Chapter 7.1 - Electric vehicle technology

Abstract

The heavy dependence on fossil fuel combustion nowadays has resulted in many serious environmental issues such as global warming, pollution, and energy resource depletion. Fossil fuels will still be the main source of energy over the next few decades and maybe the next century, meaning that the previously mentioned issues need solutions. The harm already caused to the environment could reach the point of no return very soon, so there is an urgent need for such solutions. Because fuel-based vehicles are considered the second biggest source of Co2 emissions, the idea of mobility electrification is a very attractive idea to mitigate the negative impacts on both the environment and the economy. The idea of using electric vehicles (EV) technology to replace conventional vehicles that depend on internal combustion engines is a promising solution that has been increasingly adopted worldwide. The adoption of this technology has made good progress but there is still a long way to go until its complete adoption on the international level. This technology faces many widespread challenges. In this chapter, an overview of EVs including incentives, configurations, benefits, challenges, and future expectations is discussed.