Over the years, electric vehicles have come out. Though electric vehicles are environmentally friendly, one thing that makes people reluctant to get them is that they have a shorter range compared to gas-powered vehicles. That might soon change though as new technology is being developed that could increase the range of electric vehicles.
Researchers at North Carolina State University are developing a technology that would extend the range of electric cars. This is a new inverter that would not only give electric cars greater range but also make them even more efficient. According to Science Daily, this inverter would be smaller and lighter.
Inverters have been used by electric and hybrid vehicles in order to have enough electricity be used from the battery to the motor. At North Carolina State University's Future Renewable Electric Energy Distribution and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center a new inverter made of silicon carbide promises to transfer 99 percent of that energy to the motor.
Iqbal Husain, director of FREEDM Center and professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University says that the silicon carbide prototype is smaller and lighter than the inverters made of silicon. He also said that newer components could make inverters even smaller and lighter in the future.
The silicon carbide inverter could deliver 12.1 kilowatts of power per liter (KW/L) as opposed to those from 2010 electric cars which could only give out 4.1 KW/L. The U.S. Department of Energy's goal is to have electric cars that can have 13.4 KW/L by 2020.
While the silicon carbide prototype is efficient enough, North Carolina State University's site notes that FREEDM researchers have been making ultra-high density inverters that would be able to meet the Department of Energy's goal. Future inverters could even be air-cooled ones, which would be much lighter than current liquid-cooled inverters.
Husain says that future inverters could be made which could fit even motorcycles and scooters, which shows how much advancement is being made in electric vehicles. With so much promise in the research being done at the FREEDM Center, electric vehicles would have greater ranges and better efficiency soon, and consumers would be more comfortable in using them without worrying that they might have to recharge their vehicles very soon.
iTechPost also reports on new technology that might revolutionize driving.
