Vehicle Auxiliary and Charging — Lesson 4

This lesson covers the concept of vehicle auxiliary, its importance, and how it impacts the range of a vehicle. It explains how auxiliary systems like power brakes, power steering, and air conditioning consume energy, which in conventional vehicles comes from petrol, and in electric vehicles, from the battery. The lesson also delves into the infrastructure required for electric vehicles, such as charging stations, and the time it takes to charge these vehicles. It further discusses the role of a vehicle control unit in managing motors and controllers, and how it can collect data during a drive. The lesson concludes with an explanation of how to calculate the energy used by a vehicle and the impact of auxiliary units on this energy consumption.

Video Highlights

00:18 - Introduction to vehicle auxiliary and its importance
01:35 - How power brakes, power steering, and air conditioning work in petrol and electric vehicles
02:23 - Use of lights and batteries in petrol and electric vehicles
03:21 - Home Assignments
03:50 - Petrol pumps and charging stations for vehicles
07:10 - Charging process for electric vehicles
08:27 - Impact of fast charging on battery life
11:48 - Role of a vehicle control unit
14:30 - Power and range requirements
17:09 - Battery capacity and power and its impact on vehicle range
20:35 - Homework assignment

Key Takeaways

- Vehicle auxiliary systems like power brakes, power steering, and air conditioning consume energy, which affects the range of the vehicle.
- In electric vehicles, the energy for these auxiliary systems comes from the battery, which needs to be charged at charging stations.
- The vehicle control unit plays a crucial role in managing motors and controllers, and can collect data during a drive.
- The energy used by a vehicle can be calculated by considering the power used by the motor, the inefficiencies of the motor and controller, and the power used by auxiliary units.
- The capacity of a battery decreases over time, which affects the range of the vehicle.