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Joshua M. Mariani

Professor Nenna

ENC1101 3062

16 October 2020

Contrasting EV and ICE vehicles

As we drive down the road, most of us don’t notice if the cars around us are electric vehicles

(EV) or internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. While most of both types have four wheels,

look similar to each other, and serve the purpose of getting us from point A to point B safely,

that’s pretty much where the similarities stop.

Let us dive right into the biggest difference of these vehicles. One needs fuel, acquired from

fossil fuels and then refined into gasoline, while the other requires electricity, which you can get

by plugging in to your house or charging station to store in the cars’ on-board battery system.

Electric vehicles get their forward momentum from an electric motor. Electricity is directed

from the batteries to the electric motor which has three basic parts; a rotor, a stator, and

commutator. When electricity is applied to this system it creates electromagnetism, which causes

the motor to spin freely. Depending on the make and model of the car, there are usually

anywhere from one to four electric motors in the drivetrain of a vehicle. This means the motors

can be mounted either on the wheels or very close to the wheels as to eliminate drive train power

and efficiency losses.

The power, or electricity comes from batteries that are stored on-board the vehicle. Most

electric vehicle manufacturers are opting to put the batteries in the floor of the car, which has

tons of added benefits which we will get to a little later. The batteries are rechargeable and

companies like tesla guarantee recharging capability for one million miles. The fact that they can
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be charged on a grid means you can plug your car in at home or on the go at charging stations,

which have been popping up all over the place. Because of where the motors can be mounted,

this means there are considerably fewer moving parts and things that can go wrong mechanically

with an electric vehicle which makes them easier and cheaper to maintain.

ICE vehicles need gasoline or diesel in order to run. Internal combustion engines require air

and fuel to be mixed together in just the right combination, then injected into the cylinder and

ignited with a spark (yes, a miniature explosion) in order to push down a piston that is connected

to a rod, which is connected to a crankshaft, which is connected via connecting rods to all the

other pistons. The pistons all are timed to intake air, compress the air on their upstroke, explode

on their downstroke, and release the exhaust gasses at their appropriate time (never all at the

same time) by connecting the end of the crank shaft to the ends of the cam shaft(s, depending on

the engine) via chains or belts. The cam shaft(s) run the length of the engine and engage

pushrods which actuate the ports which control the air intake and exhaust. In newer vehicles the

timing of the spark for each cylinder comes down to the computer inside the car which is pre-

programed to fire at exactly the right point. Due to this complicated system, even modern

internal combustion engines are massive when compared to their electric counterparts.

Now that we’ve looked at how the internal combustion engine turns, lets dig into how that

power eventually makes its way to the wheels. A rod sticks out of the back of the engine with a

transfer plate on the back, which is mounted to a flywheel, which is mounted to a transmission.

From there the power has to spin all the gears of a transmission and eventually make its way to a

driveshaft which then (depending on if a car is front, rear, or all-wheel drive) goes through a

differential to properly route the power to the wheels via the manufacturers’ specifications.
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All of these complicated procedures are part of systems that have parts that wear down and

require replacement over time, thus contributing to the operating, repair, and maintenance costs.

When it comes to range, there is a slight disparity between the two types of vehicles.

Electric vehicles on average have just under two hundred miles of range. There are more

expensive options that have four hundred plus miles of range but are sadly out of reach for most

working-class people. However, Tesla currently has a car called the Model 3 which has an

MSRP of $35,000 and a range of two-hundred and fifty to over three-hundred miles in a single

charge. Tesla and other auto manufacturers have spoken about soon revealing and releasing

electric vehicles in the mid $20,000 range. Combine this with possible tax incentives for buying

an EV and you could get one for right around $20,000 within the next few years.

Batteries, charging technology, and manufacturing processes are improving exponentially

every year, which will continue to drive down the cost of electric vehicles. This also means in

time we will be able to charge an electric car just as fast or faster than the amount of time it takes

to fill up a gas tank. For example, Lucid Motors is claiming that upon production, their car will

be able to add twenty miles per minute while charging to its projected range. Another factor to

consider is that you have the option of plugging your vehicle in at home, thus eliminating the

need to stop at a gas station and fill up once a week (or more depending on your commute and

driving habits). In an electric vehicle the cost per mile is just under four cents.

ICE vehicles on average have around four hundred miles of range. Currently, this is

considerably more that the average EV. With this being the average for most ICE vehicles, that

means you don’t have to spend tons of money to upgrade to a make and model with extended

range. Fuel efficiency is still improving but not nearly at the rate of battery technology. In an

ICE vehicle you also have to stop at a gas station to refuel (unless you have a well or tower filled
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with fuel at your house). This means taking time out of your busy schedule to stop in at a gas

station on your way to and from work, usually once a week or more depending on your

commute. The cost per mile to operate an ICE vehicle is more than double that of the EV at nine

point three cents per mile.

When it comes to technology, electric vehicles are typically on the bleeding edge of it. This

is because most EV manufacturers are trying to implement self-driving capabilities, driver assist

capabilities, and need to produce the software responsible for controlling all of those functions

on a vehicle. Companies like Tesla and Rivian are building their hardware and software systems

to be upgradable and updatable, just like the software on our mobile phones. These self-driving

capabilities and software technologies are also making cars safter by allowing the vehicle to

perform functions and tasks simultaneously that no human can keep up with. The world of

software and technology has given way to computer systems that can process nearly two billion

bits per second, while our brains can only process eleven bits per second.

Safety is also built in during the manufacturing process. Battery packs, which are quite

heavy, are placed in the bottom of an EV. This brings the center of gravity, especially in an SUV

or truck really low, thus reducing the risk of a roll over in an accident. The Tesla Model X, for

example, is the only SUV that has ever received a five-star crash test rating, due to its outright

refusal to roll over during these tests. During the manufacturing process EVs are built with fewer

adjoining parts, which allows the larger parts of the car to be more rigid. This also ends up

netting better front and rear crash test results.

The internal combustion engine has been around since 1860 and has been improved upon

every year since then to get us to where we are now. The internal combustion engine has been
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the backbone of our civilized world, but by today’s standards it’s inefficiency and toxicity to the

environment can’t be ignored.

Another factor to consider is consumer behavior. Consumers have been purchasing SUVs at

an incredible rate. SUVs are not safter than cars because of their propensity to roll over in the

event of an accident. Most average SUVs on the road share the same chassis as a car, with the

disadvantage of being top heavy which is what makes them so dangerous. Despite this, there is

an ever-increasing demand for SUVs.

In the news there have been articles referencing EV fires, but you never hear anything about

ICE vehicle fires. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, ICE vehicles are still 10

times more likely to catch fire than their EV counterparts. The reason there is more news

coverage of EVs is because they are still considered “new” technology and it’s a great way for

reporting agencies to garner attention and/or clicks.

When it comes to on-board technology, ICE vehicles are playing catch up. The infotainment

screens are limited in their capacity, as is the rest of the software on the car. Most ICE vehicles

don’t offer autopilot, or any form of driver aid outside of lane departure notices. There are some

ICE vehicles that have automatic braking, but even these systems are primitive when compared

to those of EVs.

What does the future hold for EVs? If we take into account that the U.S. has created a

mandate that 90% of all cars produced and sold in the U.S. have to be electric by 2050, then it is

safe to say we will be seeing a lot more of them on the roads in the years to come. Even now the

government has made mandates requiring auto makers to reduce their carbon footprint, which

will push more and more auto makers into the EV market. At this very moment there are

government incentives for consumers who are purchasing EVs. These incentives come in the
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form of tax credits which you end up getting back after you file your taxes for the year.

Depending on the car you buy, this could mean up to $7000 returned to you just for the purchase

of an EV. This, and the fuel savings, makes and EV on par or cheaper to own over the long run.

Unfortunately, for the time being there is a large up-front cost when purchasing an EV, but if

manufacturers can deliver on their technology projections it will drive the initial cost of an EV

even lower than that of an ICE vehicle.

ICE vehicles are nearing the end of their life cycle. The improvements in technology of EVs

are making the inefficiencies of the internal combustion engine more and more apparent. At the

moment the only thing ICE vehicles can claim dominance in is their refueling capabilities. In

terms of quality, comfort, safety, and environmental impacts, ICE vehicles are falling behind at

an increasing rate.

While electric vehicles and ICE vehicles share some minor things, and even lead us to

believe they are one in the same or even similar, once we begin scratching the surface of what

they are and the technology behind them, we truly understand how fundamentally different they

are. Both types of vehicles have been around since the 1970’s. The limited technology of the

time gave way to ICE vehicles and EVs fell to the wayside. The differences between the two

types of vehicles today and the technology behind them point to an unavoidable shift in

transportation that is happening right before our eyes. Next time you’re out driving see if you can

spot or even hear the difference.