ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND TESLA, INC.

Term Paper Submitted to St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous)

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements

For the Award of the bachelor’s degree in BSc. (MEC)

Name of the Candidate: ROHIT ANAN

Class: III MEC
Register Number: 18MEC24010

Under the Guidance of Ms. Regina Mathias

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS

ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

BANGALORE – 560027

NOVEMBER 2020
 DECLARATION

I, ROHIT ANAN, pursuing Bachelors in Science bearing the registration number

18MEC24010 declare that the term paper work on ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND TESLA,
INC. is an original and bona fide work that incorporates the results of my independent
research under the supervision of Ms. Regina Mathias, Department of Electronics, St.
Joseph’s College, Bangalore in partial fulfilment of the requirements of bachelor’s degree in
BSc.- Maths, Electronics and Computer Science.

I further declare that it has not been previously submitted in part or in full to this or to any
other University for any Degree or Diploma. Due acknowledgments have been made
wherever matter has been cited from other sources.

Rohit Anan
18MEC24010
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous),

Bangalore -560027 .
 ST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGE
(AUTONOMOUS)
BANGALORE – 560027

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Rohit Anan(18MEC24010) has successfully completed his Research on
“Electric vehicles and Tesla Inc.” as a partial fulfilment for the award of BSc. degree
(Maths, Electronics and Computer Science) prescribed by St. Joseph’s College
(Autonomous), Bangalore during the academic year 2019-20.

Signature of the guide

Ms. Regina Mathias

Department of Electronics
St. Joseph’s College (Autonomous)
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

At the very outset, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Ms. Regina Mathias, my
teacher and guide for the preparation of my term paper, under whose guidance I improved on
research methodologies and whose knowledge inspired me to gain a new perspective for my
paper.
In addition, I would like to thank my friends who have helped me by sharing their valuable
suggestions and comments related to my work.
Last but not the least, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Father Principal, St. Joseph's
College (Autonomous), Bangalore for giving me the opportunity to do the term paper and all my course
teachers who had guided me all throughout during the preparation of my work
 CONTENTS
SL.NO TOPIC PAGE NO.

1. Electric vehicles: History 07

2. Main components of an electric vehicle 08

3. Types of electric vehicles 12

4. Regenerative Braking 12

5. Tesla, Inc. 13

6. What makes Tesla better 14

7. Electric vehicles and environment 16

8. What should government do to promote

EVs
18
9. CONCLUSION 18

10. BIBLIOGRAPHY 19
ELECTRIC VEHICLES: HISTORY

Whenever someone thinks about the inception of electric vehicles and their concepts, the
first thought that comes to their mind is of the EV-1 of the General motors. Many people
even think that the EV-1 is the source of inspiration for the modern-day giants, Tesla inc. But
these people are wrongly mistaken. Electric vehicles have been around a lot longer than
today’s Tesla Motors or the General Motors EV-1 of the late 1990s.

Figure 1: General Motors EV-1(top) and Tesla Roadster(bottom)

The credit for the invention of the first electric motor can somewhat be given to Robert
Anderson of Scotland. He built a motorized carriage around the 1830s that used galvanic
cells as its batteries, but they were not rechargeable. Hence, his carriage was more of a
showpiece and not a very efficient transportation tool. Taking inspiration from Robert
Anderson, many inventors and dreamers came up with their model of electric vehicles for
the next 50 years but with little or no success.
Figure 2: working of a galvanic cell

The first real electric vehicle, which was considerably more efficient and reliable from the
previous prototypes was built by a Scotland-born chemist, William Morrison in 1887. Mr.
William showcased his prototype in 1893 Chicago's World Fair, and it was a runaway
success. It had a front-wheel-drive with around 4 horsepower, and an estimated top speed
of 20 miles/hour, it had 24 battery cells that needed recharging every 50 miles. Going by
today's standard, it does not seem much. But it was enough to spark a fire about electric
motors in the minds of the upcoming scientists and inventors.

Figure 3: William Morrison electric carriage

MAIN COMPONENTS OF AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE

1. ELECTRIC MOTOR
A motor is a device which converts electrical energy to mechanical energy.
The main working principle of an electric motor is that when a rectangular coil is placed in a
magnetic field and current is passed through it, a force acts on the coil which rotates it
continuously.
2. Inverter
An inverter is a gadget that changes over DC to AC power. It is used in electric motor and
can also change the rate at which the motor works or rotates by adjusting the frequency of
the alternating current. Also, it can be used to increase or decrease the power or torque of
the electric motor.

Figure 4: inverter of modern EVs

3. BATTERIES
A battery in an electric vehicle is used to store electrical energy that is ready to use as
needed. An EV battery consists of many cells that are grouped into bigger modules.
In recent years, battery technology has enhanced at an exponential rate. The batteries used
in current EVs are all lithium-based, which have a very low discharge rate.
Figure 5:a small lithium ion battery

working of lithium-based batt eries.

Since lithium-based batteries play such a big role in Electric vehicles, ought to talk more
about them.
These batteries have 3 main components which are a positive terminal called the cathode,
an anode-the negative terminal, and a catalyst work as the separator. Both the cathode and
anode can store lithium ions. When these ions travel between these electrodes through the
electrolyte, energy is stored and released.

Case 1:
The current is passed to the battery through the charger. Lithium ions move to the anode
from the cathode through the electrolyte. Through the potential difference between the
two electrodes, the battery gets charged.
Case 2:
Between the cathode and the anode, a discharge circuit is formed. Lithium ions which were
stored in the anode move to cathode, and then the energy is used.

4.DRIVETRAIN
Unlike traditional fuel-based cars which have multiple transmission drive train, EVs use a
single-speed transmission to send power from the motor to the wheels.

Figure 6: main components of an electric car

TYPES OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Now that we have an idea about the main components of an electric vehicle and how they
work together, let us see the different types of electric vehicles currently available in the
market.
There are three main types of electric vehicles currently available in the market:
 1. PLUG-IN: Plug-in EVs get all their power when they are plugged or connected to an
electric power source, and they run entirely on electricity. Since they do not use any
fuels (diesel or petrol), they do not cause any emissions like traditional cars.

2. PLUG-IN HYBRID: They have an electric motor as their primary engine but also have
a traditional fuel engine to run on petrol or diesel too. If the car runs out of electric
charge, the car will automatically switch to use fuel. The car will generate emissions
when running on fuel but while using its primary electric engine, it won’t. Just like a
normal plug-in EV, the plug-in hybrids can be connected to an electric source for
charging.

3. HYBRID: Unlike plug-in hybrids, hybrid EVs use a fuel-based engine as their primary
engine and keep an electric motor as their secondary engine. The electric motor
does not need a conventional electric source for power but uses technologies like
regenerative braking for charging. The car can switch to electric by the touch of a
button.

REGENERATIVE BRAKING
We came across a term called “Regenerative Braking” while discussing hybrid electric
vehicles in the previous section. Let us see what it means.
The regenerative braking system is one of the most innovative and interesting technologies
used in modern EVs. Moving vehicles produce a lot of kinetic energy and when brakes are
applied to slow down, most of the kinetic energy goes to waste. The regenerative braking
system uses this kinetic energy to power up the car. Here, the engine of the EV is also used
as a generator to convert much of the kinetic energy lost while slowing down the car into
stored electric energy in the vehicle’s battery.
So, the car uses much of the previously stored energy from regenerative braking while it
accelerates instead of consuming its own energy. Regenerative braking has an efficiency of
around 70%, according to Tesla Inc.
Figure 7: regenerative braking

TESLA INC.

Now that we have a general idea of the electric vehicles, let us look at the one the most
innovative tech companies of the world and currently the biggest electric car maker, Tesla,
Inc.

A BRIEF HISTORY
Based in Palo Alto, California, Tesla, Inc. is an American electric vehicle and clean energy-
based company. Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning were the founders of the company.
Engineers by profession, they formed the company in July of 2003 and named the company
“Tesla” as a tribute to great inventor and engineer, Nikola Tesla. Elon Musk joined the
company in 2003 and is the CEO of the company since 2008. According to Eberhard, Tesla is
a “car manufacture that is also a technology company”.

Figure 8: tesla logo

WHAT MAKES TESLA BETTER

Almost every major car company today is trying its hands in electric car market. But hardly
any of these company come close to what Tesla is doing. So, what exactly Tesla is doing
different?

 Software Extensive: As mentioned by Martin Eberhard, Tesla is a car manufacturer

that is also a tech company. What Tesla has done with its software network. Unlike
traditional cars which comes with tons of button each with its function, Tesla cars
comes with a huge computer-integrated touchscreen with great graphical user
interface.

Figure 9: tesla model S touchscreen

There are hardly any buttons in the car which eases the overall usability of the car. Any
function (and there are many) is just a touch away.
 Heavy Automation: Tesla cars come with many pre-loaded automatic features
which can be customised according to the taste of individual users. For example,
Tesla cars come with automatic wipers that detect the amount of rain falling on the
windshield and adjust its speed automatically. Using high beam headlight is
necessary for good visibility but it is also necessary to dim the high beam if another
car is coming in front. It becomes hectic to repeat this again and again when there is
heavy traffic. Tesla automatically detects the on-coming traffic and adjusts the high
beam automatically. There are plenty of automatic features just like these.

 Autopilot: One of the most unique features of a tesla car is its autopilot feature. It is
unbelievable how accurate and safe autopilot in Tesla is. Every Tesla car is connected
to satellite. Tesla cars will take you to your destination without you touching the
steering wheel. It accurately senses the traffic, the road and the road conditions. And
top of this, it will automatically adjust to the speed limit.
  A Tesla for Every Need: Other car makers produces one or two electric vehicles that
are almost the same. But Tesla produces different vehicles for different needs. Tesla
produces small hatchbacks for city use and makes a full-fledged SUV. If your works
require pick-up truck, Tesla got you covered.

Figure 10:(from L to R) model S, model 3 and model X

 Supercharger: Before Tesla came, the real problem that the electric vehicle market
faced was of portability. There were hardly any charging stations and were certainly
not as frequently available as normal gas stations. Tesla changed all this. It installed
supercharging at every prime location across America and Europe and they are
expanding their network across all the parts of the world at an exponential rate.

 Gigafactory: Since Tesla, Inc. currently is the biggest electric car maker in the world,
they require lithium-based batteries in a very large amount and at a very fast rate.
Currently located in Nevada, USA, Gigafactory is one of a kind lithium-ion battery and
electric vehicle subassembly factory operated by Tesla.

Figure 11: Tesla Gigafactory, Nevada USA

  Fast and easy to maintain: All the Tesla cars are extremely fast yet safe and very easy
to maintain. Tesla cars are significantly simpler than traditional combustion cars.
They have fewer parts per vehicle, around 20 compared to 2000 in the fuel-based
cars.

 Range and battery: Currently Tesla provide highest range available in any electric car.
An average Tesla gives around 650 km per full charge which is way more than 400
km range provided by its competitors. Also, since Tesla has installed supercharger in
each of its cars, an average Tesla charge up very quickly.

Fun fact: Tesla is currently the most valuable car company, valued even better than Ford or
Volkswagen.

ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND ENVIROMENT

The World is changing, and the warning bells are ringing. We are depleting our natural
resources and at the same time damaging nature. A survey shows that around 14% of
annual emissions and almost 25% of all the carbon emissions come from burning fossil fuel.
We can change that. We can change the situation for the better on our part by adopting
electric vehicles instead of regular combustion cars.

Figure 12: carbon footprints of EVs are significantly lower

Some people would argue that saving environment by using EVs is nothing but façade as EVs
ultimately get their power from electricity generated in thermal power plants by burning
fossil fuels like coal. This is true in some cases.
But times are changing. Most of the car makers are adopting a cleaner and greener way of
charging their cars. They are installing solar panels on the top of their charging stations to
convert solar energy to electrical energy.
Figure 13: solar panels installed on top of electric charging station

Also, instead of getting their power from traditional thermal power plant, electric car
manufacturers are choosing cleaner options like thermal power, wind power or nuclear
power.
Still electric vehicles have a long way to go. Currently, there are only small EVs available in
market and not big vehicles like truck or bus. But every small step count, and everyone
should do their part.

WHAT GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO TO PROMOTE ELECTRIC VEHILCES

 Government should promote the benefits of electric vehicles among the common people.
 It should decrease the tax rate for foreign electric car manufacturers for easy setup of their
workstation/factories.
 It should encourage indigenous car makers to make more of electric vehicles by charging less
tax on EVs than that on traditional fuel-based vehicles.
 It should install a greater number of public electric charge stations to increase the portability
of the electric vehicles.
 It should allocate some budget for overall research and development in the field of electric
vehicles.

CONCLUSION

Upon comparison between the electric vehicles and the internal-combustible ones, it is
definite that the former is more environment-friendly. EVs require less maintenance as
batteries used in them are engineered to have along with life even when the car is not used
for a long period. Also, recycling of these lithium-based batteries will become more
economically feasible once the use of EVs become more widespread. Currently, big car
makers are bringing out more innovation in the field of electric vehicles, either due to the
rising competition from companies like Tesla, Inc., or for a better future.
All this research and development in the field of electric vehicles is quite requisite now as
our planet is on the verge of dying a slow death. Now we must save our planet since we are
the sole perpetrators behind its current tragic state, and EVs are a small step in this process.
Also, the credit of the companies like Tesla is long due for making the market of EVs
mainstream. Earlier, electric vehicles for colossal car manufacturers was more like a
recreational sport activity. Something they did for the show. For them, there was no viable
market for electric vehicles as they were not economically feasible. They thought their
customers don’t want an EV as their daily driver. Tesla came and changed all this. They
showed customers don’t know what they want until someone shows them what they need.
Tesla made sportscars to pick-up trucks and demonstrated a huge market for EVs by being
ultra-successful in what they were doing.
Apart from common people and the companies, the government should also provide
lucrative provisions to promote the commercial use of EVs on a widescale.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. https://hbr.org/2020/02/how-tesla-sets-itself-apart

2. https://www.tesla.com

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla,_Inc.

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle