he battery's electrical energy by converting it to kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that makes the car move. The driver simply switches on the power, selects "Forward" or "Reverse" with another switch, and steps on the accelerator pedal.While the internal-combustion engine of a conventional car has many moving parts, an electric motor has only a single rotating element. Like a gasoline-powered car, an electric car has a system, called a power train, of gears, shafts, and joints that transmit motion from the motor directly to the car's wheels. This system eliminates the need for clutches or multispeed transmissions. The driver uses an electronic controller to control the rate at which energy flows from the batteries to the motor. In order to go backward, the flow of electricity through the motor is reversed, changing the rotation of the motor and causing the power train to make the wheels go in the reverse direction.Most electric cars have a regenerative braking system. That means the friction that builds up in the brakes charge up the battery. When drives take their feet from the accelerator, the motor acts as a generator and converts the energy caused by the movement of the vehicle back into electricity and stores it in the battery. Converting the kinetic energy into electric energy slows the car. Electric cars also have a brake pedal and a traditional braking system that slows the vehicle by stopping the wheels from turning, for quick emergency stopping.Future: The future for electric cars looks to be a bright one. This is because of California's zero-emissions policy, which has been adopted by several other states. The nations electric vehicle population is due to explode by the end of the decade. According to a study by the coalition, 65,364 new electric vehicles will be available for sale in 2000 in California, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York. (The latter 5 states will also have will have ident...
