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Filed under: EV/Plug-in



Electric vehicles (EVs) may be dramatically less mechanically complex than their traditional internal combustion counterparts, but that's where the simplicity ends. The battle that began with Thomas Edison and Nicola Tesla over direct vs. alternating current continues to this day, the battlefield has just shifted to the EV powertrain. Electrochemical batteries can't store alternating current, the electrons will only flow directly in or out.



That means an interface is required between the battery and the highly efficient AC traction motors/generators as well as the electrical grid used for charging. That interface handles the transformation between AC and DC.



Despite the fact that the pretty much the whole world uses alternating current, countries can't even reach consensus on voltages, currents and frequencies for electric power. As a result, automakers design chargers to be installed on-board EVs to regulate the power flow to the battery to prevent over-charging or heating. Think of the grid as the water main coming into your home. The vehicle charger behaves like a combination flow-restrictor and anti-scald device on your shower head or bath tub faucet. Read on after the jump for more on the hidden complexities of EVs.



[Source: Plugin Cars]

Continue reading Electric vehicle charging times will depend on both the charging station and the car

Electric vehicle charging times will depend on both the charging station and the car originally appeared on Autoblog Green on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 14:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

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Electric vehicle charging times will depend on both the charging station and the car was originally published by AutoblogGreen. Read the full story by clicking here.