Electric Car Controls

Operation is much like driving a car with an automatic transmission; there is an accelerator that controls forward movement, and a brake that when applied, slows the vehicle and at the same time recharges the batteries. A button is pressed for reverse. The GM Impact uses alternating current (AC) motors and a converter for utlizing the battery's power, which is DC. The car's main power source is a special battery pack. The main obstacle of battery power is its power to weight ratio. Lead batteries weighing the same as a full tank of gasoline have much less usable energy for the car to draw from. Also, as batterys lose their power, the performance drops gradually, which could be dangerous in traffic. There are many different battery types being developed, but the majority of designs use either nickel cadmium or lead-acid. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Depending on their design and cost, the batteries can take anywhere from 20 minutes to ten hours to recharge. They provide ranges from 30 to 100 miles on a single charge. Another important part of the electric car is the electronic control system. The energy management control, which encompasses both acceleration and deceleration, controls and monitors the power flow, and alerts the driver of a drop in power.