TRANSLOGIC get to sample the EPIC 232se Electric Sport Boat [video]

Aol's Translogic web TV series get the chance to put the EPIC 232se electric sport boat to the test with World Champion wakeboarder Jeff Weatherall.

Fisker promises Bugatti Veyron levels of performance

The Fisker Karma is still MIA, but that hasn't stopped the company from having grand ambitions.

According to CEO Henrik Fisker, engineers are developing a new gearbox that will give their range-extended electric vehicles "[ Bugatti] Veyron levels of performance." That's not much to go off, but the executive hinted the transmission would increase the amount of torque that is sent to the wheels.

For comparison, the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 2.5 seconds while the Fisker Karma takes 5.9 seconds.

Source: Autocar

Fully Charged YASA motors episode 23 [video]

In this episode of Fullycharged Robert Llewellyn makes a quick visit to the YASA motor works to see their developments in electric motor design and construction.

Linear Motor powered World's steepest roller coaster to open in Japan

A new rollercoaster in Japan - which will boast the steepest vertical drop of any ride in the world - is set to raise the bar for thrill-seekers.

On July 16th, the Fuji-Q Highland Amusement Park, in the shadow of Mount Fuji in Yamanash, will unveil the stomach-flipping Takabisha ride - an attraction that includes seven major twists over 1000 metres of track, and a nerve-jangling drop of 43 metres.

The Takabisha, which translates as 'dominant' in English, relies on a combination of gravity and a set of linear motors on the cars. These accelerate the coaster to speeds of 100kmph. Riders experience weightlessness as they 'nosedive' down the sharp incline, before later being plunged into darkness.

Source: Daily Mail

Japanese Government gives Green Light to 500 km/h Maglev [video]

Central Japan Railway Co. or JR Tokai, said Friday it had received a directive from Transport Minister Akihiro Ohata to proceed with construction of a maglev train line between Tokyo and Osaka.

JR Tokai said in a statement: "As the main sales and construction body, we will strive to carry out the Chuo Shinkansen project as soon as possible, with the cooperation of municipalities and others."

The project is estimated to cost a total of 9.03 trillion yen and will link Tokyo and Osaka in 67 minutes by train running up to 505 kph, compared with the bullet train’s current 145 minutes..

The railway operator will continue with its environmental assessment and start construction as early as 2014.

The firm hopes to open the maglev line between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027 and extend the line to Osaka by 2045.

Google's Electric Vehicle Fleet Infrastructure [video]

Over the last few years, several innovative electric vehicle (EV) technologies have emerged in the marketplace and Google, have been working to update their green transportation infrastructure.

They now have over 30 electric plug-in vehicles in 'Gfleet' -- their car-sharing program for Googlers. They also have developed the largest corporate EV charging infrastructure in the US.

AC Induction motors have a bright future in EVs

The Economist has published a well written piece covering some of the main advantages of Induction motors over those that use permanent magnets and why car makers such as Toyota are now working on their own version.

The Economist

Venturi Volage wins 3 awards @ the Challenge Bibendum

The 11th edition of the Michelin Challenge Bibendum was held from May 18th to 22nd at the Berlin Tempelhof Airport.

On this occasion, the Venturi Volage has won the Design Award. Fitted with "Michelin Active Wheels", the very architecture of the vehicle has been completely reconfigured by designer Sacha Lakic : "Active suspension and engines incorporated into the wheels, flat bottom, aerodynamic tunnels : these choices and technological advances have allowed me to "design the void" usually occupied by the engine and suspensions, and thus explore bold new styling possibilities."

The Venturi also participated in the “Battery Electric Vehicles” Rally held on May 17th and 18th. Volage won the Best Acceleration Prize (0 to 50 km/hr in 2.2 seconds) and the CO2 Emissions Prize.

With 4-wheel drive and active suspension, the Venturi Volage has no equivalent. "Active Wheel" technology in fact incorporates 2 electric motors per wheel (1 for suspension and 1 for drive), ie. a total of 8 electric motors driven in real time by sophisticated electronics. The active electric shock absorber system allows for total adaptation to road surface and driving types. Thanks to its road holding, manoeuverability and silent running, the Venturi Volage represents the ultimate in present-day automotive technology.

V2G might make a profit for EV owners

The Economist has reported on research from the University of Delaware that shows using an electric cars battery for 'vehicle to grid' (V2G) power may make EV owners an income of $4000 a year. That is a sum far greater than the $225 that Nissan, for instance, thinks will be the average annual cost of the electricity needed to power one of its Leafs.

The researchers have been running a fleet of 7 EVs for the past 3 years linked up to the local electricity company's servers by a wireless system that monitors their activity, in order to predict when each car is likely to be available as a power supply.

EV batteries connected to the grid can be used to replace a utility's rapid response peaking facilities, usually a gas turbine generator. The costs saved can be passed on to EV owners in proportion to when and for how long the cars battery is made avaliable for power supply. In Delaware the tariff paid is $0.30 per hour plus a fixed fee payable just for being part of the system.

So not only can EV owners 'fill' their car for as little as $1.00 (compared to the $60-80 a tank of petrol costs), they can also earn income for just having the car plugged in while they're not driving it and make a tidy profit.

The Economist

GM Electric Motors Plant is First for Major U.S. Automaker

The General Motors electric motor plant near Baltimore will be the first by a major U.S. automaker dedicated to making the critical components for vehicle electrification when the plant opens in 2013.

With Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley on hand, GM broke ground Tuesday for the previously announced addition to the complex housing its two-mode hybrid and Heavy Duty transmission operations. The electric motor plant results from two investments totaling $269.5 million announced last year.

Electric motor design and production is a core business for GM in the development and manufacture of plug-in electric and hybrid vehicles.

“We believe the future of sustainable transportation is electrically driven vehicles and this facility will help us maintain a leadership position within this category,” said Mike Robinson, GM vice president, Energy, Environment and Safety Policy. “It’s fitting that green ‘motors of the future’ are being built at a facility well recognized for ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact.”

The campus will be powered in part by a 1.23 megawatt rooftop solar array, expected to generate nine percent of its annual energy consumption and save approximately $330,000 during the life of the project.

“By harnessing solar energy from this array, GM will offset up to 1,103 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the air per year – equivalent to the emissions from 216 passenger vehicles,” said Robinson.

Constellation Energy will build, own and maintain the solar power system, and GM will purchase all of the electricity generated by the solar panels under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Constellation Energy’s first solar array for GM was a 951-kilowatt system at its Fontana, Calif., Service and Parts Operations warehouse.

“Solar as a power-generation source is an attractive option for GM and other large-scale manufacturers to achieve environmental goals and control electricity costs,” said Michael D. Smith, senior vice president of green initiatives for Constellation Energy’s retail business.
GM uses renewable energy from solar, hydro, and landfill gas resources at various plants. In the United States alone, 1.4 percent of its energy consumption comes from renewable resources.

GM’s Baltimore Operations has the dual distinction of being powered by renewable energy and generating no landfill waste. It earned zero-landfill status in 2007 by recycling, reusing or converting to energy all wastes from daily operations.

Last year, the Baltimore Operations complex won a Maryland Green Registry Leadership Award for showing commitment to sustainable practices with measureable results.

“Our state is one of discovery and innovation, where traditional manufacturers like GM embrace the new technologies that move our companies, our commerce and our citizens forward,” Gov. O’Malley said.

Separately, the GM Foundation and Baltimore Operations announced they will donate $20,000 to the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce, Habitat for Humanity, Maryland Food Bank and the Wildlife Habitat Council. The donations are part of the Foundation’s Plant City Grants which will award a total of $1 million nationally to local communities with GM facilities.

Peugeot EX1 electric car record run around the Nürburgring [video]

As promised Peugeot Deutschland have uploaded a 2 min video of the All Wheel Drive EX1 electric concept car lapping the 20km Nurburgring.

With standard production cars like the 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX driven by Tommi Mäkinen setting times over a full minute faster than the Pug EV, we can surely expect to see this EV record tumble in the next few years.

BYD e6 all-electric car [video]

A short promotional video about the BYD e6 as used in the world’s largest all-electric vehicle Taxi fleet.

YASA Motors Announce Electric and Hybrid Road and Racing Car Deal

Oxford YASA Motors, Westfield Sportscars and Potenza Technology have signed a Risk & Revenue Sharing Agreement (RRSA) that creates an exclusive business alliance to support the development and launch of the world’s first fully race-prepared electric vehicle, the iRACER and the new Electric GTM sportscar.

YASA Motors and Potenza Technology will provide high-performance integrated battery, traction motor and controller solutions based on the innovative YASA axial-flux motor, Sevcon Gen 4 Size 8 controllers and Potenza’s well proven Battery and Vehicle Control Systems.

The iRACER will feature in the EV Cup, the world’s first dedicated electric race series that starts at Silverstone on the 6th August this year. The EV Cup has attracted high-profile teams such as Drayson Racing who will be running the iRACER throughout the first season of racing.

The eGTM road vehicle is currently being developed by Westfield and Potenza Technology for Potenza Sports Cars Limited who recently entered into a separate RRSA with DRB-HICOM in Malaysia, to manufacture and distribute the eGTM throughout South East Asia. The recently announced collaboration between Sevcon and YASA Motors to develop the novel ISYS Drive, a compact integrated, direct-drive twin motor and controller unit offering a combined specific torque of 30Nm/kg and 200kW / 270bhp of power will be the exclusive drive-train solution for the eGTM.

Dr Paul Faithfull, Managing Director of Potenza Technology and Technical Director of Westfield Sportscars, said “We have built a strong and successful relationship with the team at YASA Motors since the company formed in 2009. Their motor and controller package has proven to be reliable and, simply put, offers us the best performance, packaging and efficiency available on the market”.

Nick Farrant, CEO of YASA Motors, said “Our collaboration with Westfield Sportscars and Potenza Technology underpins our high pace of commercial development and supports our business model of market-facing collaboration with world-class partners. The iRACER is a fantastic platform to showcase the performance and potential of our combined products and technology in the most demanding motorsport environment, as well as demonstrating the growing number of exciting electric vehicles to the wider viewing public. We are delighted to enter into this agreement and to help create two appealing new vehicles that will benefit from the very latest electric propulsion technology. This strategic alliance of small UK companies yet again confirms the leading position that the UK has in this growing segment of the automotive market”.

2,564 Miles Per Gallon Achieved at Shell Eco-marathon Americas 2011 [video]

For the third year in a row and beating last year's mileage by 77 mpg, the student team from Universite Laval in Quebec, Canada took home the Internal Combustion First Prize with an astonishing best run of 2,564.8 miles per gallon in the Prototype class. And in the UrbanConcept class, the team from Louisiana Technical University in Ruston, La. took First Prize by achieving a best run of 646.7 mpg.

"Every year, the competition at Shell Eco-marathon Americas gets a little tougher," said Anthony Bernier of Universite Laval. "With more teams participating this year, there are a lot of really smart and innovative fuel-efficient ideas to be seen on and off the track. We put a lot of time and hard work into our vehicle this year and are very proud of how we did. We are excited to be Shell Eco-marathon Americas champions for the third year in a row and to have beat our mileage achieved last year!"

Bruce Culpepper, Shell Oil Company Executive Vice President Americas Operations, kicked off the challenge on Saturday, April 16, by waving the green start flag and asking the teams to "Start your fuel-efficient engines!" The competition was steep with a record number of 62 student teams and their 68 vehicles competing.

Delphi Showcases Innovative Wireless EV Charging

Delphi Automotive has equipped an electric vehicle with its Delphi Wireless Charging System, a highly efficient wireless energy transfer system featuring technology developed by WiTricity Corporation. Delphi will display the test vehicle at this year's SAE World Congress this week.

"This is a significant advancement in our research and development efforts to offer automotive manufacturers a practical wireless charging solution we believe is superior to others being proposed," said Randy Sumner, director, global hybrid vehicle development, Delphi Packard Electrical/Electronic Architecture. According to Sumner, engineers at Delphi's Customer Technical Center in Champion, Ohio, have installed the Delphi Wireless Charging System on an all-electric THINK City test vehicle, and have confirmed that system performance meets automotive market requirements.

A wireless charging system eliminates the need for a charging cord. Drivers can simply park their electric vehicle over a wireless energy source situated on the garage floor or embedded in a paved parking spot. Other wireless charging systems under development make use of traditional inductive charging, the same technology used in electric toothbrushes, which is based on principles first proposed in the mid-nineteenth century. These systems only work over a limited distance range, require precise accurate parking alignment and can be very large and heavy, making them impractical for widespread use on electric vehicles.

"The Delphi Wireless Charging System offers more practical and flexible installation than traditional inductive systems because it uses highly resonant magnetic coupling, a modern technology that safely and efficiently transfers power over significantly larger distances and can adapt to natural misalignment often associated with vehicle positioning during parking," Sumner said. This means that Delphi charging sources can be buried in pavement, are unaffected by environmental factors such as snow, ice or rain, can accommodate a wide range of vehicle shapes and sizes and their differing ground clearances. The Delphi system is also more forgiving to vehicle parking positions on top of the charger without requiring any moving parts to accommodate. The system transfers energy using an oscillating magnetic field, which is intrinsically safe for humans and animals.

According to Sumner, the system will automatically transfer power to the electric vehicle's battery pack at a rate of 3,300 watts -- the same rate as most residential plug-in chargers -- and is able to do so with the smallest and lightest modules possible. These components are important to minimizing overall vehicle weight and cost while maximizing the driving range of EVs, a critical selling point for automakers.

"We are excited by our testing and validation of the system and believe we have a valuable and unique wireless charging solution that offers the most potential for widespread use in the automotive market. With the support of automotive manufacturers, this technology can be integrated into the next generation of electric vehicles," Sumner said.

Wireless charging technology will need to co-exist with plug-in charging solutions, he added, so that electric vehicle drivers have the ability to charge their vehicle when they are away from their wireless charging source.

Delphi also makes a Portable Electric Vehicle Charger that fits conveniently in the trunk of an electric vehicle. The user-friendly, UL-listed charging system plugs into any standard 120-volt outlet to enable safe electric vehicle battery charging at home or away. The charging unit can also be integrated into stationary charging applications.

Maxwell Technologies Doubles Ultracapacitor Production Capacity

Maxwell Technologies reported today that it has more than doubled production capacity for ultracapacitor electrode, cells and modules over the past year, and is moving forward with additional capacity expansion to satisfy rapidly increasing demand for its ultracapacitor products.

"The company has produced more than 15 million cells of all types since setting up initial high-volume production," said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer. "With ultracapacitor sales having grown by more than 50 percent in each of the past two years and our expectation for continuing rapid growth going forward, we need to make sure we stay a step ahead of demand."

Working with a contract assembly partner, the Company brought on line a new assembly line for its redesigned, high-volume, 350-farad "D-cell" ultracapacitor in the third quarter of 2010. Before moving D cell assembly, Maxwell had produced approximately 7 million D cells, mainly for wind turbine blade pitch mechanisms, at its Swiss production facility.

In collaboration with another contract assembly partner, the company recently completed installation of a second assembly line for its K-2 family of large cell products, and a third line is scheduled to be installed later this year. Maxwell produced its 2-millionth 3,000-farad large cell in January, and expects to deliver a third million by the end of this year. Large cells have been used mainly in hybrid transit buses for regenerative braking and torque assist, and the company is now supplying a 1,200-farad large cell to Continental AG, a global Tier 1 auto parts supplier, for a stop-start idle elimination system introduced last fall by PSA Peugeot Citroen.

A third contract manufacturer assembles Maxwell's HC family of small cell products, which range from one to 150 farads, and are used mainly in industrial electronics applications.
In December 2009, the company announced that it was expanding production capacity for its postage stamp-size, 10-farad PC-10 ultracapacitor cell to satisfy rapidly increasing demand generated by a new backup power application in solid state disk drives for enterprise computing systems. Previously, Maxwell had delivered several million PC-10s to power wireless transmitters in automated electric utility meters and other devices.

The proprietary electrode material used in all BOOSTCAP cell types is produced only in the company's San Diego facility. Electrode capacity has been doubled over the past 12 months and will be re-doubled by mid-2012. The company also is evaluating proposals from economic development agencies in several adjacent states for location of a second electrode facility it plans to outfit and bring online in the second half of 2012.

Unlike batteries, which produce and store energy by means of a chemical reaction, Maxwell's ultracapacitor products store energy in an electric field. This electrostatic energy storage mechanism enables ultracapacitors to charge and discharge in as little as fractions of a second, perform normally over a broad temperature range (-40 to +65C), operate reliably through one million or more charge/discharge cycles and resist shock and vibration. Maxwell offers ultracapacitor cells ranging in capacitance from one to 3,000 farads and multi-cell modules ranging from 16 to 125 volts.

Siemens and BMV unveil wireless EV charging station

Siemens and BMW have entered the wireless electric vehicle charging market with their version of inductive technology.

The two firms launched their non-contact charging station at manufacturing fair Hannover Messe last week in advance of a government-funded trial scheme in Berlin planned for June this year.

Inductive charging allows motorists to recharge their electric vehicles’ batteries just by parking their car over the wireless station, making the process quicker and simple, and reducing the changes of wear and tear or damage from vandalism.

Halo IPT, a spin-out from Auckland University, became the first company to launch commercial wireless vehicle technology in November 2011 following more than a decade of trials.

Siemens now intends to test its own 3.6kW charging technology in an electric vehicle to determine what improvements would be needed to integrate the system into series-produced vehicles under real-life conditions.

‘A big obstacle to the expansion of electric mobility is the lack of an extensive and reliable charging infrastructure,’ Siemens said in a statement.

‘Because electric cars have to recharge their batteries more often than vehicles with combustion engines need to refuel, various charging techniques are required that are adapted to the needs of the drivers and vehicles.

‘Siemens’ inductive energy transmission concept would make it possible to automatically recharge vehicles such as taxis waiting at cab stands.’

It added: ‘The associated charging stations can be easily incorporated into practically any setting, making them nearly invisible and effectively protecting them against vandalism and wear and tear.’

The charging stations are connected to the public grid by an underground primary coil. A secondary coil is attached to the car and when the driver starts the charging process, an electric current begins to flow through the primary coil.

The resulting magnetic field induces an electric current in the secondary coil, which recharges the battery. Electricity is transmitted from the grid through all of the components to the battery at an efficiency of more than 90 per cent.

The magnetic field is generated only in an exactly predetermined area between the two coils, which are typically between 8cm and 15cm apart.

The system therefore generates a magnetic field whose strength in and around the vehicle is far below the internationally recommended limit of 6.25 microteslas.

The system could also enable the car to serve as a storage unit where most of the energy it uses is surplus electricity from solar- and wind-power facilities.

Samsung-Bosch Venture to Invest in Car-Battery Plants

SB LiMotive Co., a 50-50 joint venture between South Korea's Samsung SDI Co. and Germany's Robert Bosch GmbH, will invest $500 million by 2013 to add one or two more car-battery production lines in Korea.

Samsung SDI may also expand its production facilities beyond Asia to regions including Europe to meet increasing demand for batteries used for electric automobiles, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

In September 2009, Samsung SDI flagged its intention to invest as much as 500 billion won ($460 million) from 2011 through 2015 in facilities to produce batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Samsung SDI—an affiliate of South Korea's biggest conglomerate Samsung Group—and the world's largest lithium-ion polymer car battery maker by sales, LG Chem Ltd., are both seeking to gain a greater share of the global automotive-battery market.

"Samsung announced earlier this year that it will push the electric car battery business as one of its new growth drivers and we see a lot of growth potential in this market, as demand for electric cars will continue to increase more and more as time goes by," a company spokesman said.

The joint venture currently produces 50,000 units of rechargeable batteries for cars a month but it plans to boost its monthly production capacity to as much as 400,000 units within the next three years, the company spokesman said.

Last week, Samsung SDI and LG Chem announced that they will increase investment in their battery businesses, as the South Korean companies seek to capitalize on fast-growing demand for rechargeable batteries used in consumer electronics and automobiles.

Samsung SDI currently supplies lithium-ion batteries to global car manufacturers, including BMW AG and Chrysler Group LLC of the U.S., while LG Chem has 10 customers for its lithium-ion polymer batteries, including General Motors, Ford Motor, Renault, Hyundai Motor and China's Chana.

Daimler, Bosch Join in Electric Car Venture

Daimler will team up with industrial giant Bosch in a joint venture to produce electric motors to be used in Mercedes and Smart cars next year, both companies said on April 12.

The two firms have signed a letter of intent and joint production should start in 2012 at sites in Hildesheim in central Germany and Stuttgart in the south-west.

The 50-50 joint venture, which should be in place by the end of June, aims "to accelerate development advances in electric motors," a statement said.

Home to many of the world's top car firms, Germany has been slow off the starting grid when it comes to developing electric vehicles, with Japan and the United States powering ahead.

The world's leading luxury car maker, BMW, said last year it would invest 400 million euros (US$575 million) by 2013 to produce an electric car as German manufacturers scramble to catch up with global rivals.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's government has offered sweeteners to auto firms to hit the government's target of having one million electric cars on the road by 2020.

SKF Electromagnetic Regenerative Active Suspension System [video]

SKF and Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) engineers have jointly developed computer controlled electromagnetic suspension that can also regenerate energy.

The Eindhoven suspension as it is called is not only electronic but also active, it is connected to a variety of sensors and accelerometers via an onboard computer which adjusts the suspension as per the road conditions within a fraction of a second.

We have reported on a number of regenerative suspension systems based on both electric motors and hydraulic systems. Eindhoven researchers say hydraulics cant match the speed of an electromagnetic system.

About the same size as a conventional shock absorber, the system consists of a passive spring, a tubular linear actuator, a control unit and batteries.

Unlike in a similar system developed by Bose, the spring provides springing action, while linear stepper motors provide active control. If the batteries should fail, the system will still work as a purely mechanical suspension.

With a peak consumption of 500 watts, the suspension uses about a quarter of the power of hydraulic systems. It also stretches its battery life by using road vibrations to generate electricity.

The company has tested the system on a simulator and claims that it offers a 60% ride improvement. Eindhoven University developed the system in collaboration with Swedish mechatronics company SKF, which has patented the technology and is looking into marketing it.