Foreword / Electric Vehicle System Overview
1-6
Electric Vehicle (EVs)
An electric vehicle is driven using a
battery and an electric motor. While
general vehicles use an internal
combustion engine and gasoline as fuel,
electric vehicles use electrical energy
that is charged inside the high voltage
battery. As a result, electric vehicles are
eco-friendly in that they do not require
fuel and do not emit exhaust gases.
Characteristics of Electric
Vehicles (EVs)
1. EVs are using the electrical energy that is charged inside the high voltage
battery. In terms of air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions, EVs are
cleaner than conventional vehicles.
2. A 150 kW electric drive motor mated to a reduction gearbox comprises
the vehicle drivetrain. This electric-
only powertrain significantly reduces
engine room noise and vibration while driving.
3. When decelerating or driving downhill, regenerative braking is
utilized to charge the high voltage
battery. This helps to minimize energy
loss and increases vehicle range.
4. When the state of charge (SOC) of the
battery is low, the EV battery can be
recharged through several different
charging methods. Refer to “Charging
Information” later in this section.
Information
What does regenerative braking do?
It uses an electric motor when decelerating and braking and transforms kinetic
energy to electrical energy in order to
charge the high voltage battery. (Torque
is applied in the opposite direction when
decelerating to generate braking force and
electric energy.)
Battery Information
• The vehicle is composed of a high
voltage battery that drives the motor
and air-conditioner, and an auxiliary
battery (12 V) that drives the lamps,
wipers, and audio system.
• The auxiliary battery is automatically
charged when the vehicle is in the
ready (
) mode or the high voltage
battery is being charged.
eleCTriC VeHiCle
