EV Digest 4127
Topics covered in this issue include:
1) RE: Battery Box Advice Sought
by Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
2) Re: Direct drive - how to do it right
by Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
3) Re: Light Weight Spool
by Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
4) Re: Battery Box Advice Sought
by Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
5) 2-speed diff, was Re: Direct drive
by "Christopher Robison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
6) RE: Regenerating a series wound motor
by "djsharpe" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
7) Re: 2-speed diff, was Re: Direct drive
by Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
8) Re: Battery Box Advice Sought
by Michael Hurley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
9) Re: 12 v system battery question
by Lee Hart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
10) Re: 100 mile trip
by Lee Hart <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
11) Re: BELT-ALTERNATOR-STARTERS
by "Raymond Knight" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
12) Re: Direct drive - how to do it right
by "ProEV" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
13) Re: Battery Box Advice Sought
by Reverend Gadget <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
14) Re: Industrial charger
by "Deuville's Rink" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
15) Re: Current Capacity of 1/2" Copper Pipe
by "Philippe Borges" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
16) Re: BELT-ALTERNATOR-STARTERS
by "Peter VanDerWal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
17) EVLN(EV1 Vigil, "They're that good")-long
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
18) EVLN(Remy drives an ICE, "I can't afford an electric vehicle")
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
19) EVLN(Rented a Volkswagen bug looking EV & toured the island)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
20) EVLN(The beauty of bendable batteries)-long
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
21) EVLN(ISE's ThunderVolt Hybrid Uses Maxwell Ucaps)
by bruce parmenter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--- Begin Message ---
I have to agree, when joining aluminum welding is not
always the best connection. unlike steel where the
weld is stronger than the base material, aluminum is
not. A lot of care should be used in designing the
joints. If you have a failure with a weld the whole
thing will need to be removed to be rewelded. With a
rivet it just means drilling out the old one and maybe
placing another next to it. Before the advent of
welding, joints where designed by calculating the
strength you needed and dividing by the strength of
each rivet to give the total needed.
Gadget
--- Gnat <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Bill just caught one comment from Matts post so this
> is sort of directed to
> him.
> (don't have his post on this machine to reply to).
>
> Regarding the use of aluminium for building boxes
> you might want to look at
> just using a good pull rivet like a Avex 1400 or
> 1600 series and about a
> 1.125
> rivet spacing inplace of welding. As long as you use
> the right spacing and a
> good pull rivet the joints are as strong as the
> parent sheet metal. Then all
> you
> might need for tool is a drill, a #30 or a 1/8"
> drill bit and any cheapy pop
> rivet
> tool. Would also be much faster than welding.
>
> Dave
=====
visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
>
> If I do go with direct-drive, the money I don't
> spend on a
> transmission/clutch/adapter plate/etc will be spent
> on getting a decent
> rear end and driveshaft; most likely a Ford 9"
> setup. I have a great deal
> of flexibility with ratio choices with this rear
> end, though clearly I
> can't change while I'm driving. :o)
Two speed rearend perhaps?
Gadget
=====
visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I don't believe spools are legal for street use
because of their unpredictable street manners in
different road conditions,
Gadget
=====
visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Reverend Gadget wrote:
... unlike steel where the
weld is stronger than the base material, aluminum is
not.
And, why is this (welder's skill aside)?
Victor
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I've considered multi-speed differentials before, but I don't know much
about them. I'd assumed that the only ones available would be from very
large vehicles (I think my dad's Freightliner had a 2-speed air-shifted
diff).
Is there such a thing that would fit on a compact pickup? I guess it'd
be kinda funny looking (but perhaps in a cool, neato sort of way) to have
a diff that's almost as big around as the wheels.
--chris
Reverend Gadget said:
>>
>> If I do go with direct-drive, the money I don't
>> spend on a
>> transmission/clutch/adapter plate/etc will be spent
>> on getting a decent
>> rear end and driveshaft; most likely a Ford 9"
>> setup. I have a great deal
>> of flexibility with ratio choices with this rear
>> end, though clearly I
>> can't change while I'm driving. :o)
>
>
> Two speed rearend perhaps?
>
> Gadget
>
> =====
> visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Thanks Peter & Evan
I am assuming any proposal would add inductance & resistance to replace
the motor armature during the regenerating phase. In theory the
controller would be facing a stalled armature situation as far as it
goes. Another idea I have had is to inject DC into the field using a
current transformer (CT) & Shotky diodes in a half bridge centre tapped
config. CTs are used in the AC world to drive meters etc from the source
and are readily & cheaply available. There is also a large donut like
shape where you can add turns to suit. Ie if you have 500A AC in a line
but only need 5A for the meter you use a 500/5 CT. All you have to do
then is supply the AC to the CT which could come from an inverter driven
from your 12V auxiliary battery. Say you supply 100A to the field about
40W of energy plus losses is needed. This is within the capablity of a
typical metering CT. You can also use variac cores without the brush
gear too. An ugly control strategy could feed the CT using a light
dimmer to vary the braking torque. Cheap but OK.
David S
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Evan Tuer
Sent: Saturday, 26 February 2005 3:08 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Regenerating a series wound motor
Hi Peter,
I was assuming that the field is by far the largest inductive
component in the motor. The fact that it will only reach 1 or 2 volts
is not very important to a PWM motor controller as long as it has a
decent current limit, although this is why I tried it with a low
voltage controller fed from only 12V.
That said, I did blow the controller up (although I think it was more
to do with it getting wet) and I am open to the possibility that it's
just a bad idea :)
On Fri, 25 Feb 2005 09:03:06 -0700 (MST), Peter VanDerWal
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> A couple points to consider for thse of you contemplating regen on
series
> wound motors by PWM modulating the field and tieing the armature
directly
> to the batteries.
>
> The field coil in a series wound motor:
> 1) has EXTREEMLY low resistance, maybe 1/100 ohm, maybe even less.
> 2) has very low inductance.
> 3) is designed to run at 1 or 2 volts with 100 or more amps
>
> These conditions are VERY hard on controllers that aren't designed to
> handle them.
>
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
I know there are some older pickup trucks that used
them. I knew a guy who had fitted one into his
t-bucket roadster. I don't know what models had them.
I'd been thinking of using the reduction gear part of
a transfer case from a four wheel drive. one of the
newer shift on the fly models. That way I would only
need to connect a switch to do the job.
Gadget
--- Christopher Robison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> I've considered multi-speed differentials before,
> but I don't know much
> about them. I'd assumed that the only ones
> available would be from very
> large vehicles (I think my dad's Freightliner had a
> 2-speed air-shifted
> diff).
>
> Is there such a thing that would fit on a compact
> pickup? I guess it'd
> be kinda funny looking (but perhaps in a cool, neato
> sort of way) to have
> a diff that's almost as big around as the wheels.
>
> --chris
>
>
>
>
> Reverend Gadget said:
> >>
> >> If I do go with direct-drive, the money I don't
> >> spend on a
> >> transmission/clutch/adapter plate/etc will be
> spent
> >> on getting a decent
> >> rear end and driveshaft; most likely a Ford 9"
> >> setup. I have a great deal
> >> of flexibility with ratio choices with this rear
> >> end, though clearly I
> >> can't change while I'm driving. :o)
> >
> >
> > Two speed rearend perhaps?
> >
> > Gadget
> >
> > =====
> > visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
> >
> >
>
>
=====
visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Reverend Gadget wrote:
... unlike steel where the
weld is stronger than the base material, aluminum is
not.
And, why is this (welder's skill aside)?
Aluminum can become brittle when heated. It's reaction to the heat
can be somewhat unpredictable. This makes welding problematic.
--
Auf wiedersehen!
______________________________________________________
"..Um..Something strange happened to me this morning."
"Was it a dream where you see yourself standing in
sort of Sun God robes on a pyramid with a thousand
naked women screaming and throwing little pickles
at you?"
"..No."
"Why am I the only person that has that dream?"
- Real Genius
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
STEVE CLUNN wrote:
> I was thinking of a simple timer made with a large capacitor,
> MOSFET, and relay. When you turn the car off, the large cap
> which would be hooked to the gate (and diode/key) would keep
> the MOSFET on holding the relay and DC/DC on until cap drained.
> So you turn the car off and 1 hour later the DC/DC goes off.
This would work as long as the relay's contacts had plenty of overkill.
The relay would drop out very slowly, which increases contact arcing.
What I was thinking of was a bit different. I would have a timer that
turned on the DC/DC for (say) 1 hour per day, even if you didn't drive
the car. This would keep the accessory battery charged, but would not
waste nearly as much power running the DC/DC for no purpose.
--
"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
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Lee wrote:
>> Modern pickups like the Chevy S-10 or Toyota Xtracab are pretty
>> heavy (4000-5000 lbs), but have pitiful stock load-carrying
>> capacities (typically 1000-1500 lbs)... [snip]
>> As an extreme, the early Datsun and Toyota mini-pickups are
>> unbeatable. My 1974 Datsun pickup weighed 2700 lbs and had
>> a 4000 lbs GVWR.
Paul G. wrote:
> I'm confuzzled Lee. It sounds more like you are describing a new
> Pickup here. Aren't the old Datsuns a lot lighter? My '04 Tacoma
> (single cab, 5-speed) weighs 2775lbs and has a GVWR of 4250lbs
> (1475lbs load capacity.)
Well, I'm going by memory on my old Datsun -- I could be wrong. John
Wayland still has one; John do you have any numbers?
On the new pickups, it sounded like he was looking for extended-cab
versions. So, I pulled out a Consumer's Reports test on extended-cab
pickups, and looked at their "as tested" weights and load carrying
capacities. It said:
model tested weight rated load
----- ------------- ----------
Chevrolet S-10 Crew Cab 4145 lbs 1000 lbs
Dodge Dakota Quad Cab 4765 lbs 1100 lbs
Ford Explorer Sport Trac 4410 lbs 1190 lbs
Nissan Frontier Crew Cab 4285 lbs 915 lbs
Toyota Tacoma Double Cab 3875 lbs 1225 lbs
Are you sure your Tacoma weighs only 2775 lbs? Could the double cab
version weigh over 1000 lbs more?
--
"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
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Dave Williams wrote "My Dad's International Harvester has a blockoff plate
on the
bellhousing, and starts via an ordinary looking generator and V-belt.
Modern serpentine belts can handle considerably more torque; some
aftermarket supercharger kits just loop a longer belt around the
supercharger instead of driving it separately."
I don't think you are comparing apples to apples. The old starter/generators
would never last starting a newer car. Most starters on most vehicles are
producing about 13ftlbs of force. They then need to be geared about 17 to 1
to be able to reliable start the motor. Now if you consider the size
differences needed between the pulleys, you will see you have a very small
pulley on your alternator/starter. It may be possible to use a very
expensive cog belt to transfer the amount of torque required, but then you
also have another major hurdle to overcome. That is the fact your
starter/alternator is now spinning at 34,000rpm at 2000 engine rpm. Besides
the bearings failing, the rotors magnetic field would likely jump past the
stator windings and the unit would produce none to no electricity.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Does anyone else have a direct-drive setup, with a different arrangement?
Chris,
We are running a direct drive system with two motors. It has worked well so
far. If you go to www.ProEV.com and look at the Electric Imp Project/Work
History. Feb 25 2002 has some information. More details in the November
pages.
Cliff
www.ProEV.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
A lot depends on what alloy you are using. a 1000
series will be very soft and weld ok but is not very
strong. The nature of aluminum is that it's properties
have a lot to do with how it is treated. A 6000 series
get stronger as you work with it but soft again when
you weld it. A 6060 T0 alloy becomes T6 by stretching
it about 5%. T0 is very soft, T6 is almost as strong
as mild steel. Also when welding aluminum some of the
alloying elements may be lost or migrate leaving an
uneven aloy in the weld area as well as the fact that
just about anything that contaminates the weld will
make it brittle. ie oxygen, oil, dust, the oil on your
fingers, the trace of sharpie ink on the metal, or
anything that ever touched your gloves or wire brush.
whenever I weld aluminum that needs to be structural.
I use a new gloves and new ss wire brush. I brush the
weld area to expose shinymetal then clean the metal
with special "no residue" solvents, shield the back of
the weld with pirate gas, ("Arg"on) then apply a big
fat weld. That is one of the reasons you see big weld
on aluminum rather than the tiny welds on steel. The
stongest steel alloys are weldable the strongest
aluminum are not. That is why aircraft are riveted. I
guess the point is, if you are using aluminum you have
to design your joints knowing that the weld is not as
strong as it would be in steel.
Gadget
--- Victor Tikhonov <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Reverend Gadget wrote:
>
> > ... unlike steel where the
> > weld is stronger than the base material, aluminum
> is
> > not.
>
> And, why is this (welder's skill aside)?
>
> Victor
>
>
=====
visit my website at www.reverendgadget.com
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lee Hart" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 6:15 PM
Subject: Re: Industrial charger
Thanks a lot Lee, I will watch my voltage more carefully on the charger. I
have a second charger that has a electronic regulator that shuts off when
the batteries are charged, it is a 72 volt charger, I may go to a 72 volt
battery system on the new conversion if I can get a motor to match, it may
give me a better charge than the present system.
For this winter (and this set of batteries as they are on their last legs) I
will follow your instructions and hopefully can get the rest of the year out
of them.
Thanks again for all your expertise.
Ellery
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
yes BUT for nicad you need tin (or better cadmium) plating otherwise
corrosion will come quickly (as for lead acid batteries i think )
Philippe
Et si le pot d'�chappement sortait au centre du volant ?
quel carburant choisiriez-vous ?
http://vehiculeselectriques.free.fr
Forum de discussion sur les v�hicules �lectriques
http://vehiculeselectriques.free.fr/Forum/index.php
----- Original Message -----
From: "Electro Automotive" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2005 6:16 PM
Subject: Re: Current Capacity of 1/2" Copper Pipe
> For more than 20 years, I have been using and recommending 1" x 1/16"
> copper strap for battery interconnects for vehicles up to 144V and 500
> amps. We have had zero problems with these. Hammering copper pipe is a
> lot of work. It makes it very difficult to bend to fit the direction it
> needs to take to reach the terminals. Also, it is very
> rigid. Periodically on this list there are concerns about rigid
> interconnects damaging battery posts. A 1/16" strap with a couple of 90
> degree bends in it has sufficient flex.
>
> As for source, I go to a local sheet metal shop and have them shear 1"
wide
> strips 3' long for me. Then I cut and bend them to suit.
>
> Why do so many people on this list seem to want to do everything the hard
way?
>
> Mike Brown
> Electro Automotive POB 1113 Felton CA 95018-1113 Telephone 831-429-1989
> http://www.electroauto.com [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Electric Car Conversion Kits * Components * Books * Videos * Since 1979
>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
> would never last starting a newer car. Most starters on most vehicles are
> producing about 13ftlbs of force. They then need to be geared about 17 to
> 1
They don't "need" to be geared 17:1 that just happens to be a easy ratio
to get when one gear is as big around as a flywheel.
Obviously, if you are going to design a starter/generator that connects to
the motor with a belt, then you would design it to work at a ratio that is
easy to implement with a belt.
Also, many on the starters in cars these days include an 'internal' gear
reduction /before/ the one at the flywheel. This allows them to use
higher spinning, more efficient, PM motors for starters.
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(EV1 Vigil, "They're that good")-long
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/10993858.htm
Posted on Fri, Feb. 25, 2005
Two-week vigil to keep GM from crushing electric cars
Associated Press
BURBANK, Calif. - Electric car buffs, shocked that General Motors
has ordered leasers to return their pioneering EV1s, have been
standing vigil for nearly two weeks to keep the electric cars
from being put through the crusher.
"If I could get my car back, I would lie in front of a (car)
transporter," Chris Reeves, 46, of Burbank said outside the
General Motors Training Center, where rows of torpedo-shaped
electric cars are being stored prior to demolition.
Reeves and dozens of other EV1 fans have been standing vigil
since Feb. 14 in an effort to save the last of the EV1 fleet - 77
in California - from the crusher. GM built more than 1,000 EV1s,
leasing 800 for between $300 and $600 a month before finally
pulling the plug on its electric car program in 2003.
On Saturday afternoon, a rally begging GM to sell fans the cars
will include actors Ed Begley Jr., Ted Danson and Alexandra
Paul.
"This is Death Row," said Chelsea Sexton, a former EV1
specialist, marketer and customer service representative for GM.
"These cars are just sitting, waiting to be crushed - to make EV
pancakes out of them."
GM said there wasn't enough support from the motoring public to
make the EV1 program work, saying the automotive future lies in
electric-gasoline hybrids and in fuel-cell cars powered from
hydrogen.
"God love these people, but it's time to move on to other
technology," GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss said.
"GM is not just crushing a car, but a symbol of what's possible.
I would offer $50,000 for one of these cars. I would re-mortgage
my house for one of them. They're that good," Reeves said.
===
http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0%2C1413%2C200~20954~2731395%2C00.html
Article Published: Thursday, February 24, 2005 - 9:53:55 PM PST
� For more information on the EV1 vigil, contact EV1.org.
It's down to wire for electric car's fans By Dana Bartholomew,
Staff Writer
BURBANK -- After Chris Reeves first caught a look at the EV1,
he'd do nearly anything to lease the electric sports car of the
future. Now he'd do nearly anything to get one back.
Reeves is one of dozens of electric car buffs to stand vigil for
10 straight days hoping to save the last of the General Motors
fleet -- 77 EV1s in California and roughly twice that number in
New York -- from the crusher.
"If I could get my car back, I would lie in front of a (car)
transporter," declared Reeves, 46, of Burbank, among a handful of
protesters gazing at rows of torpedo-shape sports car beauties on
the backlot of the General Motors Training Center in Burbank.
"I would offer $50,000 for one of these cars. I would remortgage
my house for one of them. They're that good."
Mel Gibson once sang the theme from "Batman" in one. Danny DeVito
got one on Father's Day wrapped in a big red bow. And car
collector Jay Leno reportedly offered $1 million to own one --
and GM turned him down.
For the more than 800 former lessees of the pioneering electric
vehicle from GM, they're now a club without a car.
An electric vehicle designed by General Motors years ahead of a
California mandate to produce zero-emission cars, the EV1 turned
heads. By 1999, GM built more than 1,000 EV1s, of which it leased
800 for between $300 and $600 a month before finally pulling the
plug on its electric car program in 2003.
All Reeves and other EV1 enthusiasts say they want is a chance to
buy their former wheels back for $25,000 each -- free of strings
from the factory. And for GM to recharge its electric car
program.
On Saturday, the group will hold a Burbank rally to include such
celebrities as Ed Begley Jr. of "Six Feet Under," Alexandra Paul
of "Baywatch" and Ted Danson of "Cheers."
"This is Death Row," said Chelsea Sexton, a former EV1
specialist, marketer and customer service rep for GM, staring
through a chain-link fence at the "incarcerated" fleet as storm
clouds raced over the horizon. "These cars are just sitting,
waiting to be crushed -- to make EV pancakes out of them.
"GM is not just crushing a car, but a symbol of what's
possible."
For GM, the EV1 is a symbol of $1.2 billion down the drain.
While EV1 enthusiasts insist there was a waiting list for the
car, GM officials maintain there wasn't enough support from the
motoring public to make it work.
GM and other manufacturers say the automotive future lies in
electric-gasoline hybrids and in fuel-cell cars powered from
hydrogen.
"God love these people," said Dave Barthmuss a spokesman for
General Motors, of the EV1 champions. "But it's time to move on
to other technology.
"We spent a billion dollars -- big B -- on that car and we just
can't afford to lose that much money. Eight hundred leases in a
four-year time frame does not a business make."
Because of a legal obligation to warranty and service cars for
seven years after their manufacturing, he said the vehicles could
not be sold to individual enthusiasts as GM has no parts
available for EV1s.
Barthmuss said the remaining EV1s will either go to museums, to
colleges or universities as teaching tools, or be used during
cold-weather research in the Northeast.
The remainder, he said, will be "recycled because we have frankly
come to the end of a full-functioning electric vehicle."
But ever since they appeared before the GM facility on Feb. 16
bearing such signs as "Stop the rush to crush," EV1 supporters
have withstood the storm of the century. The ruin of their
sidewalk shelter. And the scorn of the world's biggest carmaker.
All for a car they could never own. That would never go faster
than 80 mph. And never drive for more than 100 miles tops before
recharging for another run.
Ah, but what a car it was -- is, say the gearheads and granolas
who include the former EV1 lessees, GM EV1 marketers, Hollywood
celebs and environmental groups such as the Coalition for Clean
Air hoping to save the condemned car.
Silent, but for the faint whine of its 137-hp motor, its whopping
1,209 foot-pounds of torque and its 0-to-60 sprint in under 8
seconds.
Tales abound of EV1s stomping Mustang GTs. Licking Dodge Vipers.
And eating Honda Insight hybrids for lunch.
And of GM electric vehicles sitting dead in traffic after
draining their batteries in less than 50 miles.
But with new batteries, EV enthusiasts say they can now go 300
miles without a charge. Many say they can now plug EV cars into
solar-powered homes -- and drive pollution-free for no cost at
the pump.
"Electra is running on sunshine," said Linda Nicholes, president
of the Earth Resource Foundation of Costa Mesa and coordinator of
the vigil, who powers her Toyota EV from her solar setup at home.
"You might say I'm obsessed."
"All EVs represent a way to power my life in a nondestructive
manner."
For Reeves, a Republican more interested in gizmos than
Greenpeace, the EV1 represents a proven technology over others
whose time hasn't come.
"I had what I call the EV1 smile," said Reeves, a Disney sound
editor for the TV show "Alias." "You punch a regular car and it
goes, err-err-err.
"The EV1 is total acceleration -- burning rubber."
Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
IF YOU GO
A rally in support of saving the remainder of General Motors'
EV1s will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday in front of the
General Motors Training Facility, 1105 W. Riverside Dr.,
Burbank. Copyright � 2005 Los Angeles Daily News
-
=====
Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
' ____
~/__|o\__
'@----- @'---(=
. http://geocities.com/brucedp/
. EV List Editor, RE & AFV newswires
. (originator of the above ASCII art)
===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
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Do you Yahoo!?
Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.
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--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
EVLN(Remy drives an ICE, "I can't afford an electric vehicle")
[The Internet Electric Vehicle List News. For Public EV
informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.shorepublishing.com/archive/re.aspx?re=83a31bc6-91b6-4b87-8121-ca2e6078a84c
Pequot Museum to Host Energy Symposium
By Elizabeth Yerkes Published on 2/25/2005
North Stonington -- Remy Chevalier hopes a March 5 "Better
Motors, Better Batteries" symposium will jolt environmental
activists, Native American tribal leaders and corporate energy
giants into action. Chevalier is the editor of Electrifying
Times, a Weston-based magazine dedicated to electric vehicles.
Although he drives a "beat-up Subaru wagon because I can't afford
an electric vehicle," Chevalier said he hopes the symposium will
spark action. In particular, he hopes it will combine
Connecticut's technical brainpower, Indian sovereign nations'
funding, and native American's mindset of long-term environmental
health into making, you guessed it, better batteries and better
motors.
Organizers hope the gathering will underscore the need for
"balance between energy technology trade overseas and the need
to preserve factory floor hands-on experience in the state,"
the symposium's news release reads. The symposium also aims at
raising awareness about lighter, faster and cleaner motors and
energy storage. To be held at the Pequot Museum's auditorium at 1
p.m., the symposi Powered by TheDay.com
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EVLN(Rented a Volkswagen bug looking EV & toured the island)
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informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.ouraaa.com/traveler/0503/fea_familyfriendly_m.html
Multigenerational family groups are cruising more than ever
before, and Disney Cruise Line is offering them an array of
activities and ports of call. By Dennis R. Heinze
[...] Ports of plenty
In Key West, we explored the city by foot as a group, shopping
for souvenirs and enjoying the sights, like the Ernest Hemingway
Home and Museum and the Little White House Museum, which
President Harry S. Truman used as a vacation retreat. Then my
wife and I rented an electric car that resembles a Volkswagen bug
and toured the island with our children, while some of the other
adults visited such Key West landmark pubs as Sloppy Joe�s Bar
and Jimmy Buffett�s Margaritaville Caf�.
[...]
With so many different activities on board and ashore, our
multigenerational group found multiple ways to have fun.
Throughout the cruise, most of the decisions that have added
stress to other family reunion trips, such as where to eat and
what to do, were taken care of already. All we had to do was
worry about enjoying ourselves, whether we were doing things as a
group or individually. Even if I didn�t know where everyone was
all the time, I was sure they were having a good time.
Dennis R. Heinze is regional editor of the �AAA Midwest
Traveler. Copyright 2005 AAA Traveler Magazine | 12901 N. Forty
Dr. | St. Louis, MO 63141
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EVLN(The beauty of bendable batteries)-long
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informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0%2C13026%2C1423451%2C00.html
Vastly thinner, lighter power sources are destined to make all
our electric dreams come true, writes Alok Jha
Thursday February 24, 2005 The Guardian
Just over 10 years ago, Donald Sadoway went for a drive in his
first electric car. It was an early, clunky design but the
experience changed his world - ever since he has dedicated
himself to doing his part in making electric cars a commercial
reality.
"For personal transportation, it's lunacy that we don't have
electric vehicles," says Sadoway, a professor of materials
science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "It's crazy
to be burning carbon to move around short distances. For
congested urban environments, the future is now. The only thing
that's missing is a viable battery."
Our increasingly mobile world depends on the ability to store and
move energy around with us in the form of batteries (there's no
point in a top-of-the-range laptop if it needs a cell that costs
more than a space station and is the size of Texas). But lack of
academic and commercial interest in the field, and the
concentration of what effort there is on developing fuel cells
and hydrogen cars, means innovation has hit a wall.
Which is why Sadoway is getting excited about crisp packets.
Smoothing one out in front of him, he describes how the thin
sandwich of metal and plastic is set to be the unwitting
battering ram to that technological brick wall. His remarkable
idea is a battery which is as thin as a crisp packet and is as
cheap, well, as the crisps in them.
The Slimcell, as Sadoway calls his invention, is a sandwich of
lithium and a special type of Perspex. Because it is so light, it
solves the problem that has kept batteries out of the running for
electric cars: it can store a huge amount of energy per kilogram.
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Batteries work because chemical reactions inside them force
electrons to collect at one of the two electrodes. Connect an
appliance and the electrons travel through it to the other
electrode, making an electrical circuit.
A traditional lead acid battery (where one electrode is made of
lead, the other of lead dioxide and sulphuric acid floats between
the two) has a capacity of 35 watt hours per kilogram (Wh/kg).
The nickel metal hydride batteries that became available in the
early 1990s, and enabled laptop computing, are about 90Wh/kg.
Newer lithium ion batteries, used in mobile phones and today's
laptops, are 125 Wh/kg.
"At 125Wh/kg, you can drive a car 125 miles on a single charge -
that's not good enough," says Sadoway. "You need to go about 250
miles on a single charge before it's going to have widespread
appeal. So you need a battery that's about 250Wh/kg. We've got
batteries in my lab right now that are 300Wh/kg and I can see the
possibility of breaking 400Wh/kg."
The Slimcell gets these big energy densities by ditching weight.
Sadoway could take little off the electrodes in a lithium ion
battery, because the metal is so light. Instead, he focused on a
component that was crucial but which didn't contribute to the
storage capacity, the liquid electrolyte.
"An ideal battery is maximally electrode and minimally everything
else," says Sadoway. "The electrolyte doesn't contribute to
storage capacity at all but you have to have it. What you would
like is the thinnest electrolyte."
Working with MIT colleague Anne Mayes, Sadoway set out to ditch
the liquid. "The only way we were going to break the 200Wh/kg, I
reasoned, was to ask was it possible to invent a solid polymer
electrolyte that had the mechanical properties of a solid and the
electrical properties of a liquid," says Sadoway. Many blind
avenues later, his team had found his wonder material and
rethought battery design.
"There are various companies that claim to have variants of a
solid separator but, to the best of my knowledge, these companies
are all relying upon infusing some kind of polymer host with
something that's an organic liquid," says Sadoway.
The Slimcell's sandwich of metal electrodes and plastic
electrolyte not only means it is light and easy to make, it also
makes it much safer. Because there is no liquid, the battery
can't leak. If it is somehow punctured in one part, the rest of
the battery can carry on working regardless.
Sadoway and Mayes's team have been steadily improving their
polymer electrolyte: by developing a way to evaporate the
material on to the lithium electrodes, they have made it as thin
(and light) as physically possible. The next step is
industrial-scale manufacture, something that has yet to be worked
out. Sadoway reckons that the Slimcell is at least five years
from being commercially available.
Remarkable as the battery is, the MIT team behind it see problems
in finding a market, mainly due to resistance from battery
manufacturers. In the mid 1990s, just as a lot of companies had
invested heavily in NiMH batteries, the more advanced lithium ion
batteries came out of nowhere. Instead of embracing lithium ion,
many producers tried to slow its introduction.
"Until the late Nineties, you could buy laptops fitted with NiMH
batteries and lithium ion was an option, even though it gave
superior performance, because they were saying, 'we need to sell
as many NiMH batteries as we can to try to pay back the capital
costs of building these darn plants'," says Sadoway.
"People would like better batteries but they are wary of making
investments. What is required is both a technology push and a
market pull. Right now there are cellphone batteries and the
cellphone manufacturers are comfortable with them."
It will take a specialised niche, then, to make the Slimcell
viable. Sadoway says that whoever develops it commercially needs
to find applications for which dedicated batteries don't yet
exist - medical devices, for example.
"In a wristwatch, imagine the battery is in the strap and there's
a medical sensor in there connected to the internet," he says.
"If someone is monitoring that, they could phone up if the user
has forgotten to take some medication. This could save hundreds
of dollars in medical fees later. What's missing? It's a stable
battery."
The Slimcell's big advantage is its versatility. "You can do
something with this you can't do with any other battery - fold it
up, make it conform to the shape," says Sadoway. "You can put the
battery not in a compartment but behind the screen of a computer,
or in the fender of a car, so you can have distributed power. You
don't have it in one big block." After these applications,
Sadoway's dream of powering electric cars will be a step closer.
Which is quite a feat for something that is, basically, just like
a crisp packet.
Guardian Unlimited � Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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. EV List Editor, RE & AFV newswires
. (originator of the above ASCII art)
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EVLN(ISE's ThunderVolt Hybrid Uses Maxwell Ucaps)
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informational purposes. Contact publication for reprint rights.]
--- {EVangel}
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/02-24-2005/0003072937&EDATE=
Hybrid Transit Bus Drive System Using Maxwell Ultracapacitors
Successfully Completes Federal Transit Administration Durability
Test
ISE's ThunderVolt(TM) Hybrid Gasoline-Electric Drive System Uses
Ultracapacitors to Capture and Reuse Energy from Braking to
Improve Fuel Economy and Reduce Emissions
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Maxwell
Technologies, Inc. announced today that a transit bus powered by
an ISE Corp. ThunderVolt(TM) hybrid gasoline-electric drive
system using Maxwell's BOOSTCAP(R) ultracapacitors for electrical
energy storage and power delivery has successfully completed a
rigorous, 15,000-mile, durability and safety test conducted by
the Federal Transit Administration at the Altoona Research and
Testing Center in Altoona, Pa.
Dr. Richard Balanson, Maxwell's president and chief executive
officer, said that the Altoona certification represents an
important "stamp of approval" for ISE's ThunderVolt drive system,
which employs ultracapacitors to store electrical energy
generated by the bus's braking system and reuse that energy to
assist acceleration, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
"The transportation industry in general, and municipal transit
agencies in particular, rely on certifications such as this to
guide their purchasing decisions, so they are critical for broad
adoption of new products that systems integrators such as ISE and
components suppliers such as Maxwell are introducing," Balanson
said. "This is another in a series of milestones that
demonstrate ultracapacitors' growing acceptance as a standard
energy storage and power delivery solution for transportation
applications."
Last year, ISE and Maxwell announced orders for 44 ThunderVolt-
powered buses by transit agencies in the cities of Long Beach and
Elk Grove, California.
David Mazaika, president of San Diego-based ISE, said that the
bus that completed the Altoona test is a 40-foot New Flyer
transit model equipped with a ThunderVolt system consisting of an
ultra-low-emission Ford Triton V10 gasoline engine, Siemens
ELFA(TM) electric motors, motor controllers and generators and a
ThunderPack II(TM) ultracapacitor-based energy storage system
comprised of 288 Maxwell BOOSTCAP(R) ultracapacitors.
Mazaika said that the ThunderVolt system is the only commercially
available gasoline-electric hybrid drive system certified to meet
the California Air Resources Board's strict emissions standards.
ISE also produces a diesel-fueled ThunderVolt system, using a
Cummins ISB02 engine. ISE's hybrid systems are available with
either battery- or ultracapacitor-based energy storage modules.
Mazaika said that for urban transit buses, ultracapacitors offer
several advantages over batteries.
"Ultracapacitor-based systems achieve higher fuel economy than
comparable battery-based systems because they are more efficient
in absorbing braking energy and do not require air conditioning,"
Mazaika said. "They also are projected to perform reliably over
hundreds of thousands of discharge-recharge cycles, which equates
to years of maintenance-free service."
Mazaika noted that Maxwell's BOOSTCAP(R) ultracapacitors'
durability and long cycle life enable ISE to provide a five-year
warranty on its ThunderPack II system.
"We believe that this drive system and the warranty we provide
establish a new standard in the bus industry," Mazaika said. "It
gives transit operators the assurance that they won't be faced
with extensive maintenance and replacement costs that are typical
with some battery-based energy storage systems."
Balanson said that Maxwell also is supplying ultracapacitors for
industrial applications such as automated utility meter reading
and wind energy systems that are now in production, and many
other applications, including automotive, electric rail,
industrial automation and backup power, that are in various
phases of validation and field testing.
ISE is a leading supplier of hybrid-electric and fuel cell-based
drive systems for heavy-duty vehicles including buses, trucks,
airport equipment and specialized military vehicles. In addition
to selling complete hybrid-electric drive systems, ISE also sells
a variety of electric and hybrid-electric vehicle components and
offers a range of vehicle integration and support services. For
more information, please visit http://www.isecorp.com.
Maxwell is a leading developer and manufacturer of innovative,
cost-effective energy storage and power delivery solutions.
BOOSTCAP(R) ultracapacitor cells and multi-cell modules and
POWERCACHE(R) backup power systems provide safe and reliable
power solutions for applications in consumer and industrial
electronics, transportation and telecommunications. CONDIS(R)
high-voltage grading and coupling capacitors help to ensure the
safety and reliability of electric utility infrastructure and
other applications involving transport, distribution and
measurement of high-voltage electrical energy.
Radiation-mitigated microelectronic products include power
modules, memory modules and single board computers that
incorporate powerful commercial silicon for superior performance
and high reliability in aerospace applications. For more
information, please visit http://www.maxwell.com.
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" [...].
SOURCE Maxwell Technologies, Inc. Web Site: www.maxwell.com
Copyright � 1996-2004 PR Newswire Association LLC. All Rights
Reserved.
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Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter
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===== Undo Petroleum Everywhere
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