Energy Efficiency of Electric Vehicles

In this chapter, the most important possibilities for increasing energy efficiency of electric vehicles would be considered, regarding energy savings accumulated in the vehicle itself and increasing the range of performances of the cars with given initial resources. Some of the possibilities that should provide such a progress nowadays are: • Using energy under braking • Using waste heat energy • Additional supply by solar cells • Improved mechanical energy transmission system • Improved cars shell design • Increasing of efficiency of power convertors • Special design of electric engines • Using supercapacitors, fuel cells and new generation batteries • Route selection on the criterion of minimum consumption in real time • Parameter monitoring inside and outside of the vehicle and computerized system control with optimization of energy consumption Today, the problem of energy becomes so important that an entire industry is turning towards clean, renewable energy (solar energy, wind energy, etc.). Prototypes of hybrid vehicles with the announcement of mass production scheduled for the near future have become everyday occurrence. In addition, many cars are designed to use only electricity as motive power, which reduces emissions to zero.