Electric Vehicle Education

Explore how a standard internal combustion engine vehicle uses gasoline or diesel, with fuel moving from tank to ignition via the filter, pump, lines, spark plugs, and electronic control module.

Compare electric vehicles to regular cars and highlight their front and rear trunks, and the absence of an internal combustion engine.

Explore plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that pair a gas engine with a battery and motor, charging from a plug or regenerative braking, with the motor acting as a generator.

Explore how extended range electric vehicle relies on an electric drive train, onboard gasoline or diesel generator to recharge the battery, and plug-in charging plus regenerative braking to extend range.

Battery degradation permanently reduces energy capacity over time due to cycles and high temperatures. The state of health, 0–100 percent, shows remaining capacity.

Regenerative braking uses the motor as a generator to push energy back into the battery, extending range and slowing the vehicle by transferring energy from motor to battery.

Pushing the accelerator draws energy from the batteries, powering the electric motor to propel the vehicle forward or backward as energy transfers to the motor.

Plug your charger into the charging port to begin charging your vehicle. See an example of the charging port.

Define the kilowatt hour as the standard unit for electric vehicle battery capacity, with sizes from 40 to 100 kWh and ranges from 50 to over 350 miles.

Level two chargers use 240-volt outlets to deliver 40-80 amps and up to 19.2 kilowatts, installed by an electrician with a NEMA 14-50 outlet, often with Wi-Fi for timed charging.

Explore how Tesla chargers deliver up to 250 kilowatts to Tesla vehicles, provide level 1–2 charging, connect to supercharger locations with navigation, and enable adapters for charging with mobile monitoring.

Learn home charging with level one or two options and public chargers that are typically level two or three, and schedule charging with timers or apps.

Compare annual ownership costs across hybrid, electric, and mid-size internal combustion engine sedans, showing hybrids and EVs lower maintenance and fuel costs with similar insurance, while EV depreciation rises.

Precondition the interior while plugged in to preserve range in cold or hot weather. Uphill driving reduces efficiency, but regenerative braking recovers energy, and altitude does not affect EV performance.