While buying an electric vehicle one may confuse with kW and kWh of motor power and battery storage capacity. In some cases people assume both kW and kWh same which is absolutely wrong. So, in this post I will be explaining what does both the terms resembles with and how it connect with electric vehicle.
The most basic difference between kW and kWh is kW represents the power but . Let’s elaborate both the terms for electric vehicle.
kW in electric vehicles
In layman language, kW resembles the amount of power delivered or consumed by any Appliance (electric vehicle in our case). Now for example when we say that “This electric bike has the motor power of 3kW” it really means is the motor in the bike can fetch the power upto 3kW from the battery at an instant It is not compulsory that from the start till the end the power consumption of the motor will be 3000W only, it may vary from riding conditions. In the same electric bike, when we say “the battery in this electric bike is of 2kW” it means while charging battery can suck, 2kW power out of the energy grid or from the charging provided.
To explain it more specifically for electric vehicles, let me introduce an electric bike which is KM 3000 which has the motor of 3kW and the battery of 2kW and 6kWh storage capacity. The motor in the KM 3000 bike is of 3kW which means the motor can consume the power of 3000W out of the battery and can give the output in terms of rpm or torque. Now, when we talk about kW for battery it means the same, it means the battery can consume the power of 2kW while charging.
More precisely the kW is the power flowed from battery to the motor in Electric vehicle
kWh in electric vehicles:
Now, the kWh is the energy stored. Let’s formulate it
W = energy/sec (J/t)
Wh = energy/sec x hour (J/t x t = J)
So, clearly the Wh is the energy flowed in total 1 hour. In general, this is measured in the kWh. In terms of battery the kWh represents the total energy stored in the battery. Now, when we say the battery in the electric bike is of 6kWh it was calculated by the ‘power rating’ multiplied by the ‘charging time’ of the battery. Suppose the battery is of 2kW and the charging time for the electric bike is 3 hours. It will consume the energy of 6kWh or 6 units. Here you can directly calculate the cost spent on charging your electric vehicle by just calculating the kWh of the battery and electricity tariff in your state.
More precisely the kWh is the total energy storage capacity of the battery.
Hope you understood the basic difference between both the terms kW and kWh.
Now you will be able to judge the electric vehicle according to its technical specifications and select the best for you. Do the research properly and select the best. If you still have any doubt regarding this article please feel free to contact us on comment section.
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