ACEA

Can electricity or electrical energy be considered a fuel?

Yes, why not? The principle of conservation of energy means that when you spend energy it is converted into different modes of active (or kinetic) energy or passive (potential) energy.

This means that when you burn a motor fuel such as diesel or petrol it releases energy that is converted into the motion of a piston that rotates the crankshaft that turns a driveshaft that eventually rotates the wheels. When you brake you can recover the energy spent into electrical energy that can be stored in a battery in the vehicle that can be used to power devices or supplement the power provided from a combustion engine to move the vehicle.

Energy transfer

Conventional cars transfer chemical energy from fuels into mechanical energy to propel the vehicle on the road. New propulsion technologies will use electrical energy either to help extend the range of a traditional vehicle with a combustion engine (hybrid) or as a replacement for the combustion engine.

Pure electric vehicles have been around for many years, for example, the traditional milk delivery vehicles in some countries like the UK, but their widespread use by the general public has been limited by battery technology (space requirements, weight challenge, durability, cost) and, importantly, public places where you can recharge your vehicle.

Batteries

Much research and investment has been put into battery technology to increase their capacity and lifetime and reduce costs and also to cater for the environmental burden after use. Alternatively, electric cars can use energy from fuel cells, powered by hydrogen. Manufacturers do have in the pipeline pure electric vehicles but policy makers must help provide the charging infrastructure to make this technology practically viable.

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