Thinking about buying an electric car or just curious about how they work? They’re quickly becoming more affordable and widely available from an array of manufacturers, compelling eco-conscious shoppers to make the switch from gas to electric.
If you’re interested in purchasing an electric car, below is an overview of how they work and important facts about charging and travel distances, as well as city pages with charging station locations.
First, here are electricity rates from energy providers for home charging.
Energy Plans and Rates for Home Charging of Electric Vehicles (EV)
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
For EV charging stations in or near the largest cities in Texas, find the city you’re planning to visit on our Texas Cities page and scroll down to the electric vehicle charging station section. Some of the largest cities with EV stations are Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and Corpus Christi. You’ll also find EV manufacturer and local dealer info on the city pages.
How Do Electric Cars Work?
Electric vehicles, also referred to as EVs or battery electric vehicles, have electronic motors that are powered by a large traction battery pack. Unlike the internal combustion engines that are powered by gas, EVs are plugged into wall outlets to gain their energy. When you own an EV, your home becomes your primary filling station, and the electricity you purchase from energy providers through Home Energy Club becomes your car’s fuel.
Your EV will not emit carbon dioxide or other pollutants, and to help safeguard the planet, you can enroll in a 100% renewable energy plan (“green” energy plan) for your home and car to ensure that your electricity is sourced from renewable sources rather than carbon sources that cause climate disruption. Green energy plans deliver renewable energy via the electric grid and do not require you to buy expensive solar panels. The 100% renewable energy plans from electric companies like Gexa Energy, Green Mountain Energy and Pulse Power are now priced less than many polluting fossil-sourced plans…so why pay more to pollute?
Worried about battery capacity? As with a gas tank, there is a limit to how much an electric vehicle’s battery can hold. That limit is expressed in kWh, or kilowatt hours. Batteries are typically rated based on their useable kWh, which can range from the mid-teens to 100 kWh in luxury electric vehicles like the Tesla. For most EVs, the battery packs offer 20 to 30-kWh, with newer models offering 40 to 60 kWh.
Length of Time an Electric Vehicle Has to Be Plugged
One of the most common questions consumers have is about the length of time that a car needs to be plugged in to fully recharge its battery. The length of time it takes to charge actually depends on a number of factors, including the amount of charge that a battery can hold and the charging speed of the power source. However, the good news is that modern electric vehicles can accept at least 240-volt, Level 2 charging speeds. This charging speed adds 25 miles of driving for every hour you charge the battery. And there are also faster-charging technologies that can fill up to 80% of your car’s battery life in 30 minutes or less.
There are, essentially, three different charging speeds: slow, fast, and rapid. If you have a slow charging speed, you should expect it to take between eight and 10 hours to charge the car. This charging speed is usually rated up to 3kW and is generally the speed used for overnight or workplace charging.
Fast charging speeds are usually rated at 7kW or 22kW. You’ll usually find a charging station with fast charging speeds in car parks, leisure centers, grocery stores, and houses that have off-street parking. If you’re using a charging station with fast speeds, you can expect your battery to charge in three or four hours.
Charging stations with rapid charging speeds are only compatible with cars that have rapid-charge capability. This charging speed is typically rated from 43kW. If your car is compatible, you can expect to charge the battery in 30 to 60 minutes at a rapid charging station.
Can I Take My Electric Car on Road Trips?
Naturally, you want to make sure that if you’re headed out on a road trip in Texas, your battery won’t start to run low in the middle of nowhere on Highway 10. However, rest assured that any electric vehicle is fully capable of taking on road trips. Many EVs today can go over 200 miles on a charge, and high-end models can even go over 300 miles. You may just want to make sure that when you map your route, there is a charging station available approximately every three hours.
Main Components of an All-Electric Vehicle
Here’s a look at the main components that make up an electric vehicle:
- Auxiliary Battery: In an electric vehicle, an auxiliary battery powers its accessories.
- Traction battery pack: The traction battery pack stores power for the electric traction motor.
- Electric traction motor: The electric motor uses power from the car’s traction battery pack to rotate the wheels. Some EVs use motor generators to power the regeneration and drive functions.
- Charge port: It’s through the charge port that you connect your car to an external power source and charge your battery pack.
- Onboard charger: The onboard charger converts the incoming electricity to DC power in order to charge the car’s traction battery. It also monitors current, voltage, temperature, and the state of the charge.
- Electric transmission: The transmission is designed to transfer power from the electric traction motor to rotate the car’s wheels.
- Thermal system: This cooling system ensures the engine, power electronics, motor, and other components are at the proper operating temperature.
Types of Electric Vehicle Cars
There are actually a few different kinds of electric vehicle cars. Some of them run entirely on electricity, while others can alternate between running or fuel or electric. Here is an overview of the different types of electric vehicle cars:
- Plug-in electric: This type of EV runs entirely on electricity and gets all of its power from being plugged in and its battery pack is charged. Because it doesn’t have any fuel components or need gasoline to run, it doesn’t produce emissions of pollutants.
- Plug-in hybrid: This type of electric vehicle runs primarily off of electricity. However, it also has a fuel engine that you can switch to if your car’s battery runs out of charge. This car does produce emissions, but only if you’re running the car on fuel.
- Hybrid-electric: The hybrid-electric runs primarily off of fuel. However, it also has an electric battery that’s recharged through regenerative breaking. However, it cannot be plugged into an electricity source. It relies entirely on fuel for energy. Drivers can easily switch between EV mode and the fuel engine by pressing a button.
If you’re thinking about transitioning to an electric car, there are definitely many reasons to do so, from fuel savings to a desire to simply adopt a more eco-friendly lifestyle. With the help of this guide, you should feel more informed about how electric cars work and whether making the switch to electric might be the right decision for you.
