jerry freedomev via EV wrote:
lithiums... BMS... composites...finally makes long range EVs viable at a reasonable cost. The FreedomEV has the weight, space, and capacity for 450-500 mile range if I wanted to... But probably stick with under 150 miles to save weight, cost...
I agree. Just because you *can* get a 400 mile range doesn't mean you should. For one thing, doubling the range doubles the cost of your batteries. It also lowers efficiency, since you'll be carrying around twice the battery weight.
If you only need 100 mile range, it makes more sense to size your pack for a 100 mile range (plus a reasonable safety margin).
But I do like the idea of a re-sizable pack. The Twike EV had 3 battery packs. You could install one, two, or three depending on how much range you needed.
It should be straightforward to design your EV to accept more than one pack, so you can switch between them when extra range is needed. It also facilitates swapable battery packs. You might have one at home on charge, and one in the EV. Swap them, or add the full one if you need to go on a "surprise" trip or longer-range errand.
It also allows many, not just me to build rather great EV's.
That's an important idea for our Sunrise EV2, too. I want something that *anyone* with reasonable garage-mechanic skills can build and maintain.
I know what you are saying Lee. I've read almost every issue of Popular Science and Popular Mechanics, others, some into the 1890's and we just keep 'inventing' the same thing over and over again.
Another odd effect: Having an idea printed in Popular Science or Popular Mechanix seems to be the "kiss of death". Once it appears there, it sinks like a stone and is never heard of again! :-)
--
The most dangerous enemy of a better solution is an existing one that is just good enough. -- Eric S. Raymond -- Lee Hart's EV projects are at http://www.sunrise-ev.com/LeesEVs.htm _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
