How does a battery-electric car drive its wheels without burning gasoline?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Stored battery energy powers an electric motor that turns the wheels
The wheels generate all the electricity needed to keep driving — The wheels cannot generate all the energy needed to keep the car moving. Regenerative braking recovers some energy as the car slows, but it cannot replace the energy lost to air resistance, tire friction and other losses.
Stored battery energy powers an electric motor that turns the wheels ✓ — A battery-electric car draws stored electrical energy from its battery to power a motor that turns the wheels. Plugging it in replenishes that energy. It does not need to burn gasoline to drive.
Hydrogen reacts with oxygen in a fuel cell to power the motor — Hydrogen fuel cells power a different type of electric vehicle, not a battery-electric car's main energy supply. Both types use electric motors, but one stores its driving energy mainly in a rechargeable battery and the other carries hydrogen.
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