EV Digest 4364
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) EVLN(Public EV charging in Truckee)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) EVLN(Texas Electric boats latest hot item)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) EVLN(UPS may test hybrid trucks in the next five years)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) EVLN(300hp hybrid)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) EVLN(Hyundai/Kia hybrid launch next year)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) Re: Saft BB600s - disappointing results?
by jerry dycus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) EVLN(Taiwan Giant's new Electric bicycles for China & West)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) EVLN(Subaru hybrid postponed from 2006 launch to 2008)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) EVLN(e=motion team cancels land speed record attempt)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) EVLN(Click and Clack on hybrid mpg rating)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) RE: Calculating aero drag from torque?
by "Roger Stockton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) RE: Calculating aero drag from torque?
by "Don Cameron" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: EV Transmissions
by jerry dycus <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
14) Re: Calculating aero drag from torque?
by "ProEV" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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EVLN(Public EV charging in Truckee)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.sierrasun.com/article/20050511/NEWS/50510001
�Electric Highway� will be extended to Truckee
By David Bunker Sierra Sun, [EMAIL PROTECTED] May 11, 2005
Soon there will be a place in Truckee where you can fill up your
vehicle for free. All drivers will need is an electric car and
some patience.
An electric vehicle charging station, which should be installed
near Meadow Park in Truckee by late June, is the last link in
what some are dubbing the �electric highway� � a stretch of
Interstate 80 from the Bay Area to Truckee with a string of
charging stations along the way. With help from the Truckee
Donner Public Utility District and a grant from Placer County,
electric car owners will be able to hook up their vehicle and get
a full charge � enough to last over 100 miles � in four to five
hours.
The addition of the Truckee charger will also allow electric car
owners to transform their vehicle�s from around-town cars to
long-distance road trip vehicles.
It completes the chain,� said Tom Dowling, a volunteer with the
Electric Auto Association. �There will be charging stations all
along I-80.�
Dowling, who owns an electric Toyota RAV4, has made the trip from
the Sacramento area to Tahoe several times. Each time he has used
a new electric charger at the Tahoe City Public Utility District,
installed on the North Shore last fall. With the new Truckee
installation, Dowling said he sees more electric vehicle owners
venturing to Tahoe on trips that will cost them nothing in fuel
and add no pollution to the Sierra Nevada.
They used to say that you can�t take (electric car) to Tahoe, but
we are trying to change that.�
The San Jose-based Electric Auto Association has been lobbying
for more plug-in spots since its inception. With $48,000 from
Placer County, the Electric Auto Association was able to aid in
the construction of Roseville, Colfax, Auburn electric chargers.
The Truckee location, using $29,000 from the county, will be the
final location funded by the grant.
Although Truckee is in Nevada County, the Placer County money was
available to complete the �electric highway� route through Placer
County.
Scott Terrell of the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, said
usage of the station will likely be light at first. But down the
road the popular hybrid vehicles, which use a combination of gas
and electric energy, may have a plug-in option, where vehicles
can recharge their batteries at charging stations. If that
happens, and the electric car inventory rises, chargers across
the state will be in much higher demand, he said.
Their hope is there will be more electric vehicles displacing
fossil fuel vehicles,� said Terrell.
Right now Dowling estimates that there are only 4,600 pure
electric vehicles statewide. And only about 200 of those vehicles
are in Northern California.
We are trying to reach a fairly small pool of drivers,� said
Dowling. But as gas prices rise and technology advances, the
chargers are sure to gain popularity, he said.
It�s looking more promising all the time,� said Dowling of the
future of electric and hybrid vehicles.
EVs, Hybrids, and Fuel Cell Vehicles
There are primarily three electric vehicle technologies in
America today: electric vehicles (EV), hybrid gasoline/electric
vehicles (Hybrid), and Fuel Cell vehicles.
EVs draw electricity from batteries to power an electric motor to
propel the vehicle, generating zero emissions. Hybrid
gas/electric vehicles use both a battery-powered electric motor
and a conventional gasoline-powered engine for propulsion.
Hybrids generate tailpipe emissions, but less than its gasoline
counterpart. Fuel cell vehicles use an onboard fuel cell to
generate electricity to power an electric motor to propel the
vehicle. Fuel Cell vehicles are emissions free, but decades away
from a commercial market.
A big difference between EVs, Hybrids, and Fuel Cell vehicles is
the method used to generate the electricity that powers them. The
batteries in an EV are charged using standard household
electricity and electricity captured by regenerative braking. An
EV can be �filled-up� at home. The battery in a Hybrid is charged
internally by electricity generated by the gasoline engine and
electricity captured by regenerative braking. A Hybrid can be
�filled-up� at the neighborhood gas station. The electricity that
propels a Fuel Cell Vehicle is generated from the combustion of
hydrogen in its onboard fuel cell. There is no infrastructure for
dispensing hydrogen into vehicles; therefore, while this vehicle
technology is promising, it is not yet practical.
All contents � Copyright 2005 sierrasun.com
12315 Deerfield Drive - P.O. Box 2973 - Truckee, CA 96160
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http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/stories/MYSA051005.01E.Electric_Vehicles.25b1200f9.html
Electric boats latest hot item Web Posted: 05/10/2005 12:00 AM
Adolfo Pesquera [EMAIL PROTECTED] Express-News
Business Writer
A century ago, gasoline-powered vehicles surpassed electrics as
the favored mode of transportation. But electric vehicles � or
EVs, as they're known today � are making a comeback as
recreational transportation.
In modern times, electric vehicle manufacturing was restricted
mostly to golf carts and forklifts until the Japanese came up
with electric-assisted bicycles in the 1980s to help elderly
cyclists.
Electric-powered scooters and bikes spread in popularity to all
age groups. But in the United States, they've been available only
through specialty retailers.
That changed in May 2004, when Wal-Mart and a few other big
retailers started carrying the Razor Chopper from Razor USA of
Cerritos, Calif. Marketed to teens, the Chopper boasted a 10-mile
range per charge with a top speed of 15 mph.
"We're introducing in June a new, larger version called the
Rebellion," Razor USA spokeswoman Sheena Stephens said. "It's for
older teens and adults, and a bit faster," with a top speed of 17
mph.
Pacific Cycle, maker of Schwinn bicycles, introduces its own
version this month � a dual-powered electric-assisted pedal
version of its popular Schwinn Sting-Ray.
Marketed as toys, electric vehicles are gaining ground. Alberto
Sanchez, a San Antonio inventor and enterprising fisherman,
doesn't think these electric toys should be just for
landlubbers.
Sanchez showed up at an electric vehicle rally in Live Oak last
month not with a car, but an electric boat. The crowd was mostly
environmentally conscious hobbyists who convert conventional cars
to electric power, but Sanchez was there to sell not just
pollution-free transportation but also fun and quiet.
For Sanchez, part of having fun is being able to enjoy serenity.
Naturally, he named his boat the Serene Fisher 17, and his
company Serene Water Craft. The boat is priced from $5,000 to
$11,000, depending on options.
"I've had a lot of boats in my lifetime," Sanchez said. "Big
boats, fast boats. As I've gotten older, I've learned big or fast
isn't so important."
Sanchez designed a 17-foot, GPS-guided kayak-style boat that is
wider at the center for better stability. The body is made of
hand-laid fiberglass, and it will do about 20 miles per charge on
a calm day at a steady 4 knots.
It's ideal for lakes and rivers where gasoline motors are banned,
such as Town Lake in Austin and the stretch of the Guadalupe
River that runs through Kerrville.
Sanchez hopes community restrictions on gas engines will help
sales, but that wasn't what was behind his design. He wanted a
quiet boat that wouldn't spook fish, and one with a shallow hull
that would get him to his favorite spots.
"It drafts only 5 inches of water," Sanchez said. "I like to go
to Port Aransas. Some of the best fishing is in shallows where
you can only get with a kayak, canoe or a flat."
There are very few electric-powered boats on the market, but in
the past six years there has been an explosion of
electric-assisted bikes and scooters. Back in 1999, Lee Iacocca �
designer of the original Ford Mustang � emerged from retirement
to help found EV Global Motors. Iacocca's new sales pitch was,
"I'm bringing you the future of transportation � and it's
electric."
Iacocca's E-Bike line is one of the best sellers at Alien
Scooters in Austin, which Ann McSpadden founded in 2002. There
are about 90 EV manufacturers worldwide, mostly in Taiwan, China
and Japan. McSpadden expects the adult market to continue
growing.
"I'm anticipating more versatility, more improved performance,"
McSpadden said. She believes their popularity will grow as bikes
go past 20 mph. But if they do, federal and state laws require
riders to get licensed and insured. A few products blur that line
by offering mo-ped class vehicles in the 25-30 mph range, but
enthusiasts generally consider them underpowered.
EVT America's newest bike, the Z-20, is only available in Canada
so far. McSpadden hopes it will be available here soon because
there is demand in Austin for an electric with more oomph to
climb the city's steep hills.
"It will do 35 mph easily," she said. "It will pull the hills and
take a large person."
Portions � 2005 KENS 5 and the San Antonio Express-News.
All rights reserved.
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EVLN(UPS may test hybrid trucks in the next five years)
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http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/business/11595695.htm
Posted on Sun, May. 08, 2005
Hoping to save gas, UPS has full tank of ideas
By Matt Kempner Cox News Service
ATLANTA - The next time you're at the pump, possibly mumbling
another unutterable about gas prices, consider the tactics of a
company with a far bigger addiction to fuel than your own.
Delivery giant UPS has 88,000 vehicles in its big brown fleet and
a reputation for studiously thinking its way through problems.
[...]
"We've always been focused on fuel efficiency because it's such a
large expense in our business," he said.
Hall said the company stresses the fuel-saving basics to drivers.
UPS also revamped its vehicle maintenance program in recent years
to customize scheduled work for each truck, based on its type,
age and use.
The fixation on fuel efficiency and alternatives isn't new, Hall
said. UPS experimented with an electric vehicle in New York City
in the 1930s. In the 1970s -- after an oil embargo -- it tried
unsuccessfully to come up with an engine that could run on a
range of fuels, day in and day out, depending on whatever was
available.
Yet 98 percent of UPS' ground fleet still is powered by fossil
fuels. And the company is slowly retiring alternative vehicles
powered by natural gas. Hall said the economics of natural gas
trucks have changed, with many equipment suppliers stepping away
from the struggling business.
While some consumers have embraced hybrid electric-gas passenger
vehicles -- witness sales of the Toyota Prius -- UPS has no
hybrid trucks in use, though it may test 100 such vehicles in the
next five years, Hall said.
FedEx, meanwhile, announced last month that it hopes to add 75
hybrid diesel-electric trucks in the next year, in addition to
the 18 it already has. Those plans are contingent on price and
availability, FedEx said.
Cost "is a major hurdle" for new hybrid trucks, UPS's Hall said.
And the technology is harder to get right than it is for
passenger cars, he said.
Matt Kempner writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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EVLN(300hp hybrid)
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http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/news/51205-hybridcar.html
W. Philly Students Build Hybrid Car
West Philadelphia, May 12, 2005 � Automotive students at West
Philadelphia High School are making history with this very cool
car.
It took two years for the amateur mechanics to put together the
world's first hybrid super car... from scratch.
It's a sleek blue 300 horsepower convertible. Their teacher says
the car is a great ride.
The class is leaving today to enter the super hybrid in the Tour
De Sol Race in Saratoga Springs, New York this weekend.
Copyright Action News, 2005. All Rights Reserved.
===
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/news/11625540.htm
Posted on Thu, May. 12, 2005
Students roll out a hybrid beaut for vehicle contest
By G.W. MILLER III [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Devereaux Knight rolled out from under the hybrid car he helped
build, holding a wrench in his hand and smiling like he had just
won the lottery.
The kit car that came in "a million pieces" two years ago was
nearly finished.
"The whole car is custom except the body panels," said Knight.
Yesterday, Knight, 18, and his West Philadelphia High School
classmates tightened nuts, screwed in lights, rigged wires and
put the final touches on the sleek, gun-metal gray, two-seat
convertible with two engines - one gas, one electric.
And this morning, the seven-member team from the school's
Electrical Vehicle Program will take the fruit of their labor to
New York for the 17th annual Tour de Sol, a sustainable-energy
competition that the West Philadelphia High squad won in 2002.
Among the 40 entrants that year were major manufacturers Toyota
and Honda, and powerhouse engineering schools including the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
"MIT had a team that traditionally won and they were [not
happy]!" said Simon Hauger, a West Philadelphia High science and
math teacher who heads the program.
Hauger's team presented a battery-operated, four-door Saturn with
the rear seats removed.
It had batteries in the trunk, on the floor and under the hood.
"It ran at the equivalent of about 180 miles per gallon," Hauger
said.
He said the team designed that car to win the four-day
competition, which is based on five categories - fuel efficiency,
low emissions, reliability, handling, and distance traveled
without recharging or refueling.
This year's entry is a little different.
"We had the idea of making a really fast car," said Knight, a
senior at West Philadelphia who has been involved in the program
since his freshman year.
"This car is made to go fast, not for comfort."
A European company donated the foundation for the vehicle - an
aerodynamic, carbon-fiber sports-car body resembling a
Lamborghini.
The students searched junkyards, reconditioned the parts and
installed a 200-horsepower electric motor in the front and a
100-horsepower Volkswagen turbo diesel engine in the rear. They
customized mounts, wires and even built their own radiator.
"The kit didn't come with instructions," Knight said.
"Actually," Hauger said, "It came with six DVD's, but they were
all in Slovakian!"
The mileage is about 60 miles per gallon, more than twice the
U.S. average. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, Hauger
said.
"It looks like it's going fast just sitting there," said junior
Tyson Drummond, one of about 30 students who helped in the
construction over two years.
Students began building their own vehicles at West Philadelphia
in 1999.
They entered their first vehicle in the Tour de Sol in 2000.
Theirs is one of the handful of high school teams that enter the
national competition and, Hauger guessed, one of the few urban
squads.
"Everybody at the competition knows us," said Knight.
Knight said that he and his fellow classmates worked on their car
well beyond school hours, until 7 or 8 p.m. sometimes, and on
occasional Saturdays, holidays and during spring break.
"When I was young, I wanted to design cars, make them sleeker,"
said Knight.
"Maybe I'll be asleep one day and I'll wake up with a dream for a
new car."
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EVLN(Hyundai/Kia hybrid launch next year)
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http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=102298
News Hyundai, Kia move up hybrid vehicle launch schedule for
U.S.; Accent, Rio to be first models NORMAN THORPE | Automotive
News Posted Date: 5/4/05
Hyundai Motor Co. and affiliate Kia Motors Corp. have moved up
their schedule for introducing hybrid cars to the United States.
They now expect to do so by late next year, a Hyundai executive
says.
"Probably in the second half of next year you will see some
hybrid models for overseas, mainly the United States," says Lee
Hyun Soon, senior executive vice president in charge of
powertrains.
Hyundai had not expected to bring them to the United States until
after 2007.
Hybrids use an internal combustion engine and one or more
electric motors to power the wheels.
The first hybrid models will be Hyundai's Accent and Kia's Rio.
Both small cars were redesigned recently.
These are the same hybrid models the companies are producing for
Korea. The company still is gearing up production and will
produce only a few hundred this year, Lee says.
The introduction of larger hybrid vehicles won't be until "maybe
in 2008 or the beginning of 2009," Lee says.
Hybrid exports to the United States will be in low numbers --
possibly a couple of thousand per year, Lee says.
"The number that we ship to the United States will be very few,
to see the reaction," he says. "I don't think we can make a
profit with hybrids in the United States."
Hyundai developed the hybrid technology itself. But the company
is buying the batteries from Panasonic EV Energy Co., the
Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co.-Toyota Motor Co. joint
venture that supplies the batteries for the hot-selling Toyota
Prius hybrid.
Hyundai sees little potential for hybrids in Europe. It is
emphasizing diesel engines there instead. And it does not expect
to sell hybrids in China, Lee says, because the focus there is
still on low-cost basic transportation.
Hyundai also is investing heavily to develop fuel cells, which
generate electricity from hydrogen.
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Hi Chris and All,
How many times have you cycled them? They
should need at least 10 cycles to get up to full
power!!
And if you are trying to get max power from
them, you should cycle them the day before and that
day, recharging to 1.70/cell before the next test.
Also you rarely need over 1400 battery amps
to get full power from almost any motor, controller as
the controller will be at motor amp limit of 2,000amps
assuming a 2K Zilla even for most of it's
acceleration.!
If you are using copper water pipe
interconnects it may have more resistance that you
think as it's an alloy, not pure copper. Alloy's can
have much higher resistances, especially at 1400 amps.
My SAFT's are 30 yrs old and still put out
rated power but they need to be exercised to get full
power, cap from them.
And are your's not new? Which would need more
cycling as they don't come to full cap for 100 cycles
I think!!
Are those some of Hump's lot?
So keep at it, they may come up a lot
still. Thry more cells in series to overcome the
wire's resistance or shorten it.
If not let me know as I'd like some of
them!!
HTH's,
Jerry Dycus
--- Christopher Robison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> Thanks Lee, this is exactly what I had feared. I
> could lower the load
> resistance to get more current (by shortening the
> welding cable, improving
> connections, using a larger shunt, etc), but the
> bottom line is that my
> existing setup is already pulling the cell voltage
> down too low, and if
> anything these measures would make that problem
> worse.
>
> I haven't been able to spend any more time with them
> since my last post,
> but I think I know enough now to conclude that these
> cells, though
> seemingly nearly ideal for a "normal" car, will not
> be adequate for my
> application. For what it's worth I'll continue
> testing to see how far the
> cell voltage will drop (perhaps resulting in the
> destruction of the cell),
> but I no longer expect I'll be using these in my
> truck.
>
> Tim (and anyone else), if you happen to catch an
> auction for similar cells
> from Marathon instead of Saft, I'll be *very*
> excited to hear about it.
>
> --chris
>
>
> Lee Hart said:
> > Christopher Robison wrote:
> >> I've been testing a few of my designated
> "sacrificial" Saft BB600
> >> cells this afternoon, with results I'm not sure
> how to interpret.
> >> With a single cell shorted through a total of
> about 5 feet of 4/0
> >> and that massive 3000A shunt, I got about 750A.
> Two cells in
> >> series through a sandwich of two flattened 3/4"
> pipes as an
> >> intercell connector made about 1100A. Three cells
> connected the
> >> same way made about 1400A.
> >
> > This means you aren't really providing a low
> enough load resistance. An
> > individual cell will obviously deliver just as
> much current as a string
> > of cells in series if you can produce a low enough
> resistance.
> >
> >> Also, at 1400A, cell voltage fell to around 0.4V.
> The copper bus
> >> bars were getting very hot, and the cells were
> warming noticeably.
> >> How low of a voltage sag is "too low" with these
> cells?
> >
> > I would say that 0.4v is too low. I wouldn't load
> them to anything less
> > than half of their no-load voltage. If you have
> 1.2v no-load, I wouldn't
> > pull them any lower than 0.6v. This is the
> "half-power" point, where
> > half your power is dissipated in the external
> load, and the other half
> > in the cell itself. The power being dissipated in
> the cell itself is why
> > you can't do this for more than a few seconds.
> >
> >> should I expect a "breaking in" period similar to
> lead acid?
> >
> > There will be some break-in, though not a
> pronounced as with lead-acid.
> > --
> > "Never doubt that the work of a small group of
> thoughtful, committed
> > citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the
> only thing that ever
> > has!" -- Margaret Mead
> > --
> > Lee A. Hart 814 8th Ave N Sartell MN 56377
> leeahart_at_earthlink.net
> >
> >
>
>
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EVLN(Taiwan Giant's new Electric bicycles for China & West)
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http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_19/b3932085.htm
MAY 9, 2005 � Editions: N. America | Europe | Asia | Edition
Preference
ASIAN BUSINESS Electric Bikes: An Idea Whose Time Has Motored In?
Taiwan's Giant is betting big on the new bicycles for China and
the West
For Tony Lo, taking his work home or on vacation is a perk of the
job. As president of Taiwan's Giant Manufacturing Co., the
world's biggest bicycle maker, Lo enjoys testing each of the
dozen-or-so models Giant introduces annually by giving them a
rigorous workout in the highlands south of Taipei. Now, Lo --
like the rest of the bike industry -- is starting to run out of
puff. Global demand for bicycles has plateaued at 110 million
annually, and Giant's profit growth has stalled in the face of a
flood of cheap models from Chinese manufacturers. Last year,
earnings edged up just 0.7%, to $36.5 million on sales of $698
million. Worse, many kids -- especially Americans -- have ditched
their bikes for video games, and if they need a lift, they get
one from mom in the minivan.
So lately, Lo has been tooling around on electric two-wheelers,
which he believes will help Giant regain its form. These range
from the $300 iLes -- a 40-kilo scooter for the Chinese market
designed to take on gas-powered models -- to a $2,200 bike called
the Revive Spirit, aimed at Americans and Europeans. The 30-kilo
Revive uses a superefficient lithium-ion battery and zips along
at up to 25 kilometers per hour over a 32-km range.
Giant has high hopes for the electrics. The company expects to
sell 250,000 of them this year -- up 67% from 2004 -- and wants
to reach sales of 1 million annually by 2010. In September, Giant
opened a factory in Chengdu, China, to produce 200,000 electric
models a year. Another plant in the Chinese coastal city of
Kunshan can make 150,000 annually. Christopher Smith, a Goldman,
Sachs & Co. (GS ) analyst in Hong Kong, predicts electrics will
be the "real growth engine" for Giant, which "has struggled to
find a new driver after the mountain-bike rage."
A PUSH FROM BEIJING
Giant has been marketing electric bikes since 1999 but stumbled
its first time around the track. It sold fewer than 15,000 of its
$1,300 LA free models. The first LA frees were hobbled by an
unreliable battery and a scrawny motor that sometimes gave out on
hills. "In the early days, the technology wasn't mature," Lo
acknowledges.
These days, electrics appear ready to roll. One big factor is
surging demand in China, where cars remain too pricey for most
people. Next year, mainlanders will spend $1.5 billion on 9
million electric scooters and bikes, up from $1.1 billion in
2004, Goldman estimates. The Chinese government is helping. Sixty
Chinese cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai, have
restricted gasoline-powered motorcycles on their streets in order
to reduce air pollution. And in the U.S. and other affluent
markets, new technologies such as nickel-hydride batteries allow
bikes to travel 45 km on one charge, and can cut recharge time in
half, to three hours.
Giant isn't alone in targeting electrics. Yamaha Motor Co. is
gearing up to sell e-bike technology to the scores of Chinese
upstarts, such as Tiandi Group and Jinhua Luyuan Electric Vehicle
Co., that are charging into the business. And Meridia Industry
Co., Taiwan's No. 2 bike maker, in March launched a $300 model
aimed at the mainland market.
Still, Lo has some advantages. For one, Giant is the biggest
maker of e-bikes in the world. And the company has a distribution
network of 2,800 dealers across China. It also has 150 engineers
focusing on electric two-wheelers. If the age of e-bikes has
indeed arrived, Giant may be off to the races again.
By Matt Kovac in Tachia, Taiwan
Copyright 2005, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights
reserved.
-
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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EVLN(Subaru hybrid postponed from 2006 launch to 2008)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/002724.html
This Week in Sustainable Transportation, 5/154/3
Sustainability Sundays [...] Hybrids
The prototype Prius Plug-in Hybrid developed by EnergyCS and
Valence Technology will participate in the Tour de Sol
Championship Race and Monte Carlo-style Rally this weekend.
EnergyCS replaced the original battery controller with its own
design, added a charger so that the vehicle can be plugged into
an electrical outlet (120V or 220V), and replaced the
nickel-metal-hydride batteries with Valence?s lithium-ion system.
The PHEV modified by EnergyCS offers full electric mode at speeds
of up to 33 mph (53 km/h), and potential fuel economy of up to
180 miles per gallon for an average commute of 50-60 miles per
day. (GCC)
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru vehicles, will
postpone its release of a hybrid car in 2006 due to cost issues
in its current design.
Fuji Heavy had been developing a hybrid car using its own
powertrain, although the possibility of a Toyota-Fuji Heavy
hybrid alliance emerged earlier this year.
The automaker is now reportedly turning to Toyota?s hybrid
technology, with a revised plan of debuting the Subaru hybrid in
2008.(GCC)
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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Discover Yahoo!
Find restaurants, movies, travel and more fun for the weekend. Check it out!
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EVLN(e=motion team cancels land speed record attempt)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.manufacturing.net/ctl/article/CA601081?spacedesc=latestNews
ABB, e=motion team cancel electric car land speed record attempt
Control Engineering May 11, 2005
Wendover, NV�ABB reports that the U.K.-based e=motion team has
abandoned its recent attempt to break the world land-speed record
for an electric car. Some reports say the team hasn�t announced
whether it will attempt to break the record in the future, but
others indicate they�ll try again in a year.
After a successful May 4 trial run on a highway near Wendover,
the car experienced a series of false starts. The vehicle is
powered by ABB�s variable speed drive and two of its 50-hp
motors. Technical problems arose in the car`s control circuits,
reportedly preventing it from starting. A detailed investigation
to find the exact nature of the fault will be done when the car
returns to the U.K.
'It�s been one of the most difficult weeks that we�ve had,' says
Colin Fallows, the ABB e=motion car�s designer. He reports
there�s a problem affecting the car�s throttle control system,
but that the team isn�t quite sure what it is at this point.
Fallows adds the next step is to bring the car back into the
workshop, and find out what went wrong.
Mark Newby, ABB e=motion�s driver, adds that, 'To get so close,
and yet be so far, is frustrating for us all, for sure.' Newby
reports the e=motion team has been working on its attempt for
months, but now needs to regroup back in the U.K. Despite the
setback, he adds, there is no doubt in his mind the car can and
will do what its makers say it can do. �It�s safe, it�s fast, and
it�s a real good piece of kit. It�s just that sometimes in
motorsport, in any sport, you get circumstances that conspire
against you.'
Steve Ruddell, ABB�s drives and motors manager in the U.K., adds
that, 'Projects like this one are a direct reflection of our
pioneering spirit. Win or lose, it�s exciting for us to be
involved with people like Colin and Mark, who are pushing the
envelope of technology.'
The 32-foot (10-meter) long, mustard-yellow ABB e=motion car was
trying to beat the current official F�d�ration Internationale
d�Automobile (FIA) electric land speed record of 245 mph (394
kph), and become the first-ever electrically powered vehicle to
break the 300 mph (483 kph) barrier, under FIA rules.
Control Engineering Daily News Desk Jim Montague, news desk
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
� 2005, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
===
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/autos/topstories2/050905ccwcAutosEspeedabort.259dc4d5d.html
Power failure: Electric car won't start for speed-record attempt
May 9, 2005 By PAUL FOY / Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY � A British team trying to set a speed record for
an electric car gave up Saturday because the mustard-yellow,
torpedo-shaped vehicle wouldn't start for a third morning in a
row.
They plan to return next year for another try at topping 300
mph.
The 34-foot-long "emotion" car ran well in England and on a
single practice run on a desert highway about 120 miles west of
Salt Lake City, but then ran into a series of baffling electrical
problems.	 Engineers working around the clock were able to
start the car in a warm garage, but it shorted out on the test
track.
First they blamed a battery problem, then condensation inside a
drive controller, which sends battery power to the car's electric
motors. The problem Saturday was a power spike that shut down a
circuit board governing the controller unit.
"The big juice is not getting to the drive wheels," team manager
Malcom Pittwood said Saturday.
Insurance and the team's permit to use a 7.2-mile stretch of the
highway both expired Saturday. They were trying to break the
record on a remote stretch of Nevada highway about 40 miles south
of West Wendover, Nev., a small casino town just across the Utah
state line.
The "emotion" sponsor, ABB, a Swiss manufacturer of industrial
motors and robots ABB, supplied a pair of industrial motors for
the car that can briefly turn out 500 horsepower _ as much as a
2005 Corvette with a 7-liter, V8 engine.	 The electricity to
spin the motors came from a set of 52 batteries, which put the
vehicle in the more-than-2,200-pound record attempt class.
The current record for an electric car is 245 mph, set by an
American team in 1999 using a similarly streamlined car powered
by thousands of "AA" batteries. That record, sanctioned by the
Federation Internationale de L'Automobile, was set on Utah's
nearby Bonneville Salt Flats, which are too wet at this time of
year for speed trials.
[image] AP/ABB/Nick Chapman
The e=motion electric vehicle sits on the salt flats of Tunisia
during a June 2004 test session. Nevada officials had shut down a
stretch of highway over the weekend for a series of attempts to
set the world speed record for an electric-powered vehicle, but
the car wouldn't start due to a series of problems.
Also Online ABB e=motion Web site http://www.abb.com/
� 2005 The Dallas Morning News Co.
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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. EV List Editor, RE & AFV newswires
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===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
Yahoo! Mail
Stay connected, organized, and protected. Take the tour:
http://tour.mail.yahoo.com/mailtour.html
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EVLN(Click and Clack on hybrid mpg rating)
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.ardemgaz.com/ShowStoryTemplate.asp?Path=ArDemocrat/2005/05/07&ID=Ar04101&Section=Features
CLICK & CLACK'S CAR TALK TOM & RAY MAGLIOZZI
Click & Clack (Tom and Ray Magliozzi) dispense advice about cars
in Car Talk every Saturday.
DEAR TOM AND RAY:
I�m considering buying a hybrid car, but someone recently told me
that because I do a lot of highway driving, I will not get nearly
the mileage promised in the ads. The reason I was given is that
on the highway, the gasoline portion of the engine is used rather
than the electric portion. Is this true? � Gayle
RAY:
Well, Gayle, no one ever gets the mileage promised in the ads.
But it�s true that the benefits of hybrids are tilted toward city
driving.
TOM:
Here�s why: Hybrids combine a gasoline engine with a
battery-powered electric motor. In Toyota�s hybrid system (which
is the most popular), the battery power is called on first. So if
you�re just driving gently in city traffic, you might use only
the battery a lot of the time. And if you�re stopped at a light,
you�re using nothing!
RAY:
That�s when a hybrid will save you a lot of gasoline.
TOM:
At higher speeds � above 15 mph or 20 mph � or on harder
acceleration, the gasoline engine kicks in. And, while the
battery is still assisting the gasoline engine, you rely much
more on the gasoline engine. So, at highway speeds, you still get
good mileage, but the boost isn�t quite as great as it is around
town.
RAY:
Incidentally, the reason nobody gets the Environmental Protection
Agency-rated mileage in their car is that the tests are totally
unrealistic. The tests are done with all of the accessories off,
including heat and air conditioning. In reality, most people have
at least some accessories on all the time. Every accessory
requires some power and lowers your mileage.
TOM:
What makes the difference even greater on a hybrid is that
turning on a major accessory, like the heat or AC, automatically
turns on the gasoline engine. So, even at low speed around town
or when you�re stopped at a light, if your AC is on, your engine
is running and you�re using gasoline.
RAY:
The Prius EPA test claims ratings of 60 mpg in the city and 51 on
the highway. We have yet to meet anybody who gets even close to
that. Most Prius owners we talk to get somewhere between 40-50
mpg, which is still fantastic! You might be very happy even at
the lower end of that scale, Gayle. But the mileage is not what
the EPA leads you to believe it will be.
TOM:
So, it�s time for the EPA tests to join the real world. Turn on
the AC, let a few pounds of air out of a couple of tires, and
throw a mother-in-law or two in the back, and then we�ll see some
real-world mileage estimates.
This story was published Saturday, May 07, 2005 Copyright � 2005,
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
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ProEV [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I use the .0015 for low rolling resistance. We are running
> race slicks at 40 psi. I have been told the rolling resistance
> is very low.
Ah, yes; this is why you see every range-anal hobbiest running sticky
race slicks on their conversion instead of skinny street tires ;^>
Seriously, don't take anyone's word for it. Get a fish scale and pull
the car by hand on a flat and level surface (and/or pull it first one
way then the other and average the results). A rolling resistance of
0.0015 and a curb weight of 2800lbs means it should take about 4.2lbs of
pull to move the car at a slow steady rate. I don't believe for an
instant that you will find it quite this easy to move the car, but would
be happy to be proven wrong. (Data that Otmar posted for tests he
performed in this way showed approximate rolling resistances of
0.004-0.0065 for the best vehicles and 0.0082 for a Honda Del Sol with
stock tires.)
Don't forget that aerodynamics can impact rolling losses by adding or
removing downforce at speed (which is equivalent to increasing or
decreasing the weight of the car from a rolling losses perspective).
This could certainly be a factor at 90MPH.
Cheers,
Roger.
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Try one computer with two serial ports. Run the DOS screens as windows, not
full desktop so you can see both. I have SIADIS working well under win98
(probably will work well under win98 compatibility with win XP as well). If
you do not have two serial ports, try a serial to USB.
Victoria, BC, Canada
See the New Beetle EV Conversion Web Site at
www.cameronsoftware.com/ev/
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of ProEV
Sent: May 16, 2005 3:40 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Calculating aero drag from torque?
Ryan,
>
> Is that what each motor was using or the total for both?
>
That is the readings from one doubled. I guess we will have to use another
computer and read both controllers for a better test.
Cliff
www.ProEV.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Hi Eric and All,
--- Eric Poulsen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> I think your idea is a good one, but you may find
> that locating such a
> device to be pretty difficult. I've been on the
> lookout for something
> like that for a few months now, for a motorcycle.
For you there are motorcycle transmission from
Russia or India you can by from Ural motors I think.
> Has to be pretty
> small. The closest I've found is a Volvo OD unit,
> which provides 1:1
> and 0.8:1 (output shaft faster than input shaft).
> They're cheap, small,
> durable, powered by the input shaft, and are
> electrically shifted
> on-the-fly.
But not enough ratio to be worth it.
>
> If you do find a planetary that has 2 speeds,
> finding one where the gear
> ratio differences is >= 1.5 is also difficult.
It is? Have you ever heard of a powerglide? And the
gearset id about 2.83-1 and direct drive. All one has
to do is build a case, bearings for it.
Also there is the Lenco racing trans though pricy.
>
> Also, most automatic transmissions are planetary
> gearsets.
So? That's a good thing! Especially with all the
torque EV motors have!!
HTH's,
Jerry Dycus
>
> John G. Lussmyer wrote:
>
> > I was just wondering...
> > Has anyone tried finding a planetary or (umm,
> whatever the
> > configuration of the gears in a differential is)
> transmission that
> > could be used in an EV?
> > We really don't need a lot of speed choices.
> > A differential type transmission with 2 band
> brakes, and 2 clutches
> > could give 1:1, 2:1, and -1:1 choices - which look
> like a pretty good
> > set of choices for an EV.
> > It seems like there must be SOMETHING out there
> with this kind of
> > transmission, used in the power range we need.
> > --
> > John G. Lussmyer
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Dragons soar and Tigers prowl while I dream....
>
> > http://www.CasaDelGato.com
> >
> >
>
>
Discover Yahoo!
Use Yahoo! to plan a weekend, have fun online and more. Check it out!
http://discover.yahoo.com/
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Don,
Try one computer with two serial ports. Run the DOS screens as windows,
not
full desktop so you can see both. I have SIADIS working well under win98
(probably will work well under win98 compatibility with win XP as well).
If
you do not have two serial ports, try a serial to USB.
I spent a while working on this. I could never convince the different
instances of SIADIS to look at different com ports. SIADIS does look at a
batch file for com port and baud rate and buffer size and I played around
with .bat and .pifs but no joy. I have not tried again under XP.
Cliff
www.ProEV.com
--- End Message ---
