The Physics of Electric Cars

The Edison Institute predicts that there will be at least 19 × 10⁶ all-electric vehicles (EVs) in use by 2030. This will produce significant effects on our transportation system and its energy requirements. Investigating these effects is an ideal activity to show the relevance of physics. How efficient are EVs in using energy? What demand will they place on the already-stressed electric power grid? What are issues related to the batteries used? The growth in EV usage takes place in the context of the perceived need to reduce CO₂ emissions to mitigate climate change and global warming. This article will only consider EVs, but relevant and reasonable background information about climate change issues (in my opinion) can be found in physicist Steven E. Koonin’s controversial book Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn’t, and Why It Matters. To ensure fuller consideration of other perspectives, one should also read reviews of Koonin’s work.