Generally, electric vehicles differ from conventional motor vehicles because electric vehicles are selectively driven using one or more battery-powered electric machines. Conventional motor vehicles, by contrast, rely exclusively on an internal combustion engine to drive the vehicle. Electric vehicles may use electric machines instead of, or in addition to, the internal combustion engine.
Example electric vehicles include hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), fuel cell vehicles, and battery electric vehicles (BEVs). A powertrain of an electric vehicle is typically equipped with a battery that stores electrical power for powering the electric machine. The battery may be recharged by regenerative braking, an internal combustion engine, an electric grid (“plugging in”), or other means of energy harvesting, such as photovoltaics.
Charging stations typically are connected to an electric grid infrastructure to charge a battery of an electric vehicle prior to use. The lack of supporting infrastructure to charge and refuel creates a barrier to electric vehicle adoption.