The actual physics and chemistry
Electromagnets, lithium-ion chemistry, heat pumps and center of mass. Kids learn the same ideas engineers use, explained in plain words and diagrams instead of watered-down trivia.
Mom's Choice Awards® Gold Recipient
The Science of Electric Cars An Illustrated Guide to How EVs Work
For the kid who asks “but how does it actually work?” This illustrated guide opens up an electric car and explains the real science inside, from magnets and lithium ions to regenerative braking and crumple zones. Every idea comes with a comparison kids already get, like cheetahs, fidget spinners and cannonballs.
48 full-color pages · Hardcover · Ages 7–12
Award winner
An award-winning science book
The Science of Electric Cars is a Gold recipient of the Mom's Choice Awards®, which honors books and products made for families and educators.
- Mom's Choice Awards® Gold recipient The award's highest honor level
What can go faster than a cheetah? An electric car.
- Whatmakes an electric car move?
- Whyare electric motors so much more efficient than gas engines?
- Howcan electric cars save money and help the environment?
For parents & gift-givers
Real science, kid-sized
Comparisons that stick
Motors work like a game of Telephone, only faster. A car spins like a fidget spinner. A crumple zone acts like a pillow. Every big idea is tied to something your kid already knows.
Cars they'll spot on the road
Real electric cars from Audi, Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Porsche, Rivian and more, shown in full-color photos and cutaways, so the science follows them out to the driveway.
A gift for the kid who asks “why?” from the back seat.
Contents
What's inside
Eight short chapters, each a set of illustrated spreads. Kids can read straight through or open to whatever they're curious about today.
- Chapter 1
What Makes Them Go
- Why EVs can out-accelerate a cheetah
- An EV's electrical insides
- How magnets make a motor spin
- Chapter 2
What Powers Them
- The science of batteries
- Batteries: the heart of an EV
- Packing a suitcase full of cells
- Chapter 3
Saving Electricity
- Regenerative braking
- One-pedal driving
- The heat pump (and its maze)
- Chapter 4
Staying Safe
- Cannonballs and crumple zones
- Center of mass and the fidget spinner
- Chapter 5
Plugging In
- Freeing you from gas runs
- How chargers work
- Chapter 6
Practical Matters
- Battery myths, busted
- The truth about carbon
- Chapter 7
EVs Everywhere
- How a car goes from sketch to street
- Champions and advocates
- Global warming, and hope
- Chapter 8
The Road Ahead
- Where electric cars go next
- Bonus material online
Sample spreads
Peek inside
Every page is a full-color spread built for poring over. Tap any spread to see it up close.
-
Why Are EVs So Fast?
Pages 4–5 -
The Magnetism of Motors
Pages 8–9 -
Motors: The Muscles of an EV
Pages 10–11 -
The Science of Batteries
Pages 12–13 -
Braking News
Pages 20–21 -
Cannonballs & Crumple Zones
Pages 26–27 -
Taking an EV for a Spin
Pages 28–29 -
Champions & Advocates
Pages 40–41 -
Global Warming
Pages 42–43
Get your copy
Bring it home
$24.99 Hardcover · 48 pages
- Title
- The Science of Electric Cars: An Illustrated Guide to How EVs Work
- Authors
- Aiden Miao with Eliana Miao
- Publisher
- Pen & Pipette
- ISBN
- 979-8-9887765-0-5
- Format
- Hardcover, full color
- Ages
- 7–12
Prefer your local bookstore? Any shop can order it with ISBN 979-8-9887765-0-5.
The Road Ahead
More info
You made it to the last page. Nice driving! If you're still curious, here's what to try, talk about and explore next.
Try it at home
Four mini experiments
Each one goes with a spread in the book. Do them with a grown-up.
Feel the push and pull.
Take two magnets and turn one around until they push apart. That push and pull is what spins an electric motor. Pages 8–9
Find the center of mass.
Balance a ruler on one finger. Tape two coins to one end and find the new balance point. Heavy batteries sit low and in the middle of an EV for the same reason. Pages 28–29
Spot regenerative braking.
On your next ride in an electric car, watch the energy display when the driver lifts off the pedal. The car is turning motion back into electricity. Pages 18–21
Count the batteries.
Walk around your home and list everything that runs on a rechargeable battery. Most of them use the same lithium-ion chemistry as an electric car. Pages 12–13
Grown-ups: keep small, strong magnets away from young children. They are dangerous if swallowed.
Car-ride questions
Talk about it
- What else in our house has an electric motor inside it?
- Why do you think an electric car's battery sits in the floor instead of the front?
- Where does the electricity in our outlets come from?
Word bank
Words to remember
- Electromagnet
- A magnet made by running electricity through coiled wire. It can be switched on and off.
- Anode & cathode
- The two sides of a battery. Lithium ions travel between them.
- Regenerative braking
- Slowing down by using the motor in reverse to make electricity.
- Crumple zone
- The part of a car built to squash and soak up the force of a crash.
Keep exploring
Learn more online
- Plug In AmericaA nonprofit that helps people learn about driving electric. You met them on page 40.
- VelozFun tools and events about the benefits of electric cars.
- FuelEconomy.govThe U.S. government's site for comparing cars side by side, including range and cost to drive.
- Alternative Fuels Data CenterHow charging works, from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Printables
Activity sheets
Printable activity sheets are on the way. Check back soon, or ask a grown-up to bookmark this page.
Pass it on
Love the book? Leave a review.
Reviews are how other families find books like this one. If it sparked a few “whoa” moments at your house, a short review on Amazon helps more curious kids discover how electric cars work.
Kids: ask a grown-up to help you post your review.
Thank you so much! — Aiden & Eliana
- Tap the buttonIt opens the book's page on Amazon.
- Pick your starsScroll to “Customer reviews” and choose “Write a customer review.”
- Add a sentence or twoTip: say which page was your kid's favorite. Other parents love that detail.