Electric cars are rechargeable vehicles powered by electric motors. Electric motors for cars convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. Controllers regulate and control power received from rechargeable batteries to own the motors. The motors could be AC or DC motors. DC motors for electric cars could be further classified as permanent magnet, brushless, and shunt, series and separately excited. The DC uses electricity along with a magnetic field to make torque, which rotates the motor. The simplest DC electric motor comprises of two magnets of opposite polarity as well as an electric coil forming an electromagnet. The properties of attraction and repulsion are used with the DC electric motor to transform electricity into motion -- opposing electromagnetic forces of magnets generate torque resulting in the DC motor to turn. Characteristics desirable of electric motors for cars include peak power, ruggedness, high torque-to-inertia, high peak torque, high speed, low noise, minimal maintenance and ease of use. Current generation electric motors are along with inverters and controllers for any wide array of torque.
The abundance of series DC motor has allowed it being tested on a number of vehicles. The Series DC are robust and long-lasting, as well as the power density provides the very best value for money. The torque curve suits a variety of traction applications. However, it really is not as efficient as the AC Induction motor. The commutator brushes degrade and maintenance activities are needed periodically. It can also be not ideal for regenerative braking, that allow vehicles capture kinetic energy to recharge batteries.
DC motors are simpler and value less, and happen to be widely utilized in demonstration electric vehicles. Brushless DC have zero commutators, and so are more robust and efficient than commutator motors. Such DC motors, however, require modern-day controllers. Brushless DC in electric cars can provide efficiencies as much as 90%, with out servicing is necessary for up to hundred thousand kilometers. Experts at Floyd Associates (2012) argue that electric cars with DC Brushless motors can achieve the highest speed but slowest acceleration; AC Induction can achieve the fastest acceleration with average top speed; Permanent Magnet motors can achieve top speed and average acceleration; and Switched Reluctance motors provide essentially the most cost-effective solution.
Conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy from the electromagnetic means was shown by a British scientist Michael Faraday inside year 1821. Working about this electromagnetic principle of producing mechanical energy from the interaction with the magnetic fields while using current carrying conductors lead towards the invention in the first electrical motor in 1832 by method of a British scientist named William Sturgeon inside the year 1832. By 1882 Nikola Tesla had discovered the right utilization of rotating magnetic field to operate machines. The electric motors are further subdivided as Alternating current (AC) type and Direct Current (DC) types.
Today the AC motors have proved to become the most common and industrial motor being utilized anywhere inside world. Having the key features of reliable operation, low cost, simple design, easily found replacements and using a number of mounting styles, AC motors have grown to be very popular and therefore are widely used. They were created such it includes a series of windings in the exterior and a rotating section inside. The changing electrical field caused from the AC line voltage will make the rotor turn across the axis from the motor. Here the pace of the motor depends about the fixed number with the windings, frequency in the AC line voltage along with the torque loading about the motor. A wide use of these AC electrical motors has created the look for replacements and spares a straightforward task.
These motors also have a few disadvantages like owning an expensive speed control, its inability to use at low speeds along with the poor positioning control. The electronics required on an AC motor are more expensive as compared with the DC Motors. But for applications which can be greater than 10 Horsepower these AC motors are usually more cost effective compared to DC Motors. The AC motors will be the most preferred to the fixed speed applications inside commercial and domestic applications. They are found to possess wide application in stationary tools such as the air conditioners, washers, dryers, fans, blowers and vacuum cleaners.