Key terms in the field of electric mobility

Four-cylinder engine, injection pump, exhaust pipe – 125 years after the invention of the car, the technical terms in the field of car manufacturing have become common terms even outside of workshops. As a result of the breakthrough of the electric car, in the near future consumers will have to familiarize themselves with new terms.

Here are some of the most important terms used in the field of e-mobility:

Plug-in

is another term for connector. A plug-in is an electric car, a hybrid car, or a fully electrically-driven car including a plug by means of which the car is charged via the power grid. The worldwide car industry has not yet agreed on a uniform standard for connectors. The term plug-in is also very common in computer lingo and refers to programs that establish a link to other programs in order to make additional functions available.

Range Extender

is a specialist term used by the hybrid vehicle industry to describe vehicles that are driven primarily by electric drives but that also include a small gasoline engine. The gasoline engine expands the 100 to 150 kilometers achieved with batteries to over 600 kilometers. The gasoline engine does not drive the wheels directly but is rather use for charging the battery, if necessary. This ensures economical operation because the gasoline-driven vehicle runs with a consistently low number of revolutions. The most popular model is called Volt by General Motors, which will hit the German market in the fall under the name "Opel Ampera". All major corporations are working on range extenders as the consumers' fear of getting stranded is considered one of the major challenges for electrically driven vehicles.

Lithium-Ionen-Technik

The chemical element lithium is the one element that enables the planned leap into the age of electric vehicles. Batteries referred to as lithium-ion batteries can store far more energy than conventional lead accumulators. Today, lithium-ion batteries are already used for laptops or mobile phones. Lithium is a light metal. Pure lithium does not occur in nature as it is bound in rocks. Lithium is not widely used except for in batteries.

Fuel cell

A completely new supplier of energy for the electric engine. Electricity is generated by the fusion of hydrogen and oxygen from the air. Fuel cell technology has been applied for many years in submarines and test busses, for example. Charging the battery is a problem, however: While batteries can be charged at any electrical socket, fuel cells require hydrogen charging stations, and only a few are available in Germany.

Methan

A completely new approach is currently being tested by Audi: The car manufacturer is investing millions in four wind generators located in the North Sea. This green electricity is used by the car builders to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen is converted into methane that is then used to drive the gas engines in cars. Gas engines are tried and true vehicle technology, and Audi is planning to present its own models as of 2013.

Electric Power Companies

The transition period from conventional engines to electric engines is currently triggering a power struggle between car manufacturers and electric power companies, such as E.ON and RWE. The electric power companies are considering electric cars as a completely new business market. There have been plans to combine car batteries for use as gigantic virtual electricity storage devices. This would reduce the role of car manufacturers to mere providers. Audi is the first enterprise to counteract this idea with its own wind generators.

"Non-monetary incentives"

The federal government is not planning any financial incentives for buyers of electric vehicles. Instead, the government is planning "non-monetary incentives". These incentives could comprise special parking spaces or authorizations for accessing pedestrian areas. Moreover, electric vehicles could be given permission to use bus lanes or special car lanes.