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Electric Vehicles Explained
With fuel prices rising and climate change becoming a greater concern globally, the uptake of electric vehicles has increased in recent years as a more sustainable mode of transport moving forward. If you're interested in making the switch to an electric vehicle or would just like to know more, we hope this post enables you to gain a better understanding of what electric vehicles are & how charging one works!
What are the main types of electric vehicles?
You may think there is only one type of an electric vehicle that being full electric, however hybrids & plug-in hybrids are also classed as an electric vehicle. There are 3 main types of electric vehicles with common acronyms including BEV, PHEV and HEV - which are all commonly used among the public to describe the different EV's in the market, but what do they mean?
Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV)
Hybrid electric vehicles use a combination of a traditional ICE engine paired with an electric motor & battery to power the vehicle. HEVs use regenerative braking, or energy from deceleration or braking to charge the small battery onboard meaning you don't have to plug it in.
Traditional ICE vehicles use a greater amount of fuel when moving forward from a standstill, releasing even more emissions. To combat this, a HEV uses an electric motor with a battery to move the vehicle from a standstill and once it's moving, the ICE engine takes over lowering your fuel consumption significantly.
Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV)
Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles are essentially the same has HEVs, however a PHEV has a much bigger battery (5 - 20kWh) enabling you to drive the vehicle using just the battery for emissions-free driving for a short distance.
PHEVs commonly have an electric driving range of around 60-80km depending on the vehicle and the size of the battery, allowing you to essentially drive short distances around town emissions-free with the back-up of a ICE engine for longer trips.
Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)
Battery electric vehicles or 'full electric vehicles' use a large high-voltage battery (20 - 120kWh) underneath the vehicle which suuply energy to an electric motor/s to power the vehicle. BEVs allow for a total emissions-free drive with a range of up to 650km.
HEVs have the simplest powertrain with around only 20 moving parts compared to over 2,000 in a traditional ICE engine.
What are the main types of charging?
There are levels of EV charging for different electric vehicles. To understand the three levels of EV charging, you have to understand the two types of charging: AC (alternating current) & DC (direct current). Power drawn from the grid is always AC whereas the energy stored in the vehicles battery is always DC.
Therefore, in order to charge a car using AC power, a converter within the electric vehicle converts the AC to DC power for it be stored in the battery, making it slower to charge a vehicle. However, charging a vehicle with DC power bypasses the need to be converted and directly gets stored into the battery, resulting in a faster charging time.
EV chargers that use AC power require a lower supply of energy and are readily avaliable found in residential areas and cities, whereas DC chagers require a higher supply of energy avaliable at certain highway & other fast charging stations.
Level 1 EV Charging
Level 1 EV Charging uses AC power from a standard power socket and has the slowest charging rate (up to 2.3kW), mainly used to charge a PHEV or in an emergency.
Level 2 EV Charging
Level 2 EV Charging uses AC power but from wall box commonly found in garages with a faster charging rate (up to 22kW), maining used to charge a vehicle for a few hours or overnight.
Level 3 EV Charging
Level 3 EV Charging uses DC power at a fast charging station for ultra-rapid charging (up to 350kW) allowing you to charge an electric vehicle from as quick as 10 minutes.
To summarise, AC chargers are better if you need to charge an electric vehicle at your home or work place over a longer period of time or overnight. DC chargers allow you to charge an electric vehicle at a significantly faster rate especially if you need to travel longer distances.
Charging an MG4 Electric.
Callaghan MG's demonstrator MG4 Excite has a 64kWh battery with a range of around 450km on a full charge. The MG4 Excite also has a maximum power of 140kW, which is the maximum power that the MG4 can accept from a charger regardless of the battery size.
To charge the MG4 Electric you have 3 options to choose from in Warrnambool:
- 22kW charger (AC) at Callaghan Motors
- 50kW charger (DC) at the Warrnambool Tourist Information Centre
- 250kW charger (DC) at Gateway Plaza
As you can see, a 22kW charger is an ideal option for your home or workplace to charge over a longer period of time or overnight, whereas a DC charger is perfect when you need a quicker charge especially on a longer trip.
We hope this helps you understand the different types of electric vehicles that are currently in the marking as well as the types of charging avaliable along with how long charging an electric vehicle takes.
If you've been looking to make the switch to an electric vehicle, Callaghan Motors have the largest range of EV's in Warrnambool to choose from ranging from hybrid vehicles to full electric vehicles.
Visit our friendly team at 1165 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool or give us a call on 5561 8700 to find your next electric vehicle.