still an unknown path and may take years or even decades to be clear.

There are many other aspects that go into the production of the EV and as
more companies join in to develop the way that these cars are made the
costs and availability with fall. There are many reasons to be against the
battery electric vehicles and they have valid points of concern although the
idea is there, there is a lot of work ahead for them to be a liable alternative
to the ICE.

Works Cited
"The History of the Electric Car." Energy.gov. 15 Sept. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2015.
"Types of Electric Vehicles." CAA Electric Vehicles Vehicules Electriques CAA. Garry Malloy
And Mark Lachapelle. Web. 18 Oct. 2015.
Daniel, Claus. "Materials and Processing for Lithium-ion Batteries." Materials and Processing
for Lithium-ion Batteries. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.
"The True Cost of Powering an Electric Car." Edmunds. Ed. Carroll Latchnit. 19 Nov. 2013.
Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

U.S. Department of State (2007). Fourth Climate Action Report to

the UN Framework

Convention on Climate Change: Projected

Greenhouse Gas Emissions. U.S. Department

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of State,