In these hot days of August we will talk about the energy efficiency and performance of the different types of engines that feed our vehicles today. That is why we ask ourselves, gasoline or electric engine?
But before starting, how do we define the performance of an engine? Performance is the quotient between the energy produced by a machine and the energy that we provide to it. For example, if all the chemical energy of our car's fuel was transformed into mechanical energy to move the vehicle, we would be talking about 100%performance or efficiency. However, there is no machine capable of reaching perfect efficiency cycles because the Thermodynamics laws.
Gasoline or electric engine? We tell you the differences.
In traditional engines or diesel or gasoline internal combustion motors, the efficiency that is usually achieved is from a Approximately 25%. That is, of each euro of fuel that we put, only 25 cents serve to move the car (or motorcycle). But then, where are the other 75 cents go? Because the rest are mainly heat losses. As you have heard many times, energy is neither created nor destroyed, but transforms. In this case, the chemical energy of the fuel is transformed into mechanical energy (25%) and thermal energy (75%).
In the case of electric motors, the efficiency increases considerably up to overcome 90% In many cases, since heat losses are reduced considerably when the friction of mobile parts is reduced. (They do not have pistons, gears, etc.) and they are simpler, light and better weight/power ratio (specific power). Following the same principle of energy transformation that we have commented before, in the case of the electric motor, the electrical energy stored in the batteries becomes mechanical energy (90%) and thermal energy (10%).
So why don't we use all electric engines?
So why do we ask ourselves the question if using a gasoline or electric engine? Actually, electric motors have been present for decades in our lives. Look around: the fridge, the air conditioning, the dryer, the fan, etc. All these devices work as electric motors. The difference is that everyone needs to be connected to a plug to work.
This is the big difference of using electric motors in house apparatus and vehicles that cannot be continuously connected to the current. For vehicles it is necessary to have a battery capable of storing sufficient energy in a light and small container to meet the displacement needs of the people. And all this at a reasonable cost.
For example, it would not make any sense to travel 100kms you would need a larger, heavy and face battery than the vehicle itself.
Fortunately, in recent years battery technology has evolved at a vertiginous speed and now we can create electric motorcycles such as the Next NX1. With them, you can travel up to 65kms with a single battery of just 9kgs and the size of a shoe box.
And this does not end here, scientific advances in the field are more than promising (graphene, solid state batteries, supercaders etc). In Next Electric Motors we will be attentive to continue building the best electric motorcycles in the market with the latest technology.
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