A great TED-Ed video on ICE vs EVs.

A super simple summary:

Non-electric cars run on internal combustion engines, we call them ICE vehicles.

ICE vehicles

• have cylinders with piston that convert linear motion into rotational motion
  • combustion occurs when air and fuel are sprayed into the cylinder and ignited/compressed
    • in gasoline, there is a spark plug that ignites the gas
    • in diesel, the compression alone creates a mini explosion
• gas pedal controls the amount of air and fuel released into the chamber, more fuel = more power = faster rotation
• thousands of blast happen per minute
• inefficient: only 16-25% of energy goes towards moving the wheels
  • produces 15% of total global carbon emissions
• has >2000 moving parts to help contain, cool, and maintain combustion

Electric vehicles

• induction motors
  • stator: series of rings with copper wires wrapped around it (conduction creates rotating magnetic field)
  • rotor: a rotating magnetic core that spins with the magnetic field
• accelerator changes frequency of current driven into wires of stator, changing the speed of the rotor
• 65-69% of energy goes directly to moving the wheels
• has 20 parts
• can integrate energy-saving devices
  • regenerative braking: when you brake, the motor runs backwards and captures kinetic energy to recharge battery
  • rooftop solar panels to increase range
• not always carbon neutral, emission profile depends on the source of electricity