installed by EVs have seen a dramatic increase in popularity Researchers are working hard to develop batteries that are cheaper more powerful and quicker to recharge but big breakthroughs are rare Instead engineers keep making small improvements to current battery technology Most EVs today use lithium ion batteries This same technology powers devices such as cameras cell phones and laptop computers In the current Tesla Models rows of lithium ion battery cells take up most of the space in the floor of the car between the front and rear
Another way to improve any type of energy technology is to increase efficiency Redesigning the shape and size of a wind turbine or solar panel can Hybrids increase the amount of energy it produces Likewise redesigning an electric car can decrease the amount of energy it needs to run A light sleek car is more energy efficient than a heavy one A lower weight means it takes less battery power to propel the car forward A sleek design reduces drag from the surrounding air Tesla designed the Roadster and Model S with Hybrid EVs run on either electricity or gas This offers a solution to drivers who do not want to have to stop often to charge the battery or who worry about getting stranded in a place with no charging station nearby A typical hybrid contains an internal combustion engine along with a battery pack and electric motor Most hybrids do not need to be plugged in the combustion engine recharges the battery and the electric motor helps capture energy generated by braking Hybrids conserve fuel by automatically shutting off the gas engine when the car comes to a stop Computers in these cars determine the best times to switch between the gasoline and electric modes these facts in mind Most cars are built with a heavy steel body but the Roadster is made of carbon fiber This material is expensive but it is much lighter than steel and has comparable strength The Model S is mostly aluminum another light but strong metal Musk also runs the rocket company SpaceX and he has used some of his space technology in his cars We applied a lot of rocket design techniques to make the car light despite having a very large battery pack New Ways to Power Up Whereas some researchers are trying to build cheap powerful batteries that last a long time others are looking into different methods of powering an electric engine Supercapacitors also known as 9
Elon Musk 1971 a lon Musk thinks about big problems When I was in university I thought about what are the problems that are most likely to affect the future of the world or the future of humanity o he said He decided it was extremely important to have sustainable energy and transportation so civilization as we know it can continue to progress Musk has certainly reached that goal His company Tesla Motors makes electric cars SpaceX sends rockets into space and SolarCity where he is chairman of the board develops solar energy Growing up in South Africa Musk was bullied at school But that did not stop him from dreaming He founded the company that became PayPal a service that helps people send money online Musk made a fortune when Internet auction site eBay bought PayPal for 1 5 billion in 2002 He poured his money into space travel and electric cars Since then his vision has transformed both industries Tesla's cars have won numerous awards and the company has developed improved battery technology SpaceX reduced the cost of rocket travel and won a contract to send astronauts to the International Space Station 10
Other gases 1 Petroleum 1 Geothermal Biomass Solar 17 0 4 84X Wind 44 US Electricity or Generation by Source 20154 Hydropower Coal 39 Nuclear 19 Natural gas 27 ultracapacitors are similar to rechargeable batteries Both technologies store and release electricity The difference is that capacitors recharge extremely quickly in as little as 16 seconds The problem is that a supercapacitor has to be much larger than a battery to hold the same amount of energy If researchers find a way to reduce their size and cost they could prove useful for EVs Hydrogen fuel cells are another technology that can power electric cars A fuel cell combines hydrogen gas with oxygen from the air to make electricity This chemical reaction gives off water and heat so it does not pollute the air Instead of plugging in the car to recharge drivers pump in hydrogen gas Some prototypes can travel approximately 300 miles 480 km before refueling 11
