Lightning Under the Floor

Follow energy through an electric car as it starts, cruises, brakes and charges. Investigate what the road, motor, battery and weather each change, using a working car model. Eight investigations for ages 12 and up.

Library

The push

Lesson 1

The Shove From a Standstill

The motor never touches the road, yet the car leaps forward.

Start

Lesson 2

Why the Shove Fades

The pedal stays on the floor, but the shove fades.

Start

Lesson 3

Spinning Without Touching

The wires around an electric motor stay still and never touch its spinning middle. How can they make that middle part turn?

Start

The cost

Lesson 4

Cruising Isn't Free

An electric car travels at a steady speed on a flat road. Why does its battery keep losing energy if the car is not speeding up or climbing?

Start

Lesson 5

The Lost Volts

When an electric car speeds up hard, the battery gets warmer and its voltage drops. Why can asking for more power make the battery’s voltage fall?

Start

The round trip

Lesson 6

Braking Into the Battery

Slow down gently, and the battery's charge creeps up instead of down.

Start

Lesson 7

The Last Twenty Percent

At a fast charger, the last part of a car’s battery can take longer to fill than most of the rest. Why does charging slow down so much near the end?

Start

Lesson 8

The Winter Road Trip

The same electric car can need an extra charging stop on a cold day. Why can winter shorten its range even when it drives the same route at the same speed?

Start

Review and assessment

Lesson 9

Test: Lightning Under the Floor

Review the course ideas by applying them to new situations, with kind feedback after every answer.

Locked till you take the prior lesson