Q1.
Did you know that even our vehicles can run on electricity?
Answer
Yes. Electric vehicles do not use petrol or diesel at all. They carry a large battery, and the battery is charged from an electric point, just as we charge a mobile phone.
How an electric vehicle works, in four steps:
- The vehicle is plugged into a charging point for some hours.
- Electricity goes into its battery and is stored there.
- When the vehicle is driven, the battery sends that stored electricity to a motor.
- The motor turns the wheels — and the vehicle moves.
| Petrol or diesel vehicle | Electric vehicle | |
|---|---|---|
| What it uses | Petrol or diesel | Electricity stored in a battery |
| Smoke | Gives out smoke from a pipe at the back | No smoke pipe at all |
| Sound | The engine is noisy | Almost silent |
| Filling up | A few minutes at a petrol pump | Several hours at a charging point |
You may already have seen some: e-rickshaws in many Indian towns, electric city buses, electric scooters, and the metro train — which has run on electricity for years.
Why it matters: An electric vehicle makes no smoke on the road, so the air in our streets stays cleaner. It is cleanest of all when the electricity that charges it was itself made from the Sun, the wind or water. Look at the opening picture of this chapter on page 114 — a red car is plugged in at a charging station, with solar panels and a windmill in the same picture.