Automotive Electricity: Electric Drives

Since the beginning of the century, electrical goods have invaded our everyday lives. Now, electric power is coming to be seen as a solution to the pollution caused by cars. While this transition has remained very slow during the last ten years, it has been accelerating as the statutory constraints and needs of the market have changed. Even if the electric car itself fails to dominate the market, electric traction is taking an important place in our drive to move away from gas-powered vehicles. Another solution, hybrid vehicles, combine two sources of energy (electric and chemical), reducing the global consumption of fossil fuels. Fuel cell vehicles are also one of the most promising technologies for the future, with the capacity to use any fuel - hydrogen being the ideal fuel ecologically, but constrained by infrastructure and storage issues. This book explores all these different solutions for moving our vehicles from fossil fuel consumption to new, more environmentally-friendly power sources.

Joseph Beretta is currently with the Division of Research and Automobile Innovation at PSA Peugeot Citroen, where he is responsible for the domain of electromechanical research, electrochemistry, electronics and systems.