Magnectic Field
The Electric Car: When the technology of the future draws on ideas of the past
   
       
    Date : July 2016
Author : Olivier Tardif-Paradis, Alexandre April and Mathieu Riopel.
College : Cégep Garneau
Length : 3 hours
Related concept(s) : Magnetic torque, electric engine, Faraday’s law, counter-EMF
    With the world taking interest in the electric car as viable alternative to the gas-powered car, students are asked to study the prototype of a small electric car. Simplified for analysis, the engine uses a rotor with a single bobbin and a stator of permanent magnets. To predict the performance of the electric vehicle, realistic data are provided. Two situations are analysed. The first is to find the maximum torque exerted by the engine at start-up. This test expands on the concept of magnetic force on a wire, and the magnetic torque exerted on a bobbin with a current running through it. In the second situation, the students analyse a vehicle in motion. A certain angular velocity is imposed on the engine. The students explore the concept of electromagnetic induction and apply it to the electric circuit of the vehicle in the context of counter-EMF.