A gas car and an electric car are not the same inside. A gas car has an engine. The fuel burns inside the engine itself. The engine has pistons that move up and down. A spark plug lights the fuel in the engine. The fuel burns. It burns inside the engine. The spark plug is part of the engine. In a gas car, exhaust gases go out through a tailpipe.
Expanding gases from burning fuel push the piston in a gas engine. Gases expand as fuel burns. The burning fuel makes the push. The push is the engine's power. In a gas car, the transmission passes the engine's power on to the wheels. The wheels turn with that power. The push starts with the burning fuel.
An electric car has an electric motor instead of a gas engine. An electric motor turns the wheels of an electric car. An electric car has far fewer moving parts than a gas engine. Electric motors run quietly and smoothly. The motor is quiet. The motor is smooth. The car has few parts that move.
An electric car stores its energy in a rechargeable battery. It uses the battery for fuel. It does not use gasoline. The car has a charge port. The charge port connects it to an outside power supply. The car is plugged in to charge its battery. The car gets plugged in to charge. The battery is charged when the car is plugged in. The battery is a rechargeable one.
An electric car has a controller. The controller sets how much power goes to the motor. It does this based on the accelerator pedal. The pedal tells the controller how much power. The controller then sets that power for the motor. The motor turns the wheels of the car. So the pedal, the controller and the motor work together.
Words to know
- piston: moving engine part
- transmission: power passer
- battery: energy store
- controller: power manager
The short version
A gas car burns its fuel inside the engine itself, and a spark plug lights the fuel. An electric car has an electric motor instead of a gas engine, and it stores its energy in a rechargeable battery that is plugged in to charge.
Quick facts
- A gas car's fuel burns inside the engine itself.
- A spark plug lights the fuel in a gas engine.
- An electric car has an electric motor instead of a gas engine.
- An electric car stores its energy in a rechargeable battery.
- A gas engine has pistons that move up and down.
How does a gas engine work?
A spark plug lights the fuel in a gas engine, and the burning gases push the piston. In a gas car, the transmission passes the engine's power on to the wheels, and gases go out through a tailpipe.
How does an electric car work?
An electric car has an electric motor instead of a gas engine. The motor changes electrical energy into motion and turns the wheels. The car stores its energy in a rechargeable battery and is plugged in to charge it.
