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Green Revolution: Electric Vehicles

6 minutes, 54 seconds

Now Playing As: Captioned (English) (Change)

"Green Revolution: Electric Vehicles" explores how electric cars work and why they matter in environmental science, engineering, and energy studies. The video explains the history of electric vehicles, compares them with internal combustion engines, and introduces key concepts such as lithium-ion batteries, ions, electrons, charging and discharging, potential energy, electric motors, torque, efficiency, and emissions. It also examines battery design challenges including range, recharge time, safety, and the environmental impact of materials like cobalt. Featuring research and engineering examples from MIT, the program connects clean transportation technology to real-world innovation, renewable energy, and sustainability topics commonly studied in science and technology curricula. Part of the "Green Revolution" series.

Media Details

Runtime: 6 minutes, 54 seconds

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Closeup of a hand handling a small, green plant in a densely populated patch of similar plants. Caption: How do green roofs change how a building transfers heat?
Green Revolution
Episode 1
6 minutes 29 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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Person talking with an inset picture of a laboratory. Caption: People usually think science happens in the lab.
Green Revolution
Episode 2
5 minutes 39 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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Woman and man stand next to each other and face towards camera in a lab setting.
Green Revolution
Episode 3
5 minutes 41 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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Orange explosion throwing debris. Caption: And it contains a lot of energy.
Green Revolution
Episode 4
6 minutes 10 seconds
Grade Level: 10 - 12
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Gloved hands working with petri dishes covered in a variety of materials. Caption: (narrator) We always look for better ways to get energy we need.
Green Revolution
Episode 5
6 minutes 52 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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Illustration of a windmill 100 meters tall receiving air current next to a much taller structure receiving a much larger air current. Caption: The beauty of wind turbines is that they're 100% clean.
Green Revolution
Episode 6
5 minutes 1 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Hillside covered in solar panels. Caption: collecting the sun's energy
Green Revolution
Episode 7
5 minutes 59 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
Illustration of objects moving from a chamber with disk shaped spiny structures to an empty chamber. Caption: Here, we force bacteria to move electrons
Green Revolution
Episode 9
5 minutes 3 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12
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Gauge in a vehicle with a range of 0 to 8. The indicator is at 1 and the gauge is labeled RPMx1000. Caption: How do electric vehicles compare with other cars?
Green Revolution
Episode 8
6 minutes 54 seconds
Grade Level: 7 - 12