swapping out engine for rechargable battery in existing gasoline-fueled cars
Hi,
I am really excited about this project. The vision is compelling, inspiring, and extremely important.
For many of us, giving up our current vehicles is a sad prospect. Is there a research stream in PBP that to address the potential need of drivers to keep their current cars, but switch out the engine for this new energy source? Leveraging our current investments in our cars will certainly aid in the adoption of going green on a mass scale.
I look forward to becoming more involved in PBP.
Best regards,
Patti Fletcher
Two Different Engineering Approaches
It seems to me the BEV requires a whole new approach to designing the product. For example, The tires must have lower rolling resistance than conventional tires, In order to keep the center of gravity low in the car for handling, the batteries must be mounted low in the chassis, indeed the GM approach to their "Volt car " is to mount the batteries along the center line of the chassis as low as possible. If possible the panels should be made of a low weight material, the Tesla Roadster uses carbon fiber. The ideal electric car would be as light as possible and make as efficient use of the batteries as possible. I don't know about you but an ugly little electric golf cart is not what I have in mind. I hope for more than that. Anyway, I would suggest retrofitted ICE cars only to get the project on track as soon as possible. But, if the initial approach is to retrofit, I hope for phasing them out when the better designed cars comes along.
As an aside: I have a nice little '73 240Z turbo track car that weighs about 2400 pounds and I would love to retrofit it to a electric to make use of all that instant torque the electric motor offers. But, I must admit all that power without a nice loud exhaust sound would be a bit spooky!
EV's require a completely different setup
I agree with many of the comments of lad. With the present battery technology it's important to keep weight down if you want to achieve a reasonable range. Electricity storage technology is evolving fast though. The web is alive with announcements of firms claiming to have made breakthroughs towards high capacity quickly rechargeable storage devices. If any of these inventions make it through the flak of vested interests (oil and car industry) that try to slow down the introduction of these technologies weight might not be such a problem any more in the future. The Renault Megane EV showcase model seems rather silly to me. It's body design is dictated by ICE technology and makes no sense for an EV. Personally I think the HI-PA drive concept makes the most sense for EV's. This means that the motors are build into the wheels of the car acting as regenerative breaks at the same time. This way EV's have no need for massive engine bays that are typical for ICE car designs like the Megane. For weight distribution the batteries should be stored low down in the car, probably in a sandwich floor construction. This leaves the car designer with a more or less flat platform to put on the superstructure for the passengers and their luggage. The absence of an engine bay means the car can be shorter and more aerodynamically shaped. I think cars like the present Mercedes A-class have a shape that would be appropriate for an EV.