Electric Vehicle 

The electric car, EV, or simply electric vehicle is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) that utilizes chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. Electric vehicles use electric motors and motor controllers instead of internal combustion engines (ICEs). Vehicles using both electric motors and ICEs are examples of hybrid vehicles, and are not considered pure BEVs because they operate in a charge-sustaining mode. Hybrid vehicles with batteries that can be charged externally to displace some or all of their ICE power and gasoline fuel are called plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and are pure BEVs during their charge-depleting mode. BEVs are usually automobiles, light trucks, neighborhood electric vehicles, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, electric scooters, golf carts, milk floats, forklifts and similar vehicles.

Camille Jenatzy in electric car La Jamais Contente, 1899 

BEVs were among the earliest automobiles, and are more energy-efficient than internal combustion, fuel cell, and most other types of vehicles. BEVs produce no exhaust fumes, and minimal pollution if charged from most forms of renewable energy. Many are capable of acceleration exceeding that of conventional vehicles, are quiet, and do not produce noxious fumes. It has been suggested that, because BEVs reduce dependence on petroleum, they enhance national security, and mitigate global warming by alleviating the greenhouse effect. Historically, BEVs and PHEVs have had issues with high battery costs, limited travel distance between battery recharging, charging time, and battery lifespan, which have limited widespread adoption. Ongoing battery technology advancements have addressed many of these problems ; many models have recently been prototyped, and a handful of future production models have been announced. Toyota, Honda, Ford and General Motors all produced BEVs in the 90s in order to comply with the California Air Resources Board's Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. The major US automobile manufacturers have been accused of deliberately sabotaging their electric vehicle production efforts. The price of an EV is set by market factors not cost. For equivalent production volumes battery EVs should be cheaper than internal combustion engine vehicles because they have many fewer parts. This also means they are cheaper to maintain. They are less expensive to operate by a factor of ten over gasoline. Using regenerative braking, a feature which is standard on electric cars, allows hybrids to get about double the fuel efficiency of regular cars. In general terms a battery electric vehicle is a rechargeable electric vehicle. 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:  Electric vehicle