Electric Vehicles

Background

Electric vehicles are powered in some capacity by an electric motor and use it to improve the vehicle’s efficiency, while reducing its carbon footprint (see three types here). Battery-powered EVs produced in the US in 2023 can travel an average of 270 miles per charge and can be charged at a growing network of charging stations nationwide (see map). 

Since 2020, sales of EVs have taken off. In 2023, the US sold 1.6 million EVs, a 60% increase from 2022. California, Florida, Texas, and Washington lead the nation in EV registrations, with Tesla owning more than 50% of the market share (see stats). 

History

In 1900, electric cars accounted for over a third of US automobiles and were a status symbol of the wealthy and business class (see photos). They were most popular among women, who reportedly disliked the noise and smell of hand-cranked gasoline vehicles.  

The discovery of the first oil gusher in Texas in 1901, which drastically lowered the price of gasoline, and the release of the gas-powered Ford Model T in 1908 caused a dramatic dropoff in the number of EVs on American roads by 1915 (see timeline).

Automakers didn’t seriously invest in EV technology again until the 1990s, with Toyota releasing the first hybrid Prius in 1997. Tesla’s release of a fully electric sports car in 2008 brought the industry back full circle a century after it started.

How it works

Nonelectric vehicles use an internal combustion engine that works by igniting an air and fuel mixture in the engine’s pistons, which turns the wheels. Much of the energy generated is lost to heat, with only 16%-25% actually moving the wheels. A typical gas-run engine has roughly 2,000 moving parts.

Battery-powered EVs use induction motors, which use a stator to conduct electricity to create a rotating magnetic field that powers the rotor, turning the wheels. Two-thirds of the energy produced goes directly into moving the wheels. There are only roughly 20 moving parts under the hood of an electric vehicle (see both engines in motion). 

EVs store electricity in a lithium-ion battery block under the vehicle weighing an average of 900 pounds. The batteries contain many minerals, including lithium, nickel, cobalt, magnesium, and aluminum. Most of these minerals are mined and processed outside the US, with China controlling almost 80% of the minerals. 

Concerns have been raised globally about the impact mining has on workers, local communities, and the environment. Starting in 2025, EVs that contain any minerals sourced or processed in China will not be eligible for the full $7,500 tax credit.

Future

In 2022, California passed the Advanced Clean Cars II Act, which requires all new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs sold in California to have zero emissions by 2035. Eight states followed suit, joining all 27 countries in the EU and multiple countries in Asia (see map). 

Most major automakers have made a commitment to greatly reduce or do away with gas-powered vehicles in the next 20 years.