How much energy is needed to power an electric vehicle?

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Answer 1 · 2017-03-05T16:05:28

It depends on the mass of the vehicle, how long it needs to be powered for, and what velocity it moves at.

The equation for electrical power is

$P = I V$ $P=IV$

and, for mechanical power,

$P = \frac{E}{t}$ $P=E/t$

so we can say that

$\frac{E}{t} = I V$ $E/t = IV$

or

$E = I t V = Q V$ $E = ItV = QV$

which means that the energy supply is proportional to the current, the voltage and the time for which it is supplied.

We can also use the equation for kinetic energy,

$E = \frac{1}{2} m v^{2}$ $E = 1/2mv^2$

which means that increasing mass or velocity of the vehicle requires more energy.