Welcome to the Electric Vehicle Society!

Transcription

Home
News
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Welcome to the Electric Vehicle Society!
Articles
Events
The Electric Vehicle Society (EVS) is comprised of electric vehicle enthusiasts, engineers and
Membership
environmentalists. It was established in 1991. Its mission and purpose is to investigate and
Newsletter
promote clean transportation technologies with a focus on electric energy. It provides a forum
Meetings
for members to discuss personal experiences in building or converting traditional gasoline
Links
vehicles to electric.
Video Links
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
EVS members participate in various events from the annual world Electric Vehicle
Symposium (EVS), the Tour de Sol, the Toronto Auto Dealer Association (TADA) Auto Show,
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
and the Molson Indy. Encouraging vehicle conversions in High Schools is an important
activity that is ongoing. Private and Corporate membership is available.
Why Electric Vehicles?
Electric vehicles have a number of distinct advantages over more traditional, internal
combustion engine vehicles. Here are a few reasons to consider an electric vehicle:
●
Zero Emissions. Electric Vehicles run on clean electric energy, and do not produce any
emissions while operating. As a result, they are environmental friendly vehicles and do
not contribute to global warming.
●
Simple Design. The electric motor is a very simple design that contains a single
moving part. Because of this, electric vehicles generally require very little
maintenance, and have a much greater lifetime than engines which burn petroleumbased fuel.
●
Efficiency. Electric Vehicle Motors are about 3 times as efficient as the internal
combustion engines found in most mainstream vehicles today.
●
Other Electric Vehicle Reasons.
Back to top | Meetings | Events | Membership | Links | Video Links | F.A.Q. | Contact us
Home
News
Sion Power: Lithium Sulfer Batteries
Articles
Events
Posted: April 5, 2007
Membership
Newsletter
"Sion Power has achieved breakthrough results by a unique merging of sulfur and lithium
Meetings
chemistries to develop Li-STM technology. Sion Power uses the well-known high
Links
electrochemical potential of lithium and combines it with sulfur to attain superior rechargeable
Video Links
performance. Theoretical specific energy is in excess of 2500 watt hours per kilogram and
Contact Us
energy density exceeded 2600 watt hours per liter."
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
Read More
Conversion Manual
Battery Breakthrough?
Posted: April 5, 2007
"A Texas company says it can make a new ultracapacitor power system to replace the
electrochemical batteries in everything from cars to laptops."
Read More
Home
Articles
News
Articles
EV Related Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Articles
Articles on EV and EV parts, featuring how to's and white papers.
Meetings
Links
Is the clean car coming? - by Philip Ball
Video Links
Contact Us
The Dawning of a New Dynasty - by Monte Gisborne
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
EVS-20 Report - by Neil Gover
Conversion Manual
The Conversion Process - by Neil Gover
How Electric Cars Work - by Marshall Brain
Home
EVS Events
News
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
Links
A Gathering of EV's. Stay Tuned for more Info!
Video Links
❍
A Gathering of EV's! Local Electric Vehicles Gathering.
Contact Us
If you have an EV: Car, Truck, Bike, Scooter, or Trike that you want to have here,
F.A.Q.
Contact [email protected] for advance info!
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
❍
Cross Town by EV! (A Mini-Competition among Local EV Drivers!) - Date TBA
❍
eKool Rods! Public Unveiling - Stay Tuned!
❍
Group Screening - 'Who Killed the Electric Car?' - Date TBA
Home
Membership
News
Articles
The Electric Vehicle Society is a member driven and governed group. Enthusiasts, engineers
Events
and environmentalist are invited to join. New members are welcome. We need your help!
Membership
Newsletter
Annual individual membership fees are $30 for adults and $20 for students & seniors.
Meetings
Corporate membership is $100.
Links
Video Links
●
You may attend a meeting before purchasing a Membership
F.A.Q.
●
Membership is based on a Calendar Year: January - December
Why E.V.'s?
●
Each Member recieves a Membership Card Identifying their year of Membership
Conversion Manual
●
Contact Us
●
●
We are working with businesses to create a membership benefits source list,
where your membership card allows for product discounts.
You may attend a meeting and bring your Membership Application completed
for expedited Applications
Click here for a printable application form.
Membership Benefits - Discounts
EV Newsletter: EV Surge.
Free to Members, otherwise $0.50 for Non-Members.
Electric Vehicle Conversion Manual.
$15.00 Discount, Members only pay $35.00.
Go To top
Home
News
Newsletter
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
Links
Video Links
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
EVSurge - Newsletter Information.
The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada Newsletter - 'EV Surge' is a Bi-Monthly Newsletter,
issued 6 times per year, and is included in the Paid Membership, one copy per Individual,
Senior, or business membership, with extra copies available at the public price of fifty cents
($0.50) per copy.
Newsletters are generally available at the initial meeting when they are released, and are
primarily distributed at the meeting to members in attendance. If you prefer yours to be mailed
or to be send out electronically, please advise the editor by providing your information to the
editor directly.
The newsletter is also soon going to be available to the public, initially in Black and White or
Gray-Scale Versions on a limited test, followed by a Color test, and then evaluated.
Contact the Editor, Robert Weekley, if you have preferences to receive the Newsletter other
than at the meeting: by email at [email protected] or by phone at 416-638-4368 .
Current Newsletters
Q. What is the current Newsletter Issue #?
A. The Current Newsletter Printed is Nov-Dec 2007,Issue #5.
Q. What is in the current Newsletter (Issue #5)
A. The Current Newsletter's table of contents covers:
New EV's Coming, Li-Ion Batteries, Chevy Volt, Bradley GT2.
Go To top
Future Newsletters
Q. What can I expect in Future Newsletters?
A. Future Newsletters will be containing member written articles on local and distant activities in
the EV World, & more advertising from the growing number of commercial members, up to the
maximum 25% of total content, with nothing larger than 1/2 page.
Q. Will there be other options, besides at the meeting, to receive the Newsletter in the
Future?
A. It is planned that future Newsletters will be posted on the site, with a password accessible area
for the then current issue, with the older ones added to the links list, below.
Q. Will it be possible to just pay to receive the Newsletter in the Future?
A. Consideration is being made to allow the direct sale of any newsletter, by way of paypal;
however - the price might be a bit higher, and therefore impractical for single issues to be sold
this way. Subscriptions can be sold this way - however, and also - Newsletter Years (6 Issues) as
a single sale - and single delivery.
Go To top
Past Newsletters
Q. where can I find copies of Past Newsletters?
A. Past Newsletters will be posted here - below - for public viewing after 2 months.
Go To top
Past Newsletters - Links
Current Listings of (Available) Past EVSurge Newsletters:
2007
Issue-1 Jan-Feb
Issue-2 Mar-Apr
Issue-3 May-Jun
Issue-4 Jul-Aug
Issue-5 Sept-Oct
Go To top
Home
News
When
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
Meetings of the Electric Vehicle Society are held on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.
m. except for July and August
Where
Links
Video Links
Centennial College (Ashtonbee Campus), 75 Ashtonbee Rd, Room B216, Scarborough.
Contact Us
Go in the door at the main entrance up the stairs, and around to your left - you will see Room
F.A.Q.
B216.
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
Membership >
Permits or Payment for Parking is not Required during Continuing Education hours on
weekdays from 6 to 11 P.M. and on weekends from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M.
For a Link to a Google Map for here - Google MAP *Opens in a New Window (Close Focus)
For a Link to a Mapquest page - MapQuest Map *Opens in a New Window (Wide Focus)
Home
News
Links
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
EV Related Web site Links, Click a link here to jump down to the specific segment.
Member Sites - Canadian Conversion Suppliers - International Conversion Suppliers Chargers - Batteries - Controllers - Motors - Gages - Individual Conversions
Government Sites - Information - Alternative Energy and Fuels - Solar Cars
Bicycles - Electrathon - Low Speed Vehicles - Other - Books.
Links
Video Links
Associations
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
Electric Drive Transportation
Industry based association.
Conversion Manual
Electric Vehicle Assoc. of Greater Washington DC
The Electric Vehicle Assoc. of Greater Washington DC
MidAmerica Electric Auto Association
An excellent Links Page from the Kansas/Missouri chapter of the EAA
Durham Electric Vehicle Association
The Durham Electric Vehicle Association meets in Whitby, East of Toronto
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
This group holds the "Tour de Sol" alternative fuel vehicle rally yearly.
Centre for Renewable Energy Sources
European group promoting solar, wind and desalination conferences.
20th Electric Vehicle Symposium
EVS 20 will be held in Long Beach, California, Nov 15-19, 2003. EV’s largest show.
Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association
The First Canadian chapter of the EAA
Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa
Active enthusiast group that meets monthly and runs an Electrathon event in June.
The Electric Auto Association
An enthusiast group with over 18 chapters across North America.
Go To top
Members Sites
ElectroCraft EV Systems
Toronto based manufacturer of chargers, controllers and DC-DC converters, Owned by Darius Vakili.
Ontario Electric Vehicle Information
Neil Gover’s page with the story of his conversion plus links
Freedex Trikes
Ron McCurdy’s electrically assisted trikes.
My Electricfly
Robert Weekley's Story of his continuing work on the Converted 1989 Pontiac Firefly
Go To top
Conversions and Parts - Canadian Suppliers
REV Consultants
Rick Lane in Ottawa does conversions as well as selling parts
Canadian Electric Vehicles Ltd.
Randy Holmquist's conversion and manufacturing company on Vancouver Island
Go To top
Conversions and Parts - International Suppliers
Grassroots EV
Florida based conversion and parts shop.
THE EV TRADIN' POST
Electric Vehicle Classifieds - The web's best place to buy or sell an electric car! (Including parts & Accessories!).
Metric Mind
Selling Siemens AC drive systems including inverter, controller & motor.
Power Designers
Wisconsin manufacturer of chargers and battery management systems, including Battery Equalizers, & Loggers.
Cloud Electric
Georgia based supplier of parts, notably for Electrathon vehicles
EV Rider
Florida based manufacturer of electric scooters.
Electro Automotive
California based supplier of kits and components.
evparts.com
Washington State parts and kit supplier.
Electric Vehicles of America, Inc.
New Hampshire based supplier of components
Megawatt Motorworks
Dave Stensland's site with an excellent selection of EV books.
InnEVations
KTA Services Inc
Go To top
Chargers
Bycan Systems
Manufacturers of dual voltage chargers.
Zivan Charger Sales & Service
US Rep for Zapi Inc of Italy - High Frequency Chargers
Manzanita Micro
Washington based manufacturer of power factor corrected chargers: PFC-20, PFC-30 & PFC-50
Delta-Q Technologies
British Columbia based manufacturer of Sealed 1kW power factor corrected chargers: QuiQ, QuiQ-dci.
Delta-Q chargers are based on an advanced power conversion topology that uses a high efficiency, high frequency zero-
voltage switching circuit with advanced digital software control.
The resulting high efficiency rating allows our units to be housed in a fully sealed enclosure, ensuring long charger life
and allowing installation in a variety of areas onboard the electric vehicle.
Go To top
Batteries
U.S. Battery Manufacturing Co.
Manufacturers of deep-cycle lead-acid batteries.
Hawker Batteries
Sealed lead acid batteries often used in electric drag racing.
Car & Deep Cycle Battery Information
The best battery info site I have found with links to all manufacturers.
PowerStream
Sealed lead-acid batteries, chargers, power supplies based in Utah.
Optima Batteries
Optima builds sealed lead acid deep cycle batteries.
Trojan Battery
Manufacturers of a popular line of flooded lead acid golf cart batteries.
Exide Technologies
Crown Battery
Thunder Sky
Lithium Ion Power Battery [Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)] Manufacturer.
Everspring
HK Exclusive Distributor for Thunder Sky Batteries.
International Battery Inc.
Overseas Base and Distributor for Thunder Sky Batteries.
Go To top
Controllers
Caf項lectric
Controllers designed for electric drag racing at 2000 amps, also for street use.
Alltrax.
Motor Controllers for the Electric Vehicle Industry.
Zapi Inc.
Italian controller manufacturer with AC, DC and Sep-Ex controllers
AC Propulsion
AC Propulsion’s Fast Charger and Controller System.
Curtis Instruments
World’s largest manufacturer of controllers.
Navitas Technologies Ltd.
Kitchener, Ontario, Company provides R & D, manufacturing, marketing, and custom manufacturing of electric DC motor
controllers and related products.
Brusa Elektronik AG
Everything you need to build an electric, hybrid electric, or fuel cell powered vehicle.
Go To top
Motors
Netgain Technologies
Manufacturers of the WarP series of series DC motors.
eCycle
Creator of 5 kW brushless DC motor/generator for motorcycles.
Wavecrest Laboratories
A new brushless DC motor and controller.
eTraction
Creator of TheWheel SM500/2FE Motor and e-Traction Energy Management System.
Elebike Co. Ltd.
Creator/Patent Holder of Rim Motor - 6" 8" 9" 10" and 16".
The Heinzmann Motor.
Creator of Heinzmann Rim Motor - Front/Rear; 24/36V; 5 Wattage Levels.
SEVCON
AC Induction Motors, and more.
Brusa Elektronik AG
Everything you need to build an electric, hybrid electric, or fuel cell powered vehicle.
Go To top
The Rest of The Parts - Gages & More
Metric Mind - EVision
Manufacturers of EVision - Universal Monitoring and Measurement Instrument for Electric Vehicle or Boat.
Any 3 parameters can be displayed at once - two using digital readout (two 3 digit 7-segment LED displays) and one -
using 25 segments circular analog bar. High-End Gage.
Xantrex - Accessories
Manufacturers of the E-Meter, now Link 10 Battery Monitor,an electrical “gas” gauge.
The de-facto standard in battery monitors, Simple and easy-to-use multicolour display show volts, amps hours
consumed, and operating time remaining.
CruzPro
Manufacturers of the VAH30, VAH35, and VAH110 Volts/Amps/Amp-Hour Meters.
Northern Arizona Wind & Sun
A Retailer of the Link 10 and other products with good pricing.
BZ 12-24-48V Battery Bank Monitor
A Simple Low-Cost basic Battery Metter displaying an LED readout in 10% increments.
Bogart Engineering
Makers of the Trimetric TM-48, a Volt/Amps/Amp-Hours & Battery % Full gage.
Microlog Technologies
Manufacturers of a group of low-voltage 12-24V Battery Monitors.
UK Kill A Watt
UK Version of Kill A Watt, Measures voltage (V), amps (A), watts (W), volt-amps(VA), hertz (Hz) and power factor (PF).
PowerMeter Store - Kill-A-Watt
Providers of Kill-A-Watt EZ Plug Power Meter and other Energy Monitoring Products.(North America)
The Kill A Watt EZ still displays all the same measurements of the original Kill A Watt product, but adds in your running
cost and projected cost.
UPM Marketing
Manufacturers of the EM100 electronic energy meter.
Measurement Modes: Voltage (V), Current (A), Wattage (W), Maximum loading wattage, Accumulated operation time (hr:
min:sec), Total Energy Consumption (kWh), Energy Cost Calculations.
PowerMeter Store - MeterMaid
MeterMaid Power Meter for RV/Marine Sites.
Go To top
Individual Conversions
BIG DAVE'S CAR
Dave Brockman’s 1973 Porsche 911T electric conversion.
Alain St-Yves
Alain St-Yves of Quebec converted an S-10 pickup in 1998, site is in French.
Tom Hudson
Tom Hudson’s Solectria Force and E-10 Pickup.
Mark Dodrill
A 1985 Nissan Pulsar conversion by Mark Dodrill.
John Lussmyer
John Lussmyer of Washington state’s site for his Corbin Sparrow.
Electric Civic
Mike Chancey's story of his 1988 Honda Civic Electric conversion.
KILLACYCLE
The world’s quickest electric motorcycle at 7.824 Sec. / 168.49 mph in the ¼ mile drag!
Mark Brueggemann, Albuquerque,NM
His story about the why’s and how’s of his Chevy S-10 conversion, and climb to 10,750 Ft. High Sandia Crest.
An Electric Formula Ford Race Car
Paul Compton’s English electric fleet of vehicles: MK2 VW Scirocco, VanDiemen RF79, & more.
Saturn EV Conversion Diary
Alberta’s Ken Norwick tells his 1996 Saturn conversion story in a 200 page diary.
Dave Luiz ELECTRIC RANGER
1993 Ford Ranger Extended Cab Conversion Project.
Seth's EV Page
1972 Datsun 240Z Electric Conversion - "Z-EV" (in progress).
Jim Coate’s EeeVee Page.
ET, the Electric Pickup Truck with over 45,000 electric miles.
FORKENSWIFT
Darin Cosgrove's 'Electric car conversion on a beer budget' - Under $700 CDN.
All About Eve
Jerry Halstead's second Electric Car conversion. a 1990 Ford Probe.
electricfly
Robert Weekley's Acquisition and refinement process of a 1989 Pontiac Firefly Conversion.
Go To top
Government Sites
Quebec Advanced Transportation Institute (ITAQ)
ITAQ, a catalyst for the development of sustainable transportation technologies.
US Environmental Protection Agency.
Protecting human health & safeguarding the natural environment.
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
US Dept of Energy lab site with info on renewable energy sources.
Calstart
State of California site promoting better transportation technologies.
California Air Resources Board
Part of the CA Environmental Protection Agency responsible for protecting air quality.
Centre for Electric Vehicle Experimentation in Quebec.
Non-profit organization to promote hybrid or EV usage.
Go To top
Information
Home Power Magazine
A bi-monthly alternative energy magazine that includes electric vehicles.
Her Electric Vehicle.
An Australian/American site for the ladies, but the men can share the interest.
Electric Vehicle Assoc. United Kingdom
Promoting electric and hybrid vehicles in the United Kingdom.
EV World
An excellent site with EV news from around the world, updated daily.
The EV Discussion List Photo Album
Pictures and info on 1323 (Nov.18/07) Electric Vehicles from bikes to boats to cars.
On-Road Electric Vehicle Inventory.
Current Grand Total (North America, 2005.04.24): 1,776 on-road electric vehicles (excluding most OEM electrics)
Go To top
Alternative Energy and Fuels
Association of Power Producers of Ontario - APPrO
APPrO has over 100 members, with more than 30,000 MW in Ontario and tens of thousands more worldwide.
Members include: Generators, Marketers, Contractors, Equipment suppliers, Consultants, LDC's, Fuel suppliers, Service
providers, Financiers, Individuals.
Windshare - Formerly Toronto Renewable Energy Co-op.
Promoters of a wind turbine at Exhibition Park, Toronto, and The Lakewind Power Project is a 10 MW wind farm located
in the farming community of Bervie Ontario, about 12 kilometre's inland from Kincardine on the shores of Lake Huron.
Canada Clean Fuels
Canada Clean Fuels is a leader in the delivery of biodiesel. We offer the same services as regular diesel in any blend
level such as 20% Biodiesel blended with Colored diesel or 50% biodiesel blended with stove oil.
More Information on Biodiesel.
VOGELBILT
Biodiesel.
Grease Car Vegetable Fuel Systems
Diesel engined car operating on used cooking oil, unmodified.
The Greasecar Vegetable Oil Conversion System is an auxiliary fuel modification system that allows all diesel vehicles to
run on straight vegetable oil in any climate. Your Greasecar kit comes with everything you need to convert your diesel
vehicle to run on vegetable oil. Including hand crafted aluminum heated fuel cell, Quick-flush switching and 10 micron
filter.
Veggiepower
Using vegetable oil just like Mr Diesel did in his engine for lower emissions.
Biodiesel is the name for a variety of ester-based oxygenated fuels made from soybean oil or other vegetable oils or
animal fats. The concept of using vegetable oil as a fuel dates back to 1895 when Dr. Rudolf Diesel developed the first
diesel engine to run on vegetable oil. Diesel demonstrated his engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900 using
peanut oil as fuel.
The Alternative-fuel Vehicle Directory.
This directory includes links to alternative fuel Web sites.
There are EV conversions, the electrochemistry of batteries and fuel cells, U.S. Government research sites, university
hybrid projects, regional EV associations and international automobile manufacturers, among others. Not Updated.
Otherpower.com.
The Cutting Edge of Low Technology.
We are a group of alternative energy enthusiasts who want to spread the message that It's EASY to make your own
power FROM SCRATCH. Otherpower.com's headquarters is located in a remote part of the Northern Colorado
mountains, 15 miles past the nearest power pole or phone line. All of our houses and shops run on only solar, wind,
water and generator power...not because we are trying to make some sort of political or environmental statement, but
because these are the only options available. And we refuse to move to town.
Go To top
Solar Cars
Xof1.com - The Power of One
Xof1 is a project to develop and build a solar car and set a new world record for distance. The catalyst for the project,
Marcello da Luz, was inspired to create xof1 after learning about the World Solar Challenge.
Panasonic World Solar Challenge 2007.
Across Australia. Darwin to Adelaide. October 21-28, 2007.
2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge is the ultimate challenge in sustainable energy.
American Solar Energy Society - ASES
Promoting solar energy for US citizens and the global environment.
ASES is leading the renewable energy revolution. We’re the nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the use of
solar energy, energy efficiency, and other sustainable technologies in the U.S.
Blue Sky Solar Racing
University of Toronto Solar Racing Team.
The University of Toronto Blue Sky Solar Racing Team returned home from the Panasonic World Solar Challenge on the
week of November 1st bringing home top Canadian placement. Cerulean, UofT's latest car crossed the finish line in
Adelaide, Australia on October 26th completing a 3000km journey in 46 hours and 1 9 minutes. This time has put Blue
Sky in 5th place finish in the Adventure Class.
Midnight Sun Solar Car Team
Solar Race Car Team from the University of Waterloo.
The race team is back from competing in the Panasonic World Solar Challenge this October. Midnight Sun IX completed
the 3000km trek across the Australian outback in 54h 49m, finishing in second place among the production challenge
vehicles and 16th overall.
SUNSTANG Solar Car Project - OHIO UNIVERSITY.
The SunStang project was conceived as an honors research project for engineering students in the summer of 1991.
Over 40 students, faculty, and alumni work together with the generous support of countless sponsors to produce the
Sunstang solar car.
Queens Solar Vehicle Team.
Queen's Solar Vehicle Team (QSVT) is a competitive design team composed of undergraduates from Queen's
University. Located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, we build a solar-powered vehicle every two years to compete in the
World Solar Challenge and the North American Solar Challenge.
As a participant in the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge, the Queen’s University Solar Vehicle Team completed the
3,000km trek across Australia on Sunday, October 28, 2007. The team’s solar vehicle, Aurum, drove across the Finish
Line in Victoria Square (Adelaide, South Australia), greeted by a crowd of proud supporters and friendly locals.
McMaster University Solar Car Project
With the world’s supply of crude oil decreasing on a daily basis, the search to find an alternative fuel source has
increased in importance. Many industries are exploring the use of renewable resources as a viable means of energy,
including wind, water, and sun.
The Sun has provided the earth with the energy to sustain life for many millions of years. All plants use photosynthesis to
convert solar power into energy to help them grow. The trick in harnessing the Sun’s massive supply of energy is to
convert the solar energy into a practical form of power: Electricity.
The sole purpose of the solar cell is to convert the incoming energy obtained from the sunlight into an electrical current.
Winston Solar Challenge
An international education program designed for teaching high school students the physics and technology associated
with a road worthy solar car.
In 1993, the Winston Solar Team established the Winston Solar Education Program designed to help motivate students
in science and engineering.
Go To top
Bicycles
Freedextrikes.com
Tricycles for people with mobility problems, include electric assist if necessary.
Electric Bikes Toronto
Blue Avenue, a Toronto based company, is committed to bringing the latest in environmental, recreational and alternative
modes of transportation.
Electric Bikes Toronto
Now in our sixth year of continuous operation, Daymak has become Canada’s official Alternative Vehicle provider.
TORONTO E-Bikes G-Force
We have a large selection of the finest quality electric utility vehicles, e-bikes, mobility scooters, power wheelchairs,
canopies, stairlifts and electric golf caddies available on the market today.
ebikes.ca
The site is here to encourage you, whether an avid inventor or average joe, to take on ebike and other Personal Electric
Vehicle projects.
Ebikes Web.
This web site is an outgrowth of the mailing list of the same name.
eBike Conversion Kits.
Easy to install ebike conversion kits for environmental friendly eBikes. On his ebike Sam loves not needing to “work out”
on his morning cycle commute, has enough power to double that distance, and finds that his battery recharges in less
than an hour.
Peachtree Ebikes
Affordable, Quality Electric Bicycles and Ebike Products. Veloteq ebike's are powered by a robust 500 W brushless DC
motor and 48V power supply and come with a cUL Listed SMART Charger that turns itself off when the job is done.
Segway of Ontario - Canada's Segway Store
We are situated in the Greater Toronto Area and offer all Canadian consumers (both personal and business) a full line up
of Segway PT and related products.
Go To top
Electrathon
Electrathon America
Organization promoting 1 person electric vehicles mostly student built.
Ottawa 2002 EVCO Electrathon
EVCO's Electrathon is no longer running but here are some excellent ideas.
Global Light and Power
Steve Van Ronk owns this Electrathon supplier in Idaho. The first electric vehicle hit the road in Scotland in 1834, but it
wasn't until 1990 that the sport of Electrathon was introduced to America.
Queen's University Great Electric Car Race
The Great Electric Car Race is sponsored by the Faculty of Education at Queen's University in Kingston Ontario.
Black Shadow Racing Electrathon Vehicle
The AMP-RAGE racer is currently sponsored by: Exide Battery Canada and Synergic Design Ottawa
Electrathon Mexico.
El campeonato Toyota-Electratón-LTH es el único serial de automovilismo deportivo el飴rico en nuestro pa•.
Electrathon New England.
Electrathon New England Events are sanctioned by Electrathon America.
the Albany Electric Race team
We are a group of high school students that have joined together to form an electric race car team. In the process of
making this car, we are determined to enhance our learning skills in technology, computer programming, and teamwork.
During this half-year process, we hope to accomplish all of these goals.
Willamette High School Electrathon Racing
We are from Willamette High school in Eugene OR. We are students in the Engineering Cam (Certificate of advanced
Mastery)In the program we build electrathon cars, which are basically go carts that run on 2 car batteries and that run for
about an hour at speeds as fast as 40 mph.
Go To top
Low Speed Vehicles, Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, and Off-road Vehicles
McGill University Electric Snowmobile Team
Based in Montreal, Quebec, our team is the only team which has participated in the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge
with a fully electric snowmobile.
Dynasty Motorcar Corporation
British Columbia manufacturer of low speed vehicles.
Feel Good Cars / ZENN - Zero Emission No Noise
Toronto based promoter of the ZENN low speed vehicle.
Tiger Truck
Chinese built small off road utility vehicles
Global Electric Motorcars
GEM, a division of Daimler Chrysler, builds these LSV’s. Global Electric Motorcars, a Chrysler company, has been in
operation for ten years. Located in Fargo, North Dakota, Global Electric Motorcars manufactured its first vehicle in April
1998.
Modifying NEV's to go faster...safe? legal?
The vehicle code defines an NEV to be a vehicle of certain parameters, and to exceed those parameters it would no
longer meet those definitions. The government set those definitions for safety reasons.
Neighborhood Electric Vehicles - Guide.
Meet a new class of electric car. It's called the Low-Speed Vehicle or LSV. It is also known as a neighborhood electric
vehicle or NEV.
Go To top
Other
Electric Vehicle Discussion List
A forum for the exchange of information on electric vehicles (a mailing list).
Electric Vehicle Center of Technology
Oklahoma training centre for EV service technicians.
Azure Dynamics
Azure Dynamics Corporation is a world leader in the development and production of hybrid electric and electric
components and power train systems for commercial vehicles.
Green Motorsport
Green MotorSport brings technology and environmental issues to everyone’s attention making learning about renewable
energy and energy efficiency interesting and exciting.
Nickel Development Institute
Nickel as a component in new battery technologies.
Pollution Probe
Air, water,energy and indoor environments are the interests of this group.
National Electric Drag Racing Association
Organizes and sets rules for electric drag racing.
Bruce Parmenter's Site
One of the best and most comprehensive sites includes alternative energy sources.
Electric Power Research Institute
The Future of Electricity: EPRI has identified several issues that transcend the boundaries of a single industry or
technology - challenging us to create a research and development portfolio that can solve our most exacting problems,
meet our greatest needs and define our highest aims.
Chevrolet - New Electric 'Volt'
Seventy-eight percent of commuters drive 40 miles or less to and from work. Introducing a new kind of electric vehicle:
Concept Chevy Volt. It's unlike any previous EV (electric vehicle), thanks to its innovative rechargeable electric drive
system and range-extending power source.
Technologies M-4
Quebec based builder of motor wheels and control systems.
UQM Technologies
With more than 25 years of experience in developing and applying electric power systems to advanced vehicles, UQM
Technologies is a world recognized technology leader in the development and manufacture of high performance, power
dense and energy efficient electric motors, generators and power electronic controllers.
AC Propulsion
Builders of the Tzero sports car Concept which does 60 mph in 4.1 seconds or 1/4 mile in 13.2 seconds. and the
Commercially viable eBox Conversion, which does 0-60 in 0-60 mph in 7 secs, with a 120 mph range.
ev1.org / The Home Page of the EV1 Club
Builders of the Tzero sports car and the Co-developer of the GM 'Impact' that lead to the development of the EV1.
Charge Across America
Travel along as Kris Trexler drove his GM EV1 electric car on a 3,275 mile cross country trip without burning one drop of
gasoline!
Go To top
Books
Books on EV's from the library of Neil Gover.
These books are available from various local EV parts suppliers.
From Gasoline to Electric Power - by Gary Powers
This is the story of his conversion, including mistakes as they occurred, of a 1986 Chevy S-10 pickup truck. The step-by-
step tale is told with humour and many excellent tips.
Longbarn Press ISBN 0-9660953-0-8
Build Your Own Electric Vehicle - by Bob Brandt
An excellent book that first gives an historical overview then explains the engineering challenges and subsequent
products that solved the problems of building an electrically powered vehicle.
After explaining why the conversion of an internal combustion vehicle is the best route he show the complete
conversion process with a Ford Ranger pick up truck.
Tab Books ISBN 0830642315
The New Electric Vehicles: A Clean & Quiet Revolution - by Michael Hackleman
This book covers the full range of electrified vehicles from fuel cell to human assist to solar power. After showing many
types of EV's he explains the processes required to build or convert a vehicle to battery power.
Home Power Magazine ISBN 0962958875
Convert It! - by Michael Brown
Written by an auto mechanic after being commissioned by a customer to do a conversion. This book is the result of
many years of running a conversion shop.
Future Books ISBN 1979857944
Battery Book One, Lead Acid Traction Batteries - by Curtis Instruments Staff
The best information I have seen about the chemistry of lead acid batteries is included with information on charging,
selection and care of these batteries. This book is written for fork lift truck users but the same principles apply to the
faster EV's we drive on the roads.
ISBN 0939488000
Go To top
Home
News
Video Links
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
Video Links of Interest.
The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada - selected Videos
Contact the Editor, Robert Weekley, by email if you have Video Links you would like added to
this page: [email protected]
Links
Video Links
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Self-Conversions & Prototypes:
YouTube Videos (Titles are links)
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
Energizer EV on NBC 25
Knoxville, MD's Mike Harvey's Convertible 1992 Volkswagon Cabriolet.
Say no to gas!
San Antonio's John Anderson's 70 mph Electric Motorcycle.
Lightning Lithium E1
Los Angeles' Electric Motorsports Thundersky Lithium Powered Electric Bike does 75 miles a charge!
LElectric Drag Bike - 0 to 60 in 1 second
Electric Motorcycle goes against the Gas powered cars and eats them up!
The Killacycle & Scotty Pollacheck do 7.824 @ 168.49 MPH in the 1/4 mile!
Pomona AHDRA Nov 10th, 2007! This weekend at the AHDRA (All Harley Drag Racing Association) California Nationals
Scotty Pollacheck bested his own existing world record of 8.08 sec @ 163 mph with a 7.82 sec @ 168 mph on the A123
Systems Killacycle Electric Dragbike.
Owner Bill Dube' has finally reached his quest of breaking the 7 second barrier.
Project ForkenSwift electric car conversion: it's legal!
Brockville, Ontario October 26, 2007! 1992 Geo Metro - breaking the 17 second barrier!
Speed Records with White Zombie! 11.555's @ 110.76 in the 1/4 mile!
The White Zombie as appeared on The Speed Channel's "Speed Records".
White Zombie: Get Under the Hood of an Electric Dragster
Electric vehicles are making their presence felt at amateur drag races across the country, challenging gas-powered cars
and motorcycles. John Wayland, a self-described "amp head," explains how the cars work. (July 30).
Dodge Viper 500 hp Vs Electric Car - See Who Wins
Only about 15% of the energy from the fuel you put in your tank gets used to move your car down the road or run useful
accessories, such as air conditioning. The rest of the energy is lost to engine and driveline inefficiencies and idling.
Therefore, the potential to improve fuel efficiency with advanced technologies is enormous. With an Electric Car it costs
just $2.00 per 100kms with MUCH more performance than with petrol at $20.00 per 100kms.
More YouTube Videos (Just LiPoly Vehicles)
Fastest Razor Scooter Lipoly Batteries
Lead acid batteries are very big, heavy with low amp output.
Lithium Polymer weights much less, holds much more and puts out more juice.
Only the batteries are changed on this scooter.
340 Hp 4wd PROEV Lithium Polymer Electric car racing SCCA
PROEV Electric car in race test in SCCA road race (Moroso track, west palm beach), beating conventional gas cars. First
electric car to win gas versions Full traction, two engines, running in this test at half power. battery: 100 Amps at 351.5
volts of KOKAM lithium polymer, storing 35 kW of energy on board. Batteries can supply peak discharges of 800 Amps
(280kw). More info at www.proev.com
Home
Electric Vehicle Society of Canada
News
Articles
21 Burritt Road
Events
Scarborough, ON M1R 3S5
Membership
Newsletter
Tel/Fax 416 755.4324
Meetings
Links
Video Links
Email [email protected]
President: Howard Hutt
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Treasurer: Steven Lam
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
Home
News
F.A.Q. Frequently Asked Questions
Articles
Events
Membership
EV Questions - EVS Questions - EVS Membership Questions Manual Questions - EVS Event Questions
Newsletter
Meetings
EV Related Questions
Links
Video Links
Q. Where can I buy an Electric Vehicle?
Contact Us
A. Manufacturers do not currently sell Electric Vehicles.
F.A.Q.
You can, however, convert one yourself if you can't wait for them.
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
Go To top
EVS Questions
Q. When was the Electric Vehicle Society of Canada Established?
A. The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada was Established in 1976, by Howard Hutt.
Go To top
EVS Membership Questions
Q. How can I join The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada?
A. You can Join The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada by coming to any meeting with a
completed application and a Check for the Appropriate Amount.
Go To top
EV Manual Questions
Q. How can I find out more about the process of Converting a Gas Vehicle to an Electric
Vehicle?
A. You can read out web page 'Conversion Manual' to learn more.
Go To top
EVS Event Questions
Q. How can I find out more about the Events you are actively promoting with Electric
Vehicles?
A. You can read out web page 'Events' to learn more.
Go To top
Home
News
Articles
Events
Membership
Newsletter
Meetings
Why Choose an Electric Vehicle? (EV)
Why Electric Vehicles, Part 1 - Why Electric Vehicles, Part 2 Why Electric Vehicles, Part 3 - Why Electric Vehicles, Part 4 Far from being a modern conception, electric cars were among the first vehicles on the road.
In the formative days of the automobile, a third of cars were electric, and they challenged
internal combustion engine-driven vehicles for primacy.
The biggest advantages of an EV - at a glance:
Links
Video Links
●
●
Contact Us
●
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
●
●
●
Conversion Manual
●
You can breathe easy beside an EV-no emissions!
Greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions if charged from coal-fired electrical
generation--(potentially none if charged by wind and/or solar).
No engine or exhaust noise--quieter streets and neighborhoods.
Breaks the dependence on oil, foreign or otherwise.
Auto maintenance is far simpler, less expensive.
90% of daily commutes in North America would be easily handled by current battery
technology.
We already have sufficient night-time (off-peak) electrical capacity to charge millions of
cars.
We hope you find this text Insightful. Let's all really begin thinking "down the road" and get
started envisioning, and planning, beyond the moment!
Why Electric Vehicles, Part 1
Q. Why all the Fuss over Electric Vehicles?
A. Simply stated - Electric Vehicles are:
●
●
●
●
More Energy Efficient than Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles
Can use 'Green' Sourced Fuels like Solar, Wind, Hydro, etc. for charging
Solar, Wind or Hydro re-charging will emit no pollutants into the air.
Quieter. Noise Pollution is increasing and EV's can help reduce this.
Q. Why Drive an Electric Car?
A. Imagine Crude Oil at $150 a Barrel, or Gasoline at $1.50 a Litre - Just say NO to staying
addicted to oil and sending your money to support non-democratic regimes who fund activities
aimed at undermining the freedoms we enjoy.
B. Let's put this another way: Electricity is created more locally than Oil, has an established
delivery pipeline - the 'Grid' (and the Home, Shop, Store, Mall, etc.) - which when used at night
time - is otherwise under utilized and has capacity to charge a several millions of Commuter
Electric, Plug-In Hybrids, and NEV's.
C. Conveniently use existing resources:
110 volt outlets are everywhere; no new infrastructure is needed to be able to plug into the
future, today. EV 110V Chargers can be plugged into 15 Amp Circuits like the normal ones in
your Home, and consume about the same power while charging on a 110V Plug as a Hair Dryer
uses.
Go To top
Q. Are traditional cars really that bad?
A. The emissions from cars commuting from bedroom communities into centers each and every
day of the work week make driving the largest source of air pollution in cities.
Gasoline and diesel powered motor vehicles generate almost 25% of the pollutants responsible
for climate change.
Tailpipe exhaust remains a leading source of air pollution and accounts for roughly one-third of
the nation's emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), a key contributor to global warming.
In addition to CO2, mobile emissions sources contain:
●
●
●
Hydrocarbons
Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)
Carbon Monoxide
Even though these chemicals remain nearly invisible until they combine to form smog, public
health problems from vehicle emissions cost the US approximately $40 to $64 billion per year.
Exposure to emissions may lead to health problems such as:
●
●
●
●
Asthma attacks
Hodgkin's disease
Lymphoma
Lung Cancer
Air pollution from vehicle emissions can also create water quality problems and combine into
new chemicals that damage buildings and crops.
Q. How does the Existing Fuel Energy Profile fit with Health & Environment?
A. Fossil fuel combustion is a leading cause of air pollution, and eliminating (or vastly reducing)
pollution from cars would go a long way to cleaning the air we breathe in most western cities.
The negative health impacts of exhaust pollutants are well documented.
The Department of Transport in the U.S.A. has recently acknowledged that Electric vehicles are
more environmentally friendly than petrol/diesel cars, even taking into account the CO2
emissions from producing the electricity.
Petrol and diesel vehicles are major contributors to the greenhouse effect. Of course, more use of
public transport would reduce the negative impact of cars, but for some of us, using public
transport all the time is not always feasible.
Q. Why are we so attached to Oil and Gasoline and find it so easy to use and so hard to stop
using it?
A. This is because the government (American, Canadian, and other producers right up to Iran)
subsidizes the cost of gasoline at the pump, thus costing each individual user of gasoline less
than it actually costs society to have that gasoline available.
For example, the true cost of gasoline that is not fully included in the per gallons price at the
pump includes:
●
●
●
Extra tax incentives and subsidies other businesses don't receive,
Costs related to military protection of our oil supplies,
Charges for cleaning up environmental problems after spills,
●
●
●
Higher prices triggered by damage to agriculture, due to weakening soil, and
Damage to Agriculture food crops due to switching to ethanol purposed crops
Payment for health problems such as lung diseases, asthma, caused by our
use of oil and it's by-products of combustion.
Estimates have placed the true cost of gasoline around $10 per gallon.
Read More on this subject at:
* The High Price of U.S. Oil Addiction,
*Clean Cars - Kicking Americals Oil Habit,
* Oil Consumption is Rising, Imports are Skyrocketing, and Our Vehicles Are to Blame,
* Internal Combustion: How Corporations and Governments Addicted to the World of
Oil and derailed the Alternatives
Q. What's the cost of running an EV?
A. Electric vehicles typically cost between two and four cents per mile ( around 1.5 cents per
Km. ) to operate, while gasoline-powered ICE vehicles currently cost about four to six times as
much.
B. Maintenance such as oil changes, smog inspections (and their sometimes expensive repair
consequences), cooling fluid replacement, and periodic repair and adjustments are reduced or
completely eliminated, significantly reducing the cost of ownership.
C. One of the popular gas-electric hybrids averages around 50 miles to the gallon. At $3.00 per
gallon, that comes to $0.06 per mile of fuel costs. (Canadian Prices of $1 per liter = currently
about $3.80 per gallon) The all-electric vehicle, by comparison, with Electricity Varying between
$0.05 and $0.15 per Kwh - costs somewhere between $0.02 and $0.04 in fuel costs, per mile,
depending on the EV Chosen.
D. A full charge of electricity for a modern electric vehicle - the eBox would be 30 kiloWatts,
costing between $1.50 and $4.50 for a fulll charge, and deliver 120 to 150 miles (200 - 250 km)
range on that charge. The new Tesla Roadster has an EPA tested combined city/highway cycle
range of 220 miles (330 kms), yet can achieve a full charge in about 3.5 hours, at a cost of about
$2.50 to $3.00 depending on your region where you live and buy electricity. Another modern
Electric Vehicle, the Phoenix Sport Utility Truck also has over 100 miles (160 km) range, can
recharge in 10 minutes on special equipment, or in about 6 hours on a 220V plug-in, similar to a
stove power outlet.
Further Reading on this subject:
*Convert It,
* Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History,
* Complete Idiots Guide To Hybrid And Alternative Fuel Vehicles
Go To top
Q. What about Electric Cars Plugging in to Coal Powered Electricity?
A. Yes, electric cars have no tailpipe emissions. They produce no local pollution or carbon
dioxide, but they aren't entirely pollution-free, especially if they are recharged from an electric
power grid that burns significant quantities of fossil fuels like coal. So, are they any better than a
normal gasoline car?
Absolutely. For starters, in terms of carbon dioxide emissions, they generate a fraction that
expelled by a normal gasoline engine car. For every gallon of gasoline burned, approximately 22
pounds of CO2, an important global warming gas, are created. If a car gets 25 miles a gallon it
will emit 22 pounds of carbon dioxide over that distance, as well as other pollutants.
By comparison, an electric car may travel the same distance consuming 5 kilowatt hours (kWh)
of electric power at a rate of 200 watt hours/mile. Assuming the local grid is 100% coal-fired,
roughly 5 lbs of coal would be consumed to create that 5 kWh. Depending on the grade and
carbon content of the coal, one kilowatt hour creates approximately 1.4 pounds of CO2.
That's 7 pounds of CO2 vs. 22 pounds to travel the same 25 miles. But recall that the power grid
isn't entirely coal-fired; it includes hydroelectric, natural gas, nuclear and a small, but growing
segment of renewables. The existing electrical grid's off-peak capacity for power generation is
sufficient to power 84% of commutes to and from work by cars, light trucks and SUV's without
building a single new power plant according to the Department of Energy.
In addition, the existing nighttime electricity can be stored in plug-in vehicles and retrieved
during peak-demand hours through vehicle-to-grid technology for use by the grid, helping to
meet society's daytime power needs.
Also - As we move more to Large and Small Scale Wind, Solar, Hydro and Micro Hydro - the
Grid Becomes 'Cleaner' Each year.
Q. Do electric vehicles (EV's) really provide a cleaner source of transportation?
A. Yes. Electric engines are so efficient that they produce less than 40% as much greenhouse
emissions as gas-powered vehicles produce.
●
●
●
●
EV's reduce carbon emissions by more than 80% per mile.
They also reduce the amount of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) by up to
90% per mile.
EV's achieve these reductions when charged on the electric power grid.
Charging one with a renewable energy system like solar or wind power will
make it even cleaner.
B. Also - even as far back as 1991 (When there was less kWh of Wind and Solar Power Mix
Installed) - The Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assesment did a study: Automobiles:
Electric vs. Gasoline, where they showed clearly the benefits of pure Electric Vehicles with
regard to full lifecycle of the particular vehicle. See that report here, for More Information.
Q. Why is there a lot of resistance to the introduction of the electric vehicle?
A. The Oil companies don't want them because a significant number of electric vehicles would
cut gas consumption and thus their profits.
The car dealers don't want them because they have very little maintenance which is going to cut
one source of their profits.
Independent service stations don't want them for the same reason.
Q. So who should want to drive one?
A. The answer is anybody who is concerned about pollution, global warming and the loss of non
renewable energy sources. Or, to put this closer to home: Do you want to leave a better world for
your children, your retirement, and your grand children? If you said "Yes" - then saying "Yes" to
buying and using electric cars will be something you can do to get those results.
Given the air quality problems in our cities, and the current upward trend in world temperatures,
we should all be concerned with these issues.
Pollution from ICE vehicles accounts for about 60% of air pollution in large cities. If you don't
want to be having Asthma, and paying more in medical bills, taxes, and other health related
costs, and contributing to the problems of Air Pollution, then you to should seriosly consider
"Driving Electric" whenever you can!
Some Good Books to read on the subject:
* The Electric Vehicle: Technology and Expectations in the Automobile Age,
* The Electric Vehicle and the Burden of History
* Modern Electric Vehicle Technology
Go To top
Q. Should you Dump the pump before the pump dumps you?
A. Full-page ads placed by Chevron in major magazines in 2006 boldly proclaimed that:
"The world consumes Two Nine barrels of oil for every barrel discovered" and "It took us 125
years to use the first trillion barrels of oil. We'll use the next trillion in 30."
Oil production in the US and in many other oil producing countries has peaked. Oil use has
continued to grow. Isn't now the time to dump the pump ... and develop a better alternative...
before the pump runs dry and dumps you?
For More information on Peak Oil issues - see:
Peak Oil, | The Oil Drum, | Energy and Capital,
(& also a subscription link to Energy and Capital),
Life after the Oil Crash, and continue your search for information Here!
Q. What can you do to reduce your impact on global warming?
A. Put in use common and valuable Energy Wast Reduction Programs,
- Increase your Homes Insulation Levels,
- Combine Trips so as to reduce excess travel,
- Car-Pool, Ride Bus, Take the Train, on your work Commute,
- Walk, ride a Bike, get an eBike for longer rides,
- Make a plan and follow through with converting one of your cars to Electric,
- Buy a Plug-In Hybrid that meets your daily commute needs all electric,
- change your indicator bulbs to LED's in the Car, Compact Fluorescent in the Home
(Soon LED's for that Lighting too, See LED's for the home - Here, and Here, and Here, and even
on eBay.ca!)
There is more - see: TakePart.Com
B. You could also begin to Generate your own electricity after that, using some of the more
modern solar panels that integrate well in building design, as patio covers with their semitransparent design, and even in building windows.
C. Ten Big Things you can do for the Environment:
- from ILEA - (Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Purchase a more efficient automobile AND drive less
Increase energy-efficiency in your household
Purchase green electricity and/or generate your own
Include more vegetable protein in your diet
Teach children about the environment
Consider having a small family
Contribute money to an environmental organization
Give time to an organized environmental cause
Live in the city
Vote
Q. How can you spread the word on Electric Vehicles??
●
●
●
●
●
A. Show people this Web Site, Print it out as a flyer
A. Show people this Flyer
A. Learn more about Electric Vehicles - see our Links page
A. See More - on our Video Links Page.
A. Refer these links to others as often as you can.
Go To top
Home
News
Articles
Events
Electric Vehicle Conversion Manual
A Workshop Guide for High Schools
Overview
Membership
Newsletter
Authored by: Neil Gover, Darius Vakili, Bernard Fleet, & Howard Hutt
Meetings
●
Links
Video Links
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
Conversion Manual
●
●
●
Howard W. Hutt is the Senior Electrical Vehicle Consultant at Electrovaya Inc. of
Mississauga, Ontario.
Neil Gover is (was*) a Motion Picture Lighting Technician and EV Builder with two
completed Conversions
Darius Vakili is and Electronics Engineer who builds chargers, controllers, DC/DC
converters and charge controllers for EVs and solar power installations.
Dr. Bernard Fleet is a Chemical Engineer and Consultant at Electrovaya Inc.
*Neil Gover was with us until he passed away early in his life due to dificulties with a Brain
Tumor that overcame him on February 1, 2007.
You can purchase this manual from our Manual order page.
The manual is organized into 5 parts, (62 pages) and 6 Appendixes, (23 Pages).
The five parts are headlined, including sub-heads, as below:
1. Introduction - The move to sustainable transportation
1. Sustainable Transportation
2. The Solution - LEV's and ZEV's
3. Pure Battery EVs or ZEV's
4. The Politics of Sustainable Transportation
5. The Program
6. The Way Ahead
2. Getting Started
1. Facilities
2. Equipment List
3. Do-It-Yourself or Buying a Kit
4. Timing
5. Raising Funds
3. Basics of Electrical Energy and Electricity
1. Introduction
2. We Need Energy to Move
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
The Concept of Electrical Energy
How We Measure Electrical Energy
Electric Current
Electric Voltage
Electric Resistance
Electric Symbols and Circuits
Other Energy Storage Devices
AC and DC Power
The Transformer
The Electric Switch
Relays and Contactors
Electronic Switches
4. Starting the Conversion
1. Introduction
2. Selection of the Donor Vehicle
3. Safety Considerations
4. Orientation
5. The Motor / Drive Train
6. Preparation for the Conversion
7. Motor / Transmission Installation
8. System Testing
9. Suspension Upgrade
10. Finishing off under the Hood
11. On the Road
12. Battery Care
13. Conversion Completed
5. EV Performance and Evaluation
1. Evaluation of Vehicle Performance
2. Environmental Benefits
3. Summary of Results
4. Promotion and Participation
5. Conclusions
Manual Related Questions
(Q.) I have seen a reference to a Society publication on the Plug in America web site.
However I cannot find the book, Gasoline to Electric Conversion Manual: A Workshop Guide
for High Schools, 2005, on your web site or sources such as Amazon.com.
Wondered where I could find more information regarding the book and it's availability/price to
the general public?
Thank you. Knoxville, Tennessee USA
(A.) The Book We Wrote and Sell to Schools and others such as yourself - the price is $50.00
Canadian.
(Q.) I was reading in a local environmental magazine that some area high schools have
programs where students learn how to convert gasoline cars to electric. I have just a few
questions:
How is the EV Society involved and how do I learn more about the program?
Can I offer my car for conversion as a learning tool and if so how much does the conversion
cost if I would join the program?
(A.) We work through High Schools to do the program. The cost is about $10,000 for the
parts. Find a high school auto shop in whom you have confidence.
(Q.) I would like to obtain a copy of the manual for converting your automobile from gas to
electricity as mentioned in your site. Could you please provide one in English.
(A.) We would be happy to provide one for you. Please click our Manual order page and fill
out the order for it there.
(Q.) Hi. I'm interested in the curriculum and support you can give a project to produce an
electric vehicle. Our auto shop class did produce a solar car last year with a grant from the
Limestone Learning Foundation. There are many glitches to fix to make it better this year but
the possibility of extending the project to a full size vehicle is exciting.
Thanks for your help. Auto shop teacher.
(A.) The Best thing to do is to purchase the Manual, and make sure it meets your needs.
(Q.) This is great, I just stumbled onto your web site searching for electric vehicles!!!
I am a huge enthusiast of gas free vehicles and have been searching everywhere on the web
to find out how to buy electric or convert my vehicle to electric.
Do you have some information on who I could contact about this? Thank You!
(A.) Contact our society. The conversion will take likely more than a year and will cost about
$10,000 in parts with lead acid batteries. You , currently would have to find a high school auto
shop or commercial auto shop that would be willing to work with you.
You have come to the right place, see the above description regarding the Conversion
Manual, and if it meets your interest, begin with ordering it here at our manual ordering
information page.
(Q.) Hoping you can help me. As one of the many who would like to either reduce or
eliminate the CO2 gases coming from my car, and after viewing "Who killed the electric car"
recently, I am wanting to know if I too may be able to afford to convert my 2002 Honda CRV
to use electric power.
I would like to know if you can point me to a few reliable persons/companies in the greater
Toronto area who may be able to do this properly and at a competitive price. Any help would
be greatly appreciated. Here's hoping we can change the way of thinking on our planet and
here in our country together.
(A.) You can see our links pages for a great number of related sources and supports, and you
can purchase this Manual for additional reference and guidance.
(Q.) I attended the BBB/6th EVer event/conference in Florida. I would like to purchase the
education book about curriculum requirements that you presented at the meeting. Hopefully
the curriculum will help me with my pursuit to implement an ev program in our local schools.
It was a pleasure to here you speak. Thank you!
(A.) Yes, you can purchase this manual from our Manual order page.
(Q.) Hello, I'm trying to find a copy of:
"Gasoline to Electric Conversion Manual: A Workshop Guide for High Schools"
I think it was published by your EV society in July of 2005. Can you help me?
Thanks for the help.
(A.) You have come to the right place! Read the Description information at the top of this
page for more help, and go to the order page to place your order!
(Q.) Hello, I am looking for a copy of :
"Gasoline to electric Conversion Manual: A workshop guide for High schools"
published July 2005. Would you know where I could find a copy?
Thank you.
(A.) Lee - You have come to the right place! Read the Description information at the top of
this page for more help, and go to the order page to place your order!
(Q.) How Many Copies of the Manual Have Been Sold to Date?
(A.) There have been many sales this year - with over 20 being sold in one month.
(Q.) Why did you create yet another Manual for EV Conversion?
(A.) We Wanted something targeted for High Schools, Specifically.
(Q.) How Much does the Manual Cost?
(A.) The Price is $50.00 Canadian in person; Add Shipping & Handling for mail outs.
Home
News
Articles
Events
Articles
Is the clean car coming?
by Philip Ball
Membership
Newsletter
February 2003
Meetings
Links
Despite recent setbacks, the battle to break the monopoly of the internal combustion
Video Links
engine is still on. Battery driven cars are out of favour but fuel cell cars and hybrids -
Contact Us
combining normal engines with batteries - will be widely used in ten years. It's not
F.A.Q.
often that you find environmentalists protesting about a company's refusal to
Why E.V.'s?
Why E.V.S.?
Conversion Manual
manufacture a car. But the placards outside the Ford offices in San Francisco last
October denounced the company's decision to ditch the Th!nk City model. Following
its unveiling in Europe in 2000, it was introduced to the US in a flurry of Los Angeles
glitz in January 2002-only to be discontinued months later.
The Th!nk City runs for only 53 miles at a stretch, with a top speed of around 56 mph.
But the car is all-electric: it needs no petrol and produces no pollution. It was once
billed as the car of the future; now it is a has-been that never really was.
This is the latest in a series of recent blows to the electric-vehicle (EV) industry.
General Motors has stopped producing its flagship model, the EV1. Meanwhile, GM
and DaimlerChysler (who, along with Ford, constitute the "big three" US car
manufacturers) teamed up with other automobile companies to take out a lawsuit
against the state of California's "zero-emission vehicle" policy, which stipulates that
from 2003, 2 per cent of all vehicles sold in the state should emit no polluting exhaust
gases, and 8 per cent should be close to zero emission.
Despite the Californian ruling, there are few full-feature models available to US
consumers. One is the Toyota RAV4-EV-of which under 400 had been sold to date.
The manufacturers say that there just isn't the demand. Around 1.5m new vehicles are
bought every year in California alone, but there are only 5,000 or so electric cars on
the state's roads. EV enthusiasts, however, claim that companies aren't really
interested in selling them. The number of "clean cars" of all types on the roads is no
more than, roughly, 45,000 in the US and 20,000 in Europe.
Why does the challenge to produce a clean car exist at all? The one thing that
everyone agrees on is that oil will not last forever. Whilst arguments continue over
exactly when global oil production will peak, or how much oil might be hidden beneath
the Alaskan tundra, or whether George W Bush covets Iraqi oil even more than
Saddam's head, no one doubts that this is the century in which fossil fuels will begin to
dry up. When even BP adopts "Beyond Petroleum" as its slogan (though the company
subsequently disowned it) you have to suspect that something is up.
There are two separate problems with oil: sources and pollution. US oil reserves may
be dry within the decade, which will mean greater reliance on oil from the middle eastthe world's most unstable region But even while there is still oil to burn, the
consequences of doing so are unwholesome. When petrol is consumed in an internal
combustion engine, the main products are heat and carbon dioxide, the principal
greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Car exhausts contribute about 14 per
cent of all global fossil fuel emissions of carbon dioxide; in the US the proportion is
closer to 20 per cent.
That is not the only problem. Exhaust fumes contain a noxious cocktail: soot particles,
which can cause respiratory problems; toxic and carcinogenic hydrocarbons such as
benzene; and the deadly, poisonous gas carbon monoxide. Petrol burning also
produces nitrogen oxides, which react in the atmosphere to form pollutants that cause
breathing problems, eye irritation and the brown pall of smog. Air pollution smothers
the world's big cities, choking the citizens to death. Every year, over 3m deaths are
caused at least in part by air pollution, according to the World Health Organisation.
California's legislative attempts to reduce car pollution may be heavy-handed and overoptimistic, but they are understandable in one of the US states with the worst air
quality. (The objections of the car makers to legislation are also understandable,
however. "North America is unusual in having the only regulations calling for zero
emissions, but simultaneously having the lowest energy prices in the world, which
provide limited incentive for customers to choose more fuel efficient vehicles," says
Bernard Robertson, a senior vice president at DaimlerChrysler.)
But battery-driven electric vehicles such as the Th!nk City aren't the only solution. Ford
claims that its decision to drop the Th!nk range-and indeed the entire Th!nk R&D
division, intended "to exclusively develop, market and deliver a wide range of
environmentally sensitive mobility solutions"-was made so as to focus on other low or
zero-emission vehicles powered by devices called fuel cells or by a hybrid of the
internal combustion engine and electric batteries. These two options-fuel-cell vehicles
(which are also, in the end, electrically powered) and hybrid electric vehicles-now
seem the most likely "green" cars to achieve wide commercial development. Another
possibility is the use of cleaner fuels from renewable sources, such as methane from
biological waste (biogas) and ethanol, which can be made from corn.
The automobile industry is, in fact, entering a period of uncertainty and
experimentation akin to that experienced in the audio and television industries over
the past decade or so, and to that currently facing the microelectronics industry. That
is to say, survival depends on making fundamental changes, and quickly, to the basic
technology; but no one is agreed on the best solution, and some of those being
explored will inevitably fall by the wayside. An optimistic view is that the apparent
demise of battery EVs represents nothing more than this inevitable wastage and does
not spell doom to all green vehicle technologies.
Pessimists, however, point to a series of mountainous hurdles. Consumers will be
reluctant to make a large investment in an untested new technology, no matter how
good the environmental arguments-especially if they risk seeing their multi-thousandpound cars become as obsolete in a few years as a Betamax video recorder. And car
culture seems to be heading in the opposite direction, especially in the US, where a
demand for gas-guzzling "sport utility vehicles" (big, fast and flashy) has driven the
average fuel efficiency of cars and trucks to a 21-year low of 20 miles per gallon. The
Bush administration has shown itself steadfastly opposed to serious efforts at
improving this figure.
And who can criticise consumer reluctance about clean vehicles when there is no
infrastructure to support them? Fuel-cell cars need completely different types of fuel
from those you will find at the local filling station-but where do you get it from? The oil
companies wait for these new vehicles to find a mass market before they put in the
relevant pumps, while the car companies wait for the fuel supplies before they risk
mass producing the vehicles. How to break the impasse?
GREEN MACHINES
In an industry where marketing depends mainly on sex and speed, electric vehiclesredolent of milk floats and golf carts-were always going to be hard to sell. The car
companies have not always helped matters. The low speed models such as Ford's Th!
nk Neighbor or DaimlerChysler's GEM are indeed basically souped-up golf buggies.
They are designed for short, local trips and have a range of about 25 miles before
needing to be recharged. They are classified as "low speed/neighbourhood electric
vehicles," with top speeds of typically 25mph. The principle is sound enough-one
needs little more than this for the school or supermarket run-but the reality is about as
appealing as a Sinclair C5, and could never aspire to be more than a second vehicle
for most people.
The late Th!nk City was altogether a different beast. It could accelerate from 0 to 30
mph in 7.2 seconds, and the US version was produced with air conditioning and power
steering. It looked sleek and neat and could be recharged by plugging into a normal
mains socket. Admittedly this could take four to six hours, but doing it overnight at offpeak rates makes a full charge-up potentially cheap. GM's EV1, modelled on similar
lines, cost its users no more in electricity than they spent on petrol (and that is at US
fuel rates).
The range of these EVs is, however, limited by their batteries. Some use nothing more
than the old-fashioned lead-acid batteries that power the electrics on most cars today.
The EV1 can run for up to 120 miles at a stretch when driven by a nickel/metal-hydride
battery, first introduced in the 1980s. These batteries hold more electrical energy per
kilogram of weight than a lead-acid battery.
Weight is an important factor in EV battery technology: if the battery is very heavy it
partly defeats its own propulsive object. This is one reason why rechargeable lithium
batteries, like those used in laptop computers and mobile phones, are attractive for
electric vehicles: not only do they hold a lot of energy but they are light. Early attempts
to use lithium batteries were beset with hazards-they used lithium metal, a highly
reactive substance, and one of Mitsubishi's prototype Chariot EVs burst into flames in
1996. But the new lithium batteries are safe, and are used in Ford's prototype e-Ka,
which has a range of 120 miles at a cruising speed of 50 mph.
With the simplicity of the plug-in recharging cycle, battery-powered EVs seemed well
placed to corner the zero-emission market-until a combination of cost (these batteries
are pricey) and overall consumer apathy persuaded the car companies otherwise.
Purists could point out that these vehicles weren't really "zero emission" anyway
because the electricity from the grid was, in all probability, produced from fossil fuel
burning in the first place-the burden of greenhouse gases and pollutants was simply
being shifted. But that was never really the issue. Sources of electricity are potentially
renewable: for example, hydroelectricity, photovoltaic cells, or wind or wave power.
And the pressing problem of noxious emissions in urban centres is avoided by EVs.
In any event, car manufacturers have not ditched the battery-powered car altogether.
They are pinning their hopes on the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), which uses a
combination of a petrol-powered internal combustion engine and an electrical battery.
The savings in fuel consumption and reductions in emissions that these hybrids offer
can be big, and they look promising as a way of easing the transition to cleaner
vehicles.
The idea is so simple that it could have been realised decades ago, if battery
technology had been up to it. The reason you never need to plug your standard leadacid battery into the mains is that it gets charged up by the car's motion, in the same
way that a rotating wind turbine produces electricity. But this "reclaimed" power is
used only for the purposes of powering the headlights, radio, windows and so forth.
Why not the wheels too?
HEVs are fitted with electronic sensors and microprocessors that let the vehicle
"decide" when it would be advantageous to supplement or substitute the engine's
power with that stored in the batteries. Fuel consumption increases, for example,
when the vehicle accelerates, or climbs hills, or is started up. It is on these occasions
that an HEV's battery kicks in to provide the extra juice. When idling at junctions, jams
and traffic lights, the engine may be turned off completely. (In Seattle, to take a typical
example, over 80 gallons of petrol are burned up per person each year in cars that are
motionless or barely moving.) "Regenerative braking" mechanisms capture some of
the energy otherwise wasted in braking (where it dissipates as heat) and use it to
charge up the battery. HEVs can achieve twice the fuel economy of conventional
vehicles, and have much lower emissions.
The Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius, the two most widely used HEVs on today's
roads, are rated as 90 per cent cleaner than an average new conventional car, and
can travel between 500 and 700 miles on one tank of petrol. Ford is developing a car
called the P2000 Prodigy, described as "a viable candidate for Ford's first mass
produced HEV." DaimlerChrysler's premier HEV concept, the ESX3, is still in
development. A drawback of these vehicles is that the batteries (lead-acid or nickel/
metal hydride) eventually wear out and cost several thousand dollars to replace. But
the battery warranties typically extend to 80,000-100,000 miles, by which time you
may have saved that much in fuel costs.
The critical question for many motorists is: how does it feel behind the wheel?
According to one test driver of the Toyota Prius, "it is no different from any other car,
except it's quieter, quicker, and gets better mileage" (in this case up to 66 mpg). And
you can watch what the onboard computer is up to in a little animated display panel
which shows how the vehicle switches between the internal combustion engine,
electric motor and electric generator. It would be hard to find a reason why all new
cars are not HEVs, if it wasn't for the cost. But the differential is no longer great, and is
falling all the time. DaimlerChrysler's projected ESX model in 1996 would have cost
$60,000 more than a standard model. For the ESX2 in 1998 the difference would have
been $15,000, and for the ESX3 two years later it would have been just $7,500.
HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELLS
But HEVs are a stop-gap, a palliative to wean us off petrol. Eventually we are going to
need other fuels. One such is already widely used in the US: it is called E85, and is a
mixture of 85 per cent ethanol (the alcohol in spirits) and 15 per cent petrol. Ethanol
burns more cleanly than petrol: it produces carbon dioxide, but less hydrocarbon and
carbon monoxide. And the fact that ethanol can be made from the abundant grain of
the US midwest makes it an attractive option. Ford, GM and Daimler-Chrysler all make
vehicles that run on E85-they need no more than a slightly modified engine-as do
Isuzu and Mazda.
There is no fuel, however, that generates more controversy and confusion than
hydrogen. Guardian readers witnessed a baffling debate on the "hydrogen economy"
in late 2002, provoked by Jeremy Rifkin's claim that it "has the potential to end the
world's reliance on imported oil." Is hydrogen an energy source, debated the
correspondents, or an energy carrier? Doesn't it cost more energy to make it than we
get back by burning it? Isn't the best use of hydrogen as a fuel for nuclear fusion?
Hydrogen power has long been plagued by myths and half-truths. As the most
abundant element in the universe and one of the two elements in water (hydrogen,
after all, means "water-former"), it seems to promise the irresistible notion of "energy
for free." Ever since Jules Verne said in 1874 that "water will be the coal of the future,"
the "water-powered car" has been a persistent (and chimeric) fantasy.
So let's be clear. Hydrogen can be a fuel: you burn it, like petrol, except that the only
chemical product is water, not carbon oxides or hydrocarbons or soot. So it is the
perfect green fuel. But first you have to extract it from other compounds, because pure
hydrogen is extremely rare on our planet. You can do this in many ways, but they all
cost energy-so do we gain anything in the long run? The answer can be yes, for the
reasons given earlier: the energy can come from renewable sources, and you don't
create localised urban pollution when you burn hydrogen in a car.
It is possible to use hydrogen directly as a fuel: to burn it in an internal combustion
engine much like the ones used for burning petrol. BMW's 750 hL car does this,
storing hydrogen in liquid form in pressurised, cryostatically cooled tanks. But it is
unlikely to catch on, because there is a much better way of getting the energy out of
hydrogen. Internal combustion engines are inefficient, squandering between two-thirds
and four-fifths of the energy in the fuel. But if hydrogen is burnt in a fuel cell, the
efficiency can, in theory, be close to 100 per cent.
When petrol or hydrogen is ignited in air, the chemical reaction between the fuel and
air creates heat. A fuel cell conducts the same combustion reaction but in a much
more controlled way that channels the energy directly into electricity.
In effect, the combustion of hydrogen involves the transfer of electrons from hydrogen
atoms to oxygen atoms. These atoms then join together to form water. A fuel cell
consists of two electrodes connected by an electrolyte, a substance that conducts
electricity. The electrons flow from the hydrogen atoms at one electrode to the oxygen
atoms at the other. The end result is that hydrogen and oxygen are converted into
water and electricity.
It is the opposite of the process called electrolysis, in which electricity is used to split
water into its components, hydrogen and oxygen. Electrolysis of water was first
observed in 1800 by English scientists using the first electric battery, invented that
year by Italian Alessandro Volta. Thirty-nine years later, a Welsh barrister, William
Grove, realised that the reverse process could be used to generate electricity. He
devised the first fuel cell.
But fuel cells were not used as power sources until the 1960s, because they were
more expensive than batteries. The first applications were in spacecraft, such as in the
Apollo missions. Here cost did not matter: it was the light weight of the cells that
counted. Since then, the cost has been reduced far enough to make fuel cells viable
for everyday power applications. The leading commercial fuel cell for consumer
devices, especially zero-emission vehicles, is called a polymer electrolyte membrane
(PEM) cell.
PEM fuel cells have been pioneered by Ballard Power Systems in Vancouver. Ballard
cells have been used in the city's buses since 1993, and Daimler Benz (as it was then
known) used them in its prototype Necar vans, unveiled in 1994. In 2003,
DaimlerChrysler will launch a pilot project in which 30 fuel-cell city buses based on the
Mercedes-Benz Citaro model will be operated in ten European cities: Amsterdam,
Barcelona, Hamburg, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Oporto, Reykjavik, Stockholm
and Stuttgart. This will test their performance in environments ranging from Arctic chill
to the sweltering Spanish summer.
Some fuel-cell vehicles, such as the original Necar prototype, run on methanol, which
acts as a "hydrogen carrier." Methanol is a compound containing a high proportion of
hydrogen atoms bound to carbon and oxygen. The methanol is first passed over a
catalyst that releases the hydrogen, and this is then fed into the fuel cell. Methanol is a
better fuel than pure hydrogen in some important respects. In particular, it is a liquid:
you can pump it into your tank like petrol. Hydrogen is a gas that can be liquefied only
under high pressure and at very low temperatures-which makes it potentially
hazardous to store and to transport. But methanol fuel cells are not exactly zeroemission devices: the carbon in the fuel is converted to carbon dioxide.
For zero-emission fuel-cell vehicles, the problem of hydrogen storage remains one of
the main hurdles. Many research teams are now looking for materials that can soak up
hydrogen and then release it again. Metal hydrides are one possibility, but they are
heavy. DaimlerChrysler is experimenting with a hydrogen-rich compound called
sodium borohydride. Researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) in Colorado have reported that a form of pure carbon, called carbon
nanotubes and consisting of long, hollow carbon tubes several thousand times thinner
than a human hair, can store large amounts of hydrogen, as if they were moleculesized storage cylinders. They claim to have exceeded the storage density goal set by
the US department of energy. But other teams have been unable to duplicate their
results, so this idea remains in limbo.
The biggest problem may be producing hydrogen in the first place. In principle, it can
be manufactured in endless quantities by electrolysing water. But this uses up as
much energy in making it as you get by burning it (more, in fact, since there is some
waste). That is no objection, though, if the electricity comes from renewable sources
like solar cells. The NREL is one of several laboratories studying the "photocatalytic"
splitting of water into its elements. They are looking for a material that can absorb
sunlight and use the energy to split water, at the same time acting as a catalyst that
loosens the chemical bonds holding water molecules together so that they break more
easily. Several candidate materials have been discovered, but no one has yet
succeeded in making the process efficient enough to provide a commercial source of
hydrogen. Success here would be big news, as Stephen Poliakoff acknowledged in
his 1996 play "Blinded by the Sun", in which an ambitious scientist falsifies his data to
claim photocatalytic hydrogen production in his "Sun Battery."
Other potentially renewable sources of hydrogen include hydrogen-producing microorganisms such as certain kinds of algae, which use sunlight to split water in a variant
of photosynthesis. But most commercial hydrogen comes at present either from
electrolysis (which makes it three times as costly as petroleum), or from a chemical
process called steam reforming, in which natural gas and steam are reacted over a
catalyst at great heat to form hydrogen and carbon oxides. Again, this is an energyhungry process.
A BUMPY RIDE
If hydrogen could be made cheaply, the transition to hydrogen-powered fuel-cell
vehicles would still be a bumpy ride. Would oil companies be prepared to add a
hydrogen pump to all of their filling stations? It is not an impossibly utopian scenario,
and a Californian project is showing how painless the changeover might be. SunLine
Transit Agency in Thousand Palms, which provides public bus transport for the
Coachella Valley, converted its fleet to green vehicles in 1994, switching overnight
from diesel buses to vehicles powered by natural gas. With the support of public and
private sector partners, SunLine is now switching to hydrogen power. It runs two
Hythane buses, which burn a blended fuel of 80 per cent natural gas and 20 per cent
hydrogen, as well as two zero-emission buses: the XCELLSiS/Ballard ZEbus and a
hydrogen fuel-cell bus called ThunderPower, which began operating commercially in
the Coachella Valley in November. SunLine also runs the first two-passenger streetlicensed fuel-cell vehicle in the US, called the SunBug.
These vehicles are supplied by a hydrogen refuelling station in Thousand Palms,
operating since the spring of 2000, where hydrogen is generated on site using solar
and grid-powered electrolysis. California is slowly accumulating hydrogen stations:
Honda opened a hydrogen production and refuelling station in 2001 at their
headquarters in Torrance; BMW has installed a liquid-hydrogen station at their Oxnard
facility; the California Fuel Cell Partnership operates a small refuelling station in west
Sacramento and a new site opened in Richmond in November.
"Today's model of tomorrow's world" is how SunLine likes to bill itself. The US
department of energy, at least, seems to take that prospect seriously, aiming for a
"meaningful introduction" of fuel cells for power generation of all sorts by 2005. It
wants one tenth of the US total energy consumption to come from hydrogen by 2030.
In Iceland-a country with ample hydroelectric and geothermal energy resources, but
no fossil fuels-the plans are even more ambitious. Methanol-powered buses are to
begin operating in Reykjavik this year and, in the next few years, the city intends to
replace all its buses with fuel-cell vehicles. The scheme is backed by Shell, which is
building the methanol filling stations, and DaimlerChrysler. The Icelandic government
wants to remove all dependence on imported fossil fuels within a generation, and
Bragi Arnason, a chemist at the University of Iceland, believes that by 2040 the
country will be the first to have a complete, self-supporting hydrogen economy.
Not even the most ardent optimist can anticipate that happening in Europe, the US or
Japan. But neither is it possible any longer to characterise the car manufacturers as
dinosaurs resisting any movement towards cleaner vehicles. Indeed, as the American
commentator Jonathan Rauch has put it: "Breaking the 100-year monopoly of the
internal combustion engine is as vast a project as capitalism has ever undertaken.
Given the immensity of the risks involved and the billions of dollars of investment
required, the project is nothing short of planetary in scale."
No one who thinks seriously about the future of motoring can doubt that a radical shift
must get underway within the next decade. That will require changes of habit among
consumers and car makers. Good intentions will not suffice, but neither will draconian
legislation: persuasive incentives to maker and buyer will have to be found by
governments. Green cars cannot be allowed to become the automotive equivalent of
organic vegetables: fine for the few who can afford it.
Back to top | Meetings | Events | Membership | Links | Video Links | FAQ | Contact us
Home
News
Articles
Events
Articles
The Dawning of a New Dynasty
by Monte Gisborne
Membership
Newsletter
Perhaps the questions which I get asked the most are "whatever became of Dynasty?"
Meetings
and "are they still in business, or did they go under?" The purpose of this article is to
Links
ensure everyone that Dynasty did not go bankrupt and that they have returned,
Video Links
Contact Us
stronger than ever, prepared to take on the fickle forces of the budding low-speed
F.A.Q.
electric vehicle (LSV) market in North America. But before going forward, there is a
Why E.V.'s?
need to step back a bit...
Why E.V.S.?
Conversion Manual
Dramatically undercapitalized, Dynasty terminated all employees (including myself) in
July 2001, after reaching the limit of their financing. They sought new capital in the
manner they had become accustomed to, by selling more shares into their venture,
but the market had stagnated and then the financial world recoiled as terrorists'
agendas pushed stocks further down. Time was not on Dynasty's side and under the
extreme pressure of over 240 creditors, owed from $7.50 (Peace Bridge Brokerage,
Ontario) to $252,800 (GLT Pattern Works, Quebec), and adding up to about $3.25
million, Dynasty was fighting for its life.
In a financial maneuver which is becoming commonplace, BDO Dunwoody's
"Business Recovery Services" were called in to sort things out. A proposal was made
to the creditors - take them to court and lose everything (since most of the money was
spent on research and development. there was very little inventory to sell off) or
convert their debt into shareholding in the company and increase their chances of
recovering some or all of their money. The creditors voted to accept the latter
arrangement and Dynasty was saved from the clutches of financial ruin, re-emerging
on a far more stable financial footing since it no longer had the burden of debt. Once
in this position, the company was sold to Commercial Body Builders, a "vehicle
integrator and custom manufacturer" business presided by Dean MacKay and located
in Delta, B.C., my birthplace and old stomping grounds.
The new regime afforded me the opportunity to get to know them by sending me to
Florida last December, to help exhibit the Dynasty IT at the Electric Transportation
Industry Conference held in Hollywood Beach. The "new" IT was well received by the
5,000-plus delegates and about 30 were sold during that week, mostly dealer orders.
The sedan and van models, which were in production when the company closed its
doors in July 2001, have been tweaked a little to add value to the product, with betterfitting windows, an external charge port, more comfortable seats and maintenancefree batteries. Two convertible versions are now in production as well, both well
received by the sun-belt attendees at the conference. A number of interested parties
approached Dynasty to become dealers in various American states as well.
My impression of Dynasty's new ownership is quite favourable and I left Florida with
the conviction that these are just the right people to lead the LSV charge. The
previous executive are highly talented individuals as well, evidenced by the fact that
they got their dream off the ground and ultimately steered the company out of disaster,
despite market pressures conspiring against them. The famous American icon,
Preston Tucker, did no more than these men and history has remembered him as a
visionary. Timing, I always say, is everything in life and finally time is on Dynasty's
side.
Home
News
Articles
Events
Articles
EVS-20 Report
by Neil Gover
Membership
Newsletter
EVS-20 featuring Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell vehicles was held from Nov 15 to
Meetings
19,2003, in Long Beach, California.
Links
Video Links
I traveled to the symposium as a delegate while also working on the Electrovaya booth
Contact Us
with Howard Hutt, Sankar das Gupta, and Bernard Fleet. Other than the public day at
F.A.Q.
EVS17 in Montreal this was my first exposure to this size of an electric vehicle
Why E.V.'s?
Why E.V.S.?
gathering.
Conversion Manual
We stayed at the Queen Mary Hotel which is about 10 minutes by free city bus from
the Convention Centre. The convention started with a Plug-in Hybrid Workshop
(PHEV) on Sat. Nov. 15. This concept combines a battery pack capable of powering
the car for 20 or more miles along with the gas engine in a Prius type hybrid. One of
the speakers at the PHEV workshop was from the US Army. The army is interested in
this technology because the use of fuel cells and PHEV's would, among other things,
reduce the army's footprint in action. The silence and low heat signature are military
advantages. The modern army relies on electricity as much as explosives to achieve
its aims..
The exposition and Ride and Drive were open to the public on the Saturday and
Sunday. Over 60 cars, vans, scooters and electric bicycles were available for a drive
around the convention centre. Some were ordinary looking while others were quite
eye-catching. I rode in General Motor's fuel cell powered van which was quieter than
the usual gasoline version but could clearly hear the compressor and drive system.
John Deere has a one ton capacity Gator powered by a 20 kilowatt Hydrogenics fuel
cell which doubled as a generator to power tools while parked. This demonstration unit
also had 4-wheel steering.
The symposium was composed of two main parts: the exposition with about 100
companies showing their products and ideas and 35 auditorium sessions with up to 5
speakers each discussing topics as varied as fuel cell design, DC/DC converters,
hydrogen fuelling safety, fuel cell busses, lead-acid batteries, and using electric
vehicles for power grid support as well as a number of public policy initiatives. One of
the speakers was Errol Wallingford who spoke about his theory that a full-wave bridge
inverter should be used for industrial and EV 4-pole AC motors because this would
mean lower voltages and less heat loss in the inverter leading to greater efficiency (as
I understand it).
There were a significant number of Canadian companies participating. Fuel cell
manufacturers Hydrogenics and Ballard and hydrogen provider Stuart Energy were
joined by Avestor, TM4, IndusTech, ISAAC Instruments and Opal-RT Technology from
Quebec. British Columbia was represented by DeltaQ's charger design team and
Dynasty Electric Car Corp. which sold three vehicles during the show. Electrovaya
was showing its converted Chevrolet Tracker powered by it's Lithium Ion
SuperPolymer batteries as well as its new Scribbler tablet computer. Representatives
from Quebec's Advanced Transportation technology group and our National Research
Council were also present as well as a number of individual Canadians.
The opening session speaker was noted Hollywood environmentalist, actor and
director Rob Reiner who, unlike the other speakers, did not need a teleprompter. GM,
Ford, DaimlerChrysler, Toyota, Honda and Nissan were represented in the Automotive
Press Roundtable chaired by Robert Stemple. At this time and others we kept hearing
that fuel cells are our only hope for environmentally sustainable transportation
technologies. Fortunately there were a large number of believers in grid-recharged
battery vehicles.
Hybrid fuelling options included diesel, compressed natural gas and, of course,
gasoline. Southern California Edison, a large electrical utility, showed its hybrid trouble
truck. This is a large boom truck with 20 miles of pure electric drive capability as well
as a 60-kilowatt Capstone turbine for added range. Most functions of the truck can be
carried out silently using the onboard battery pack.
Honda, Daimler/Chrysler, GM, Hyundai, Ford, Toyota and Nissan featured their fuel
cell vehicles either with static displays or in the Ride and Drive. I did not notice any
boasts about range for these vehicles.
This was a truly international affair as we spoke to delegates and exhibitors from
countries in Asia, Europe, South America. Nepal sent a large delegation. I also noted
a number of people from Norway, home of the Think car.
GM was showing its "Autonomy" concept car as well as its new hybrid Silverado ¾ ton
pickup truck. Gorilla's BEV is an ATV designed for farm and ranch use but up to now
very popular with the US Army.
Wavecrest Labs was showing their hub motor in a sports car. Advanced DC Motors
was showing their series DC motors. Raser was showing their new AC motor which
they claim is 3 times more efficient than normal motors as well as a hybrid Polaris
snowmobile. It also has a tiny gasoline generator on board. It is intended for use in
Yellowstone National Park which is banning ICE vehicles. Also the quiet operation will
not disturb the wildlife. There was even a surplus equipment broker offering what he
claimed were motors for the Ford ranger pick up truck.
Kewet, Zap Scooter and Intimidator LUV, GEM, Zytek Smart EV, Toyota Prius and
FCHV and a large number of bikes and scooters were shown indoors and out.. In
addition to the workshops there were a series of 2-minute presentations when a large
number of speakers would present their ideas to attendees as they wandered between
the boards where the presentations were posted.
More details can be found at www.evs20.org
I found EVS20 to be quite educational as well as a lot of fun.
Home
News
Articles
Events
Articles
The Conversion Process
by Neil Gover
Membership
Newsletter
CLEAN CARS
Meetings
Links
To reduce the pollution from petroleum (fossil fuelled) transportation we must look at
Video Links
other energy sources. Hydrogen is promising but still many years away from consumer
Contact Us
use despite billions of dollars spent on research. Electric power is here now and
F.A.Q.
available. Unfortunately the big auto manufacturers (original equipment manufacturers
Why E.V.'s?
Why E.V.S.?
Conversion Manual
OEM's) have discontinued their efforts to introduce battery electric vehicles (EV's). I
feel that they have realized that the EV's do not meet the continual repair cycle that
gasoline and diesel powered vehicles do with their ignition, fuel and emissions
systems. Without continued repair revenue and low sales volume initially they are not
interested. The components left in common are the complete body, frame, tires,
brakes and perhaps the heating and cooling system.
There are four basic sections to an electric vehicle: a charger, a traction battery pack,
a speed controller and a motor. In an electric vehicle the useful life of a battery pack is
three to four years, the controller and charger will probably outlast the vehicle and the
motor may outlive the owner. That in a nutshell is why I am interested in electric
vehicles. This article is based on my experiences converting a Chevrolet S-10 pick -up
truck (a work still in progress) and a small SUV for someone else as well as reading
several books.
CHOOSING AN APPROPRIATE DONOR VEHICLE
The conversion process starts with selecting an appropriate donor vehicle. All vehicles
could be converted. Most are either too heavy, not of a popular make (to obtain parts
later) have an automatic transmission (some power lost in slippage) and some may be
rusty. That leaves the popular, compact, standard transmission vehicle as a best
choice. Since electric power has sufficient torque at low rpm idling is unnecessary. It is
easy to do most "around town" in second gear.
Now that we have eliminated a lot of potential donors let us look at other criteria. Air
conditioning can be run with an electric motor for the compressor but EV's are
naturally cooler as there is no heat producing engine under the hood. I will be using a
simple fan on the dashboard in my pick-up conversion. Commonly converted vehicles
include VW Rabbits, Metro/Spring/Firefly/Swifts, Chevrolet S-10 and Ford Ranger pickups. A visit to the EV Album (www.EVAlbum.com) will show a large number of popular
conversions. Another criteria is body condition. Rust caused me to abandon my first
donor vehicle. It looked great at first but then time passed and the project was delayed
by the necessity of making a living. I have recently obtained an identical donor that
has little rust since it came from Vancouver, where the climate is milder.
DO IT YOURSELF OR PROFESSIONAL HELP?
Assuming we now have a proper donor we have a number of choices. We can do the
job ourselves or hire the job out to a shop specialising in conversions. One such
business is REV Consultants in Ottawa operated by Richard Lane. Conversion shops
will usually supply the components to do the job yourself if you wish. There are two
basic ways to proceed; one can buy a "kit" if a popular donor has been chosen or one
can buy the parts separately and invest sweat equity. My approach is to hire out the
jobs that are beyond my interest or capabilities. The most complicated part is the
adaptor plate which mates the electric motor to the transmission. This requires very
accurate machining since something that spins at up to 7000 rpm must be well
balanced and very carefully aligned. I contacted this out to Rick Lane. Welding the
battery boxes can be a problem if one does not have proper equipment but local
welding shops should be quite willing to do the job.
ELECTRIC COMPONENTS
Alternating or Direct Current? These are two distinctly different systems that can be
used. Most private conversions are DC but if one has a larger budget some AC
systems are commercially available. AC systems require an inverter to change the DC
power from the battery to the AC for the controller to send to the motor. However,
more components means more cost; but one advantage with AC is regenerative
braking which is built into the controller and saves wear on the friction brakes that
normally stop the vehicle.
Charging the batteries can be handled several ways. Some people mount a charger in
the vehicle, referred to as an opportunity charger, since it allows one to charge
wherever there is access to electricity. This charger would run off a normal 15 amp,
110-volt circuit. The charge rate is fairly low but if one has lots of time this is fine. The
second charging option is a 30 amp, 220-volt charger at home. Stove or dryer plugs
can be installed in the garage for these chargers and can recharge the vehicle in three
or four hours instead of eight or nine. Many just have one charger, but in my situation I
have opted for two.
In common with most enthusiasts I will be using deep cycle (flooded) golf cart
batteries. Mass produced they are widely available and will cost about $100.00 in
Canada. Sealed lead-acid and nickel cadmium are also used by some. They are more
expensive, offer slightly less range, but, less attention is needed and they have longer
service lives. There is a lot of research into nickel-metal-hydride and lithium ion
batteries since these chemistries store more energy for the same weight. They are
becoming available. Greater energy density will mean more range for the same battery
weight. Battery boxes are usually placed under the hood and in the trunk, or in the
case of pick-up trucks under (or in) the cargo box. Since lead-acid batteries are most
efficient at temperatures between 20 and 30 degrees centigrade, we should insulate
and heat them for the winter. This makes the battery boxes larger than the ones our
southern neighbours use. I am planning to build three boxes under the cargo box and
hinge the box (dump style) for access. To avoid cold weather losses in the
transmission, synthetic lubricants are used that offer good protection with thinner oil
(lower viscosity). The OEM's are using synthetics in new cars now.
Since I have decided on a DC system I have a choice of several brands of controllers.
Curtis Instruments is the largest manufacturer of controllers for both on and off road
vehicles (e.g. forklifts). One advantage is dealers often have spares and used or
rebuilt controllers are available. A newer manufacturer is DC Power with their Raptor
series. I have purchased the Raptor 600 since it has several features the Curtis does
not have. General Electric, Zapi and Auburn are other brands of controllers that are
available as well as used units.
My motor is a 9" WarP from NetGain Technologies in Illinois, supplied by Rick Lane.
Another popular choice is the Advanced DC motor designed originally as an oversized
fork-lift motor. Smaller vehicles have similar choices available. General Electric also
manufacturers similar sized DC motors, as do many others, however it is a wise idea
to resist the temptation to use an aircraft starter motor in a road vehicle as these
motors were not designed to take the higher voltage and heavy amperage draw.
Other components include heavy cable to carry the large current required to move the
vehicle. The two-ought (2/0) welding cable is the most common size used. I am using
Portable Power Cord that is used in the motion picture industry since it is rated for
hard usage and high voltage. Contactors are the heavy-duty switches used to turn the
vehicle on and off. Instead of gasoline, oil pressure and engine temperature gauges
we have battery voltage and motor amperage. An E-meter is used to give precise
readings on the battery condition. A tachometer is needed to help the driver keep the
motor rpm sufficiently high enough to avoid overheating and also to make sure it does
not rotate too quickly and throw itself apart.
A WORD ABOUT LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
The usable capacity of the battery pack is partly determined by the rate at which the
energy is used, that is, if one uses the energy slowly more is available and if one is in
the habit of accelerating quickly there is less 'fuel' available, just like in gas cars.
Unfortunately, this effect is more pronounced in an electric vehicle since the available
range is limited from the start and refuelling isn't a simple matter of pulling into the
nearest gas station for a quick refill. Electric vehicles force the operator to drive more
cautiously, planning stops and starts well in advance, all in the interest of squeezing
the greatest range possible out of the vehicle. If everyone drove this way, the world
would be a lot safer place too.
CONVERSION COSTS
The cost of a conversion project can vary widely. Used EV's are sometimes available
and are often recommended as a good start and usually only need new batteries. I
expect to spend about $12,000.00 Canadian on parts and labour for my conversion. I
could do it cheaper using used parts, a smaller motor, and a smaller donor vehicle but
that is not my style. The running cost for electricity should be less than $2.00 per day,
which is much lower than an equivalent gas vehicle and helps to recoup the
conversion cost. Sources for books and parts can be found at my web site www.
ontarioEV.ca or at www.evsociety.com. Join your local EV club (or create one) for
more information, buy an EV book or research the internet….and good luck with your
electric vehicle.
by Neil Gover
Home
News
Articles
Articles
How Electric Cars Work?
Events
or
Membership
What Makes the EV Tick?
Newsletter
by Marshall Brain
Meetings
Links
Video Links
A Short Explanation
Electric cars are something that show up in the news all the time. So - what is inside
Contact Us
F.A.Q.
Why E.V.'s?
these unique creatures?
The heart of an electric car is the combination of:
Why E.V.S.?
Conversion Manual
●
●
●
●
The electric motor
The motor's controller
A Link from the throttle to the controller
The batteries
Electric cars can use AC or DC motors:
A simple DC controller connected to the batteries and the DC motor. If the driver floors
the accelerator pedal, the controller delivers the full 96 volts from the batteries to the
motor. If the driver takes his/her foot off the accelerator, the controller delivers zero
volts to the motor. For any setting in between, the controller "chops" the 96 volts
thousands of times per second to create an average voltage somewhere between 0
and 96 volts.
A majority of the electric cars on the road today are "home brew" conversion vehicles.
A typical conversion uses a DC controller and a DC motor. An AC controller hooks to
an AC motor. Using six sets of power transistors, the controller takes in 300 volts DC
and produces 240 volts AC, 3-phase. The controller additionally provides a charging
system for the batteries, and a DC-to-DC converter to recharge the 12-volt accessory
battery.
If the motor is a DC motor, then it may run on anything from 96 to 192 volts. Many of
the DC motors used in electric cars come from the electric forklift industry.
If it is an AC motor, then it probably is a three-phase AC motor running at 240 volts AC
with a 300-volt or higher, battery pack.
DC installations tend to be simpler and less expensive. A typical motor will be in the
20,000-watt to 30,000-watt range. A typical controller will be in the 40,000-watt to
60,000-watt range (for example, a 96-volt controller will deliver a maximum of 400 or
600 amps). DC motors have the nice feature that you can overdrive them (up to a
factor of 10-to-1) for short periods of time.
That is, a 20,000-watt motor will accept 100,000 watts for a short period of time and
deliver 5 times its rated horsepower. This is great for short bursts of acceleration. The
only limitation is heat build-up in the motor. Too much overdriving and the motor heats
up to the point where it self-destructs.
AC installations allow the use of almost any industrial three-phase AC motor, and that
can make finding a motor with a specific size, shape or power rating easier. AC motors
and controllers often have a regen feature. During braking, the motor turns into a
generator and delivers power back to the batteries.
The DC-to-DC converter is normally a separate
box under the hood, but sometimes this box is
built into the controller.
Any electric car that uses batteries needs a
charging system to recharge the batteries. The
most sophisticated charging systems monitor
battery voltage, current flow and battery
temperature to minimize charging time. The
charger sends as much current as it can without
raising battery temperature too much. Less
sophisticated chargers might monitor voltage or
amperage only and make certain assumptions
about average battery characteristics. A charger
like this might apply maximum current to the
batteries up through 80 percent of their capacity,
and then cut the current back to some preset level
for the final 20 percent to avoid overheating the
batteries.
Usually, the person doing the conversion has a
"donor vehicle" that will act as the platform for the
conversion. Almost always, the donor vehicle is a
normal gasoline-powered car that gets converted
to electric. Most donor vehicles have a manual
transmission.
Charging Current
When lead-acid batteries are at a
low state of charge, nearly all the
charging current is absorbed by
the chemical reaction. Once the
state of charge reaches a certain
point, at about 80 percent of
capacity, more and more energy
goes into heat and electrolysis of
the water. The resulting bubbling
of electrolyte is informally called
"boiling." For the charging system
to minimize the boiling, the
charging current must cut back for
the last 20 percent of the charging
process.
The person doing the conversion has a lot of choices when it comes to battery
technology. Lead Acid, Nickel-Metal Hydride, Lithium Ion, & Lithium Polymer. The vast
majority of home conversions use lead-acid batteries, and there are several different
options: Marine deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, Golf-cart batteries, and Highperformance sealed batteries. The batteries can have a flooded, gelled or AGM
(absorbed glass mat) electrolyte. Flooded batteries tend to have the lowest cost but
also the lowest peak power.
The EV Challenge (www.evchallenge.org) is an innovative educational program for
middle and high school students that centers around building electric-powered cars.
Great Links
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Citicar description - http://www.bjharding.com/citicar/moreev.htm
The Electric Auto Association - http://www.eaaev.org/index.html
Electro Automotive - http://www.electroauto.com/index.html
Jerry's Electric Car Conversion - http://www.jerryrig.com/convert/
The GM EV1 - perhaps the best-known electric car
- Who Killed the Electric Car: GM and Chevron - http://www.ev1.org/
- EV-1 Club - http://ev1-club.power.net/
- General Motors EV-1 Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
General_Motors_EV1
- The EV-1 Chronicles - http://www.eanet.com/kodama/ev1/
EV-1 Now replaced by the Chevy Volt: http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/
Full Length Source URL: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/electric-car.htm
For More information, Contact your local EV Organization:
The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada is a non-profit group. We are concerned with
clean, safe, and innovative electric transportation. We Hold monthly meetings at
Centennial College, Toronto, on the third Thirsday, except July & August.
The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada
21 Burritt Road, Toronto, Ontario M1R 3S5
Howard Hutt, President
416-755-4324 or [email protected]
We offer Yearly Membership to Corporations & Schools for $100.00 Individuals at
$30.00, Seniors for $20.00, and Students are Free.
Who we are - What we do
We are a non-profit group of Electric Vehicle (EV) Enthusiasts,
Environmentalists and Engineers. We are, vitally concerned with clean
electric transportation.
We meet at Centennial College, Scarborough, Ashtonbee Campus, 7:30pm, room B216 - the third
Thursday of the month, excluding July and August.
We have displayed EVs at the Toronto Auto Show, Skills Canada, Molson Indy, The Independent Power
Producers Society of Ontario (IPPSO) and The Electric Distributors Association (EDA).
We encourage vehicle conversions from gasoline to electric by Canadian Automotive Students and we
are available to offer a seminar to assist the students. To purchase an EV we will try to offer information
on make and availability.
Individual $30.00, senior $20.00, business $100.00 that includes a bi-monthly newsletter, the "EV
Surge". Forward to: Electric Vehicle Society, 21 Burritt Rd, Toronto, ON. M1R 3S5.
For information: Phone or Fax 416-755-4324 or Email: [email protected]
Paid by:
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________
Province/State ______________________________ Postal Code _______________
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
I would like my Newsletter: By Mail [ ] By email [ ] Pick up at Meetings [ ]
Cash [ ] Cheque [ ]
Amount Paid:
$100 - Business [ ]
$30 - Individual [ ]
$20 - Senior [ ]
Date Paid: (dd/mm/yr)
___ /___ /_______
Engineers, Enthusiasts, Environmentalists, Working Together, for the Future, Today!
For More information on the newsletter, send an email to: Editor: Robert Weekley; email: [email protected],
Ask Howard for a copy, or check this link - http://evsociety.ca./newsletter.php
2007, Issue #1
JAN-FEB
Public Price: 50 Cents
Published Bi-Monthly - By the Electric Vehicle Society of Canada, at Toronto, by the Toronto Chapter.
This Issue Available Free only to Members, go to www.evsociety.ca/membership.asp for more Information.
Homebuilt EV Conversion
Homebuilt EV – Front Cover
First eBox Delivered – Front Cover
Press Releases – Pg.2
Gasoline vs. Electric – Pg.3
Ontario RST Rebates – Pg.4
Battery News – Pg.4
Putt-Putt Pollution—Pg.4
Conversion Stories – Pg.4
Presidents Message – Pg.5
EV Timeline—continuing – Pg.5
Ken Norwick – Saturn EV Pg.5
Driving Electric – Pg.6
What makes an EV Tick – Pg.7
EVS Application – Pg.8
drops gas bill from $10 a day to 60 cents.
Posted Dec 24th 2006 8:13PM by Mike Magda
We're seeing a lot of reports of
homebuilt electric vehicle conversions these days. Most owners say
they were motivated after seeing gas
prices skyrocket last summer.
The latest success story comes from
Oregon where Charles and Ronda
Crockett ripped the gas engine out of
a 1994 Saturn wagon and stuffed in
20 batteries and an electric motor. A
school librarian, Charles says he's
not much of a mechanic or electrician but he does know how to conduct research. The goal was to build
a vehicle that could go 80 miles on a
single charge.
The used Saturn cost just
$900, the batteries were
$1,700 and the
conversion kit
was $6,700.
Charles says
the cost of the
conversion will
be paid off in gas savings within two
years. By his math, a daily commute
Continued on page 2 - Homebuilt
Members Corner – Pg.8
First eBox Delivered to Tom Hanks!
Actor Buys New Electric Car, bids gasoline adieu!
February 15, 2007
Tamarack Lake Electric Boat
Company
Monte Gisborne, President
207 Bayshore Drive,
R.R.#3, Brechin, Ontario L0K 1B0
(705) 484-1559
(416) 432-7067 (cell phone)
[email protected]
This Issue Circulation:
50 Members Copies + 50 Public
Next Issue: April 2007
Editor: Robert Weekley
email: [email protected]
SANTA MONICA – AC Propulsion
has delivered the first eBox customer
car to Tom Hanks. The actor and
producer, a veteran EV driver, ordered his eBox after driving the first
prototype last July. “I still have a
Toyota RAV4 EV and never spent a
penny on gasoline for it”, said
Hanks, “What AC Propulsion is doing is fantastic. I drove their tzero
electric sports car a few years ago, so
when they put the same technology
in a four-door I wanted one for myself. It has double the range, goes
fast, uses Li Ion batteries, and is incredibly roomy and comfortable. Oh,
and I will also never have to put any
gasoline into it!”
The eBox, which made its public de-
but in December, is a pure electric
car, not a hybrid. With no gasoline
engine, the eBox transports its occupants
serenely
and
efficiently,
at speed or in traffic, with powerful
acceleration and amazing regenerative braking. Recharging is as close
as the nearest electric outlet because
the eBox can plug in anywhere.
It seats five and has one of the
roomiest rear seats in the business.
Fold the rear seat and the eBox can
take a huge haul. With air conditioning, electric heating, power steering,
power windows, power mirrors and
Continued on page 2 - eBox
Homebuilt—from Page 1
eBox—from Page 1
costs between 30 and 60 cents. With
his gas vehicle it was $10.
remote door locks, the eBox matches
comfort and convenience with any
car.
Source Autobloggreen.com
URL: http://
www.autobloggreen.com/2006/12/24/
homebuilt-ev-conversion-drops-gas-bill-from10-a-day-to-60-cent/
PAT’S SERVICE CENTRE
3673 Dufferin Street
North York, Ontario
M3K 1N9
Ph: 416-631-9148
Fax: 416-631-7213
For Mechanical Work,
Vehicle Safety Inspections,
Vehicle Electronics Repairs
& Troubleshooting
Some Press Releases:
December 28, 2006:
Altair Nanotechnologies Inc.
(NASDAQ: ALTI), announced today
that it shipped ten rapid charge, high
power NanoSafe™ battery packs to
Phoenix Motorcars, Inc. on schedule.
Phoenix Motorcars confirmed that
the shipments of ten 35 KWh battery
packs fulfilled and completed the
$750,000 order placed by Phoenix in
July 2006.
URL: http://www.b2i.us/profiles/investor/
ResLibrary2.asp?
BzID=546&GoTopage=&Category=856
January 3, 2007:
Cobasys and A123Systems announced today that they have signed
a memorandum of understanding to
enter into a partnership to develop,
manufacture, sell, and service lithium-ion energy storage systems for
hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) appli-
And there is one convenience no
conventional car can match – the
eBox refuels at home. Plug it in and
it charges while you sleep. In the
morning, the 35 kWh Li Ion battery
is ready to go up to 150 miles, more
than enough for a typical day’s driving.
Just before he drove off, silently, in
his new eBox, Hanks observed,
“There are three electric cars sitting
on the moon, and now another one
in my garage. The eBox makes even
more sense in Los Angeles than in
the Taurus-Littrow Valley of the
moon. I can drive all weekend, hauling dogs and helping my friends
move, and the only reason I'll need
to stop at a gas station is for beef
jerky and lottery tickets."
cations. The scope of the agreement
will include joint development, marketing and supply of A123Systems
nanophosphate lithium batteries and
Cobasys systems integration and
manufacturing of battery systems for
HEV markets.
URL: http://www.a123systems.com/html/
news/articles/010307_cobasys.html
January 18, 2007:
Electrovaya Launches MN-Series
Lithium-Ion Superpolymer Battery
Technology. The MN-Series, a Lithiated Manganese Oxide base system,
delivers up to 50% Higher energy
density and comparable safety characteristics to Electrovaya’s Phosphate-Series solution.
URL: http://www.electrovaya.com/pdf/
PR/2007/PR20070118.pdf
Page 2
by AC Propulsion
Vehicle Performance
120-150 Miles / charge
0-60 mph in 7 secs
Top Speed = 95 Mph
Charge Rate = 30 Minutes
for 20 to 50 miles
Full Charge = 2 Hours (fast),
5 Hrs (normal)
Source: AC Propulsion
URL: http://
www.acpropulsion.com/releases/0215-2007.htm
{Used with permission}
Jan. 26, 2007: Tesla Motors
Opens Michigan Technical Center.
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich.– Tesla
Motors, today opened its Michigan
Technical Center in Rochester Hills.
Rochester Hills Office is Expected to
House 60 Engineers, Serve as Hub
for Research & Development for Future Products.
The 19,240 square-foot facility, located at 1840 Enterprise Drive, will
focus on research & development for
future Tesla products, starting with a
four-door electric sports sedan to be
built by the Silicon Valley-based
company. That project, named
“WhiteStar,” will be a four door, fivepassenger, lightweight, highperformance sedan planned for production around 2009.
URL: http://www.teslamotors.com/media/
press_room.php?id=250
Automobiles: Electric vs. Gasoline
It is well-known that electric vehicles
produce almost no pollution on the
road, but how much environmental
impact can be attributed to their full
life-cycle, including manufacture?
And when all of these emissions are
taken into account, are electrics
really all that much better than gasoline automobiles? And what about
hybrid gasoline-electrics? Kiyotaka
Tahara and several of his colleagues
at Seikei University in Tokyo recently
published a study attempting to answer these questions.
Unlike the other LCA reviewed in
this issue of the Leaf, this work is
based on a "bottom-up" method of
life-cycle assessment. Tahara et al
did not rely on averaged data, but
instead carefully catalogued the energy use and CO2 emissions of the
various steps in a particular manufacturing process. This allowed them
to make precise assessments of
changes in energy consumption that
would result from changes in altering only those parts of the automobile that determine whether it is electric or gasoline, leaving the body,
interior, tires etc. unchanged. This
ensures a fair comparison between
the gasoline, electric and hybrid
models.
Gasoline and hybrid automobiles
both use gasoline (or a similar fossil
fuel) for all of their energy during the
use phase, so it is easy to make an
accurate estimate of what the car's
total energy (and therefore CO2) inventory will be. But because the use
energy of a car is so much higher
than the manufacturing energy, the
source of an electric car's electricity
will have an enormous influence on
the automobile's environmental impact over its lifetime. In the United
States, for instance, states with large
coal reserves (e.g. Pennsylvania,
West Virginia) have "dirty" electric-
Seikei University (Tokyo), 2001
ity because it is generated mostly
with coal, whereas electricity in other
parts of the country is cleaner (e.g.,
the Northwest, where electricity is
mostly hydroelectric).
The published article focused on
CO2 emissions only, which are
closely correlated to energy consumption. Figure 1 shows the CO2
emissions attributable to the lifecycle of the gasoline and hybrid
models, and to the electric model
under three different assumptions
about the electricity source. Coal is
the most CO2 -intensive form of
electric generation, and hydroelectric
the least. The method in between
these two, liquified natural gas, is
more common in Japan (the authors'
country) than in the U.S., but is comparable to the direct natural gas firing that is common in the U.S., and
is generally considered the cleanest
fossil fuel-based method of electricity generation.
Figure 1 reveals that gasoline cars are
responsible for the least CO2 emissions during manufacture, but the
most during use, and therefore the
most over the vehicle's total lifetime.
Hybrid cars demand slightly higher
CO2 emissions during manufacture,
and electric cars the most. Electric
cars' high emissions during manufacture are most likely related to
their very large batteries. But certainly the most important lesson of
this LCA is the importance of the
source of electricity used to power an
electric car. Coal-based electricity
leads to CO2 emissions nearly as
high as for a gasoline-powered car!
Yet hydropower results in dramatically lower CO2 emissions. If you
want to make an impact on CO2
emissions with your next car purchase, you need to know how the
electricity in your region is generated
before making your choice. And if in
doubt, the best advice is once again
to go hybrid, as we indicated in the
last issue of the Leaf.
Source URL:
http://www.ilea.org/lcas/taharaetal2001.html
Page 3
Ontario RST Rebates for
Vehicles Powered by
Alternate Fuels.
Battery News—Advances in Batteries, What’s new, and coming!
Brown Engineers Build A
Better Battery - With Plastic
RST Guide 702, August 2006.
Date: September 14, 2006
Rebate Program
Science Daily — Brown University engineers have created a new battery that
uses plastic, not metal, to conduct electrical current. The hybrid device marries
the power of a capacitor with the storage
capacity of a battery.
Eligible Vehicles
People who purchase or lease new or
used vehicles licensed under the
Highway Traffic Act (e.g., automobiles, trucks, and vans) may qualify
for a rebate of RST if the vehicles
operate on alternative fuels.
Eligible non-hybrid vehicles operate
or are converted to operate:
•
exclusively on electrical energy
•
exclusively on propane, natural
gas, methanol, or other manufactured gases, or
as dual-powered vehicles (vehicles
that use one of the alternative fuels
mentioned above and that can also
be powered by gasoline or diesel
fuel).
Full information on this program
available at the following URL:
http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/
tax/guides/rst/702.html
Putt-Putt Polution
If you are concerned about the
amounts of pollutants your automobile spills into the atmosphere, you
might want to be thinking about your
lawn mower too.
According to studies, the average gas
power mower will put out as many
pollutants in one hour’s work as a typical car emits in a 100-mile journey. Or,
to put it another way, the California
Air resources Board says that, gallon
for gallon, a 2006 lawn mower engine
contributes ninety-three times more
smog-forming emissions than 2006
cars.
The Environmental Protection
Agency is considering regulations that
would mandate catalytic converters for
small gasoline engines.
“Batteries have limits,” said Tayhas Palmore, an associate professor in Brown’s
Division of Engineering. “They have to be
recharged. They can be expensive. Most
of all, they don’t deliver a lot of power.
Another option is capacitors. These components, found in electronic devices, can
deliver that big blast of power. But they
don’t have much storage capacity. So
what if you combined elements of both a
battery and a capacitor?”
That’s the question Palmore set out to
answer with Hyun-Kon Song, a former
postdoctoral research associate at Brown
who now works as a researcher at LG
Chem, Ltd. They began to experiment
with a new energy-storage system using a
substance called polypyrrole, a chemical
compound that carries an electrical current. Discovery and development of
polypyrrole and other conductive polymers netted three scientists the 2000
Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
In their experiments, Palmore and Song
took a thin strip of gold-coated plastic
film and covered the tip with polypyrrole
and a substance that alters its conductive
properties. The process was repeated,
this time using another kind of conduction-altering chemical. The result: Two
strips with different polymer tips. The
plastic strips were then stuck together,
separated by a papery membrane to prevent a short circuit.
formed like a hybrid, too. It had twice the
storage capacity of an electric doublelayer capacitor. And it delivered more
than 100 times the power of a standard
alkaline battery.
But Palmore said the new battery’s form,
as well as its function, is exciting. In
width and height, it is smaller than an
iPod Nano. And it’s thinner, about as
slim as an overhead transparency.
“You start thinking about this polymer
and you start thinking that you can create batteries everywhere out of it,” Palmore said. “You could wrap cell phones
in it or electronic devices. Conceivably,
you could even make fabric out of this
composite.”
Palmore said some performance problems – such as decreased storage capacity after repeated recharging – must be
overcome before the device is marketable. But she expects strong interest.
Battery makers are always looking for
new ways to more efficiently store and
deliver power. NASA and the U.S. Air
Force are also exploring polymer-based
batteries.
“What we’ve got is a good concept,” Palmore said. “Put electroactive molecules
into conducting polymers and you can
come up with all sorts of interesting materials that store energy.”
Source: Science Daily
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2006/09/060914095053.htm
(Used with Permission)
The result is a hybrid. Like a capacitor,
the battery can be rapidly charged then
discharged to deliver power. Like a battery, it can store and deliver that charge
over long periods of time. During performance testing, the new battery per-
Page 4
Tayhas Palmore, an associate professor in Brown’s Division of Engineering
A Word from Our President—Howard Hutt
EV Timeline Watch this Space
It is too long since we were regularly receiving our bi monthly newsletter and
the sad reason is the passing of our editor, Neil Gover. I miss him terribly and
so does the membership. In the few years that man was active in our Society
he made his mark in many different ways. Firstly, he was passionate in the
promotion of electric propulsion.
1834: Thomas Davenport invents
the battery electric car. Or possibly
Robert Anderson of Scotland
(between 1832 and 1839). Using
non-rechargable batteries. Electric
vehicles would hold all vehicle land
speed records until about 1900.
After joining our group he joined Oshawa, Ottawa, and Vancouver EV groups,
plus EAA. It was in an effort to get all the information on local EV activity and
pass it on. In all that he did a great job. He assisted me and did most of the
conversion of a test vehicle at Electrovaya, that is now running on Li-ion Super
Polymer batteries. Their Maya 100. And in his spare time, he would supervise our web site, serve as our Treasurer and assist in all trade show events
that Electrovaya and EVS might attend. I just wanted to remind you what we
have lost. Thank you Neil.
Now we can welcome a new editor, Robert Brian Weekly. He too is passionate in his pursuit of EV technology. I am sure we will benefit from Robert's
efforts to please his colleagues in our collective interests.
We, EVS members, are changing the web site to serve the EV community
better. There are many new developments in EV related news that will be reflected in these pages. Pass this newsletter to a friend, consider our advertisers should you be interested in their type of product and watch for more EV
news in future newsletters. Howard
1859: Gaston Plante invented rechargeable lead-acid batteries.
1889: Thomas Edison built an EV
using nickel-alkaline batteries.
1895: First auto race in America ,
won by an EV.
1896: First car dealer – sells only
EVs.
1897: First vehicle with power steering – an EV. Electric self-starters 20
years before appearing in gaspowered cars.
From: www.eaaev.org/
Ken Norwick, Electric Vehicle Advocate-Tuesday, 09 Jul 2002 CALGARY, Alberta, Canada
I turn the key to the start position on
my homemade 1996 Saturn electric
car and hold it for about a second.
The soft click that follows is the only
indication that the car has started.
I push the clutch in and
shift into reverse. With
your foot off of the accelerator pedal there is no
need to use the clutch in
the conventional way, as an electric
motor does not idle like an internal
combustion engine. It simply stops
turning and waits for the driver's
next input from the "gas" pedal.
As soon as at least 10 amps of power
starts to flow through the car's power
grid, the E-Meter on the top of the
dash comes to life, reporting the vital
signs to the driver. These meters (or
their equivalent from another manufacturer) are an important compo-
nent of any electric vehicle conversion. A small computer inside is
wired into the power circuits of the
car, and control signals sent to this
unit are constantly monitored. I can
use a small switch on the face of the
instrument to select from the various
reporting functions.
The Saturn's E-Meter.
In car terms, you can think of the EMeter as a fuel gauge, but it does a
lot more than that. When I first built
the car and installed the gauge, it
had to be calibrated to this particular
vehicle and its combination of system voltage, battery chemistry, and
capacity. For example, this car uses
18 eight-volt batteries to store its
energy for a total system voltage of
144 volts. The E-Meter knows this
because I told it so when I first en-
Page 5
tered the system configuration into
the computer. It also knows that
these batteries have a storage capacity of 165 ampere-hours per battery.
You might think of these as the functional equivalent of "gallons of gasoline."
You would be surprised how getting
off of the main roads and using side
streets can improve your commuting
experience.
Source: Grist.org
URL: http://www.grist.org/
comments/dispatches/2002/07/08/
ken/index1.html
Driving Electric For fuel savings, reducing pollution, saving wear on my gas car!
By Robert Weekley
Some years ago, about December 1980,
I saw my first Electric Powered Car, in
person, at a Car Show in Phoenix, Arizona, at the Point Resort. It was a vehicle built by General Electric. They used a
Bradley GT Kit Car, and gave statistics
as a range of 100 Miles, and speed of 70
MPH! I was impressed, and saved the
info sheet I got from them at the time.
After coming to work at Bombardier in
December, 1995, I saw Bombardier’s
attempt to enter a new market for Low
Speed Vehicles, with an Electric
Neighborhood Car for Gated Communi-
ties, which program was since stopped,
and – to my surprise – I met a man recently, Monte Gisborne, that acquired
some of the assets from that program
from Bombardier at a very good price –
which he used in his conversion of a
Firefly Convertible – called the Electrifly!
I am now owner of a 1989 Pontiac Firefly. It has been converted to Electric
Drive by a group of students and teacher
in 1994 at Marian Academy in Etobicoke. This car is actually their second
conversion. The process of removing
the Gasoline Engine and related Gas
fixtures, tank, lines, etc., and installing a
90 Volt D.C. General Electric Forklift
Motor and Controller along with arrangements for 8 x 12V Batteries was
done by the students with the teacher
supervision and guidance. The correct
type – Deep Cycle Batteries, were initially installed when the conversion was
done, but – have since been replaced for
some reason with Marine Batteries,
which are not as durable, and have been
forgotten as to maintenance needs over
the years.
I am currently testing some ideas in the
area of Battery Reviving Chemistries,
and Charge-Discharge activities, with
some good results so far. Unfortunately
– when I took the car to get a Safety
Check for transferring the plates to me
and putting it on the road, I was informed of the needs to have some serious bodywork done to the forward underbody and rocker panels. I have since
done the first preparation for this by
stripping the interior of seats, side panels, and carpet, so the bare metal is
showing for easy(er) body shop estimation and repair.
My purpose in buying the car – for driving to work instead of driving my gasoline car, to save it wear and tear due to
the short distance to work, have already
begun to be accomplished, as I have
used it for a few days to go to work in
the colder weather, rather than start up
my gas car and drive it. So – it is already
going forward to help reduce Toronto’s
pollution from auto exhaust, and when
its repairs and refurbishments are done,
I expect to get as good as the students
originally got – 60 Km per charge –
which – for my drive to work needs,
equal about a months driving. This
means – driving for a month to work –
while adding no pollution to the Toronto
Air!
While it might sound strange – driving
an electric car – we do it in plant all the
time – with Cushman Electric Vehicles
doing much of the parts delivery and
garbage removal. Now – if it is important to have a pollution free vehicle running around in our plant, which is a
closed environment, - think how important it is to have pollution free vehicles
running around the closed environment
of the Earth!
While some may rave and some may
laugh, the reality is – we can’t go on only
Page 6
thinking about short term costs like acquisition, but must think of the long
term costs, like health car, gasoline
spills, water and air pollution, poisoned
wildlife, (Toxic Game Hunting, anyone?), and general generational issues
like toxic children poisoned by our lifestyle choices of today. Asthma was not
even a common word when I was a
child, but today it is considered – just
part of the normal reality of life!
If you are tired of being held hostage to
Gasoline Price Fluctuations Daily, drive
a moderate distance to work, and are
looking for a new way out, consider converting an existing car to electric power
– the most flexible fuel on the planet
today, as it can be generated by Solar,
Wind, Hydro, Tides, Geothermal,
among the most familiar choices – on
the environmentally clean slate, and
Nuclear, Coal, and Natural Gas on the
conventional side. As vehicles for some
need to do everything – a pure electric
just doesn’t have enough range for the
daily drive, the best choice is to go one
step short – with a Plug-in Hybrid,
based currently on the Toyota Prius or
Ford Escape, but others will be created
before long.
A Plug-In Hybrid – is a normal Hybrid,
with an extra sized battery pack to get
you all electric range of about 30 miles
like a NEV (Neighborhood electric Vehicle), and the normal range and usage of
the Standard Hybrid beyond that. While
these are as yet expensive options, they
allow a single car to do what otherwise
would be a two car event, a pure electric
car, and a separate gas powered car used
less frequently.
Continued on page 7 - Driving
Electric Vehicles – The EV, What Makes Them Tick?
Electric cars are something that
shows up in the news all the time.
The heart of an electric car is the
combination of:
•
•
•
•
The electric motor
A Link from the throttle
to the controller
The batteries
A simple DC controller connected
to the batteries and the DC motor.
If the driver floors the accelerator
pedal, the controller delivers the
full 96 volts from the batteries to
the motor. If the driver takes his/
her foot off the accelerator, the
controller delivers zero volts to the
motor. For any setting in between,
the controller "chops" the 96 volts
thousands of times per second to
create an average voltage somewhere between 0 and 96 volts.
A majority of the electric cars on
the road today are "home brew"
conversion vehicles. A typical conversion uses a DC controller and a
DC motor.
An AC controller hooks to an AC
motor. Using six sets of power
transistors, the controller takes in
Driving—from Page 6
There are many choices, available, if we
all must live more than walking distance
from work, it is time to do more than
just ‘get the lead out’ of our drive, but
now it is time to ‘get the gas out’ of our
commute! Think – No More Gas, and
you have the makings of a whole change
of environment!
300 volts DC and produces 240
volts AC, 3-phase. The controller
additionally provides a charging
system for the batteries, and a DCto-DC converter to recharge the
12-volt accessory battery. If the
motor is a DC motor, then it may
run on anything from 96 to 192
volts. Many of the DC motors used
in electric cars come from the electric forklift industry.
If it is an AC motor, then it probably
is a three-phase AC motor running
at 240 volts AC with a 300-volt or
higher, battery pack.
DC installations tend to be simpler
and less expensive. A typical motor
will be in the 20,000-watt to
30,000-watt range. A typical controller will be in the 40,000-watt to
60,000-watt range (for example, a
96-volt controller will deliver a maximum of 400 or 600 amps). DC motors have the nice feature that you
can overdrive them (up to a factor of
10-to-1) for short periods of time.
That is, a 20,000-watt motor will
accept 100,000 watts for a short period of time and deliver 5 times its
rated horsepower. This is great for
short bursts of acceleration. The only
limitation is heat build-up in the motor. Too much overdriving and the
motor heats up to the point where it
self-destructs.
AC installations allow the use of almost any industrial three-phase AC
motor, and that can make finding a
Page 7
motor with a specific size, shape or
power rating easier. AC motors and
controllers often have a regen feature. During braking, the motor
turns into a generator and delivers
power back to the batteries.
The DC-to-DC converter is normally
a separate box under the hood, but
sometimes this box is built into the
controller.
Any electric car that uses batteries
needs a charging system to recharge the batteries. The most sophisticated charging systems monitor battery voltage, current flow and
battery temperature to minimize
charging time. The charger sends as
much current as it can without raising battery temperature too much.
Less sophisticated chargers might
monitor voltage or amperage only
and make certain assumptions about
average battery characteristics. A
charger like this might apply maximum current to the batteries up
through 80 percent of their capacity,
and then cut the current back to
some preset level for the final 20
percent to avoid overheating the batteries.
Usually, the person doing the conversion has a "donor vehicle" that
will act as the platform for the conversion. Almost always, the donor
vehicle is a normal gasoline-powered
car that gets converted to electric.
Most donor vehicles have a manual
transmission.
The person doing the conversion has
a lot of choices when it comes to battery technology. Lead Acid, NickelMetal Hydride, Lithium Ion, & Lithium Polymer. The vast majority of
home conversions use lead-acid batteries, and there are several different
options: Marine deep-cycle lead-acid
batteries, Golf-cart batteries, and
High-performance sealed batteries.
The batteries can have a flooded,
gelled or AGM (absorbed glass mat)
electrolyte. The EV Challenge
(www.evchallenge.org) is an innovative educational program for
high school students around building
electric-powered cars.
Environmentalists and Engineers. We are vitally concerned with clean
We meet at Centennial College, Scarborough, Ashtonbee Campus, 7:30pm, room B204- the third Thursday of the month,
excluding July and August.
We display EVs at the Toronto Auto Show, Skills Canada, Molson Indy, The Independent Power Producers Society of
Ontario (IPPSO) and The Electric Distributors Association (EDA).
We encourage vehicle conversions from gasoline to electric by Canadian automotive students and we are available to offer a seminar to assist the students. To purchase an EV we will try to offer information on make and availability.
Individual $30.00, senior $20.00, business $100.00 that includes a bi-monthly newsletter, the "EV Surge". Forward to:
Electric Vehicle Society, 21 Burritt Rd, Toronto, ON. M1R 3S5.
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
Engineers, Enthusiasts, Environmentalists Together
Members Corner: - a Place to Share Information between members.
Hear are two tables to use with Lead Acid (PbA) Batteries for making Load and Temperature Adjustments. The Original
Calculations are available from [email protected], ask for : Battery-Pack_Available-Energy+Distance1.xls
Page 8
2007, Issue #2
MAR-APR
Thrilling Thursday: Driving 100 Percent Electric
Driving 100% Electric: Front Cover
April 12, 2007, By Fred White: ThomasNet.com. (Used with permission)
Battery Start-Up: Front Cover
Powered by 6,831 mass-market lithium-ion batteries, the Tesla Roadster
has a 249-mile range and can recharge in as little as 3.5 hours. It
goes from zero to 60 mph in about 4
seconds with a top speed of over 130
mph. It also costs about $92,000.
Yet a 100-percent electric car under
development at 170-person startup
Tesla Motors, due in no small part to
its $40 million in venture funding,
must be at the top of the list.
Now, there is a market for electric
cars, but it is currently a small one
and really only includes those people
with much surplus income. Few analysts will even hazard a guess about
when the first pure electrics will
show up in the showrooms of major
manufacturers, even though more
than two dozen companies globally
are offering electric cars of all sorts.
• Goes from zero to 60 mph (97 kph)
in about 4 seconds;
Miles Javlon Electric: Front Cover
EV Conversion Workshop – Pg.2
Gas to Electric Course – Pg.2
PG&E See’s PHEV Profits – Pg.3
Electric Car Conversion – Pg.4
Nevada Solar Project – Pg.6
Silicon vs. CIGS – Pg.7
Miles Javlon Electric Car
Javlon Electric Motor Corporation, Ltd., a proud division of
Miles Automotive Group, Ltd. is
continuing the development of
advanced high speed all electric
vehicles which will have speeds
of 80 mph. They will meet all
National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and EU standards and will have ranges in
excess of 150 miles on a single
charge. It is anticipated that
these high speed vehicles will
become available for sale by the
end of 2008. Miles Automotive
is a carmaker based in the U.S.
but with its factories in China.
Source: Miles Automotive,
url: www.milesautomotive.com/
50 Members + 50 Public
Next Issue: June 2007
Consider the performance:
• Top speed of over 130 mph (210
kph);
• Range of 250 miles (400 km);
• Efficiency equivalent of 135 mpg
(133 Wh/km);
Continued on Page 2: 100% Electric
Battery start-up speeds toward trucks, data centers
March 13, 2007, By Martin LaMonica, CNET News.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.-A123Systems, one of many
start-ups looking to improve
energy storage, wants to find a
home for its batteries in corporate data centers and in hybrid
trucks and buses.
The company, spun off from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2001, has developed nanoscale materials to improve lithiumion batteries. Its technology results
in safe and more powerful batteries
that can charge faster than traditional batteries, according to the
company.
Industrial tools manufacturer DeWalt has incorporated cylindershaped batteries into its professional
power tools. General Motors earlier
this year said it will evaluate
A123Systems' batteries for a planned
hybrid plug-in SUV, the Saturn Vue.
A123Systems founder and MIT professor Yet-Ming Chiang, speaking at
the MIT Energy 2.0 Conference here
Saturday, said the company intends
to expand its use of the technology in
transportation and other industries.
It is creating a battery for lightweight
jets that save half the weight compared with existing products.
A123Systems also plans to create
uninterrupted power supplies for
servers.
Continued on Page 2: Battery Speeds
100% Electric—From Page 1
Electric car conversion workshop teaches EV modding
• Motor efficiency: 90 percent average, 80 percent at peak power; and
by Dane Muldoon, Mar 18th 2007
•
Road feel: “You don’t wait even a
moment for the acceleration to
kick in. It kicks in immediately.
The effect is like nothing you’ve
ever experienced.”
England’s Lotus, renowned for its
small, light sports cars, provided the
basic chassis technology from its Lotus Elise. Then Tesla engineers designed a new chassis. They lengthened it, lowered the doors sills, and
adjusted the strength to match the
roadster’s weight of 2500 lbs (1140
kg). The styling of this vehicle — also
called a Dark Star — comes via
Barney Hatt at Lotus’ design studio
with collaboration with Tesla.
Unlike the EV1, which used lead-acid
batteries, “The energy density of lithium ion cell batteries can be as high
as 160 watt-hours per kilogram — or
at least four times that of typical
lead-acid cells. So the Tesla has a
249-mile (400-km) range and, best
of all, it can recharge in as little as
3.5 hours.
Phil Luk, the Tesla engineer who
hand-built each prototype, tells PC
Magazine:
The battery is equipped with 13 separate processors that monitor everything from voltage and temperature
to smoke levels. To maintain appropriate temperatures inside the battery, the car includes both radiator
heating and a liquid-cooling system.
The cooling vents in the rear of the
car work much like the cooling vents
on an ordinary desktop PC. But if the
battery weight seems excessive in
contrast to what an internal combustion engine vehicle uses, the 3-phase,
4-pole AC induction motor only
weighs about 70 pounds.
We have little doubt that driving
what PC Magazine refers to as "your
dream car" must be thrilling, since as
of January, Tesla had sold more than
250 cars at $100,000 each. The first
cars are supposed to be delivered in
September, “if crash-test analyses
and other U.S. governmentcertification requirements go
smoothly.”
Electric vehicle (EV) advocate Jenny Isaacs (Tinicum Township, Philadelphia)
has decided she can't wait for rising fuel prices to usher in a wave of hybrids
and EVs, and has instead started a workshop to teach people how to convert
their own vehicles. Isaacs has brought a Californian EV expert in to run a twoweek course in her home town that will show 20 vocational-technical school
teachers how to convert a petrol-powered vehicle into a straight EV.
A 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon will go under the knife for the sake of the course
and be converted into a road-going electric vehicle, a process which typically
costs around $10,000 including labour and 8-16 lead acid batteries. Lead acid
batteries take many hours to charge and only offer a short travel distance but
are incredibly cheap to run once they're set up.
Analysis: With lithium-ion battery technology moving forward so quickly and
dropping in price, there will be a real niche for people to offer EV conversions
in the future. Imagine a standard, turn-key li-ion battery conversion kit with
everything you needed to convert your car being sold on the promise of no
more fuel bills. That's an idea that would sell.
Source: autobloggreen.com
URL: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/03/18/electric-car-conversion-workshopteaches-ev-modding/
For more details, Also See: Mcall.com “It's watts under the hood”
URL: http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-b1-2electricfeb26,0,4964701.story?
coll=all-news-hed
GAS TO ELECTRIC
What: Teachers from area vocationaltechnical schools will learn how to convert gas-powered vehicles to electricpowered vehicles during a two-week
course this summer.
Who: The 20-person course is open
only to vo-tech teachers. Bucks County
Renewables, a nonprofit environmental
group, is organizing the program.
Where: North Montco Technical Career
Center, 1265 Sumneytown Pike, Towamencin Township, Montgomery County.
When: July 30 to Aug. 10.
For more information:
E-mail information requests to:
[email protected].
For information on Bucks County Renewables, the group organizing the
course, visit
www.buckscountyrenewables.com
Source: ThomasNet.com,
URL: http://news.thomasnet.com/
IMT/archives/print/2007/04/
thrilling_thurs.html
Page 2
Battery Speeds—From Page 1
In the transportation industry, the
company is developing batteries for
hybrid trucks and buses, including
plug-in hybrids, Chiang said.
At the conference, the company
showed off a plug-in Toyota Prius
that can go 30 miles to 35 miles before recharging. The company's batteries, which are about 33 inches
wide, are stored under the hatchback
trunk.
Although more development is
needed, Chiang said, A123Systems'
batteries can make a mark in plug-in
hybrids, much the way they have in
the power tools industry.
"This really is new battery technology," he said. "We have capabilities
that five years ago power tool people
didn't believe was possible."
Source: CNET News.com
URL: http://news.com.com/
Battery+startup+speeds+toward+trucks%
2C+data+centers/2100-11392_36166741.html
PG&E sees plug-in hybrids as potential profit centers By Tom Krazit, April 9, 2007
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Plug-in
hybrids could one day turn
motorists into energy traders,
according to Pacific Gas &
Electric.
The utility demonstrated on Monday
a twist on the concept of the plug-in
hybrid, which uses a higher capacity
battery than ordinary hybrids like
Toyota's Prius. The idea? To let car
owners sell electricity purchased
overnight back to the grid for a modest profit or to power their homes in
the event of an emergency with the
Vehicle-to-Grid program, said Bob
Howard, a vice president with PG&E.
The demonstration came during the
Alternative Energy Solutions Summit, sponsored by the Silicon Valley
Leadership Group and hosted by Advanced Micro Devices at its headquarters here. Public officials from
Silicon Valley communities and organizations gathered to hear discussions about how the region can invest and profit from demand for
cleaner and more efficient sources of
power.
U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer of California discussed some of the efforts
she is taking as the new chairman of
the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works to get the
U.S. government more focused on
energy efficiency and alternative
sources of power.
"Global warming is the challenge of
our generation," she said. "I hope to
make this one of the biggest issues in
the (2008) presidential race, where
the nominees are arguing over who
has the better plan to meet this challenge."
Utilities aren't historically known for
their environmentally friendly practices, Howard noted, as they produce
about 40 percent of all greenhouse
gases in the U.S. "But if there has
ever been a place to start and gather
the interest of customers, California
and the (San Francisco) Bay Area is
the place."
Hybrids like the Prius have been hot
sellers in the Bay Area, and the plugin hybrid goes a step further. For
$10,000, hybrid owners can have a
large battery capable of storing 9
kilowatt/hours of electricity installed
in their rear cargo area. The car
works the same way as a regular hybrid, drawing on the battery at low
speeds, but the extra battery can allow the car to get up to 100 miles per
gallon of gas, said Felix Kramer,
founder of CalCars.
It's easy to see the benefit to the
driver and environment, but utility
companies could also get a boost
from plug-in hybrids, Howard said.
The particulars are still being worked
out, but PG&E demonstrated how a
plug-in hybrid could be connected to
a home's electrical system or some
other type of collection point at
mass-transit hubs or office parking
lots and send power back to the
charging station--or just through a
wall outlet--from the car.
Electricity is cheaper during off-peak
consumption hours like the middle
of the night, and utilities are also
able to use renewable sources of en-
Page 3
ergy during those periods, Howard
said. Owners could purchase electricity cheaply at night, store it in their
plug-in hybrids, and sell it back to
the utility at higher rates during the
day--when demand is much higher
for electrical power.
There's still a lot of research that
needs to be done in this area, but
PG&E is studying how to incorporate
the technology into its own service
vehicles, Howard said. Challenges
include figuring out how and where
to build collection points, and making it as easy to remove power from a
battery as it is to charge the battery.
PGE+sees+plugin+hybrids+as+potential+profit+centers
/2100-11392_3-6174672.html
Hybridfest 2007
Can’t Afford an All Electric Car?
Check out www.Hybridfest.com for the
upcoming show in Madison Wisconsin,
July 21st weekend! Plan on seeing over
100 Hybrids from Honda, Ford, Lexus,
Toyota, Mercury, Saturn, Nissan, with a
goal of 200 Hybrids on site this year!
Join as a member and get access to forums, speakers, and other special benefits, including food. TShirts, and
more.
Meet Sherry
Boschert,
author of
Plug-in Hybrids: The
Cars that
Will Recharge America, and
more.
Hybridfest!
Be there!
Electric-car conversion alive on Vancouver Island Goody Niosi, Can West News; Friday, March 23, 2007
Perhaps you've seen the movie Who
Killed the Electric car? and thought
that contemporary electric vehicles
are on history's scrap heap.
But in a small shop near the rural
Vancouver Island community of
Errington half an hour north of
Nanaimo, the electric vehicle is, well,
humming along on a modest scale,
courtesy of Randy Holmquist.
In fact, his conversion vehicles are
now in use around the globe.
Spencer Baird drives one in Tofino
on Vancouver Island's west coast.
"It's quiet," he says. "I can drive it
right into my garage and I don't get
exhaust fumes in my house."
John Joseph drives one in Virginia,
clocking about 120 kilometres each
day to and from work.
"It's a great commuter vehicle," he
says. "And it's fun to drive. I'm just
tickled to death with it."
Holmquist became fascinated with
electric vehicles in 1990 when he
worked as a marine mechanic in
Nanaimo, about 28 kilometres from
home. He got a small handbook from
a man in Oregon who was doing conversions from gas to electric. Follow-
Ontario Battery Services
Co. Ltd.
304 Carlingview Drive, Etobicoke
Ontario M9W 5G2
416-675-7671
Exit 401 West at Carlingview, Pass
Dixon, ~ 1 Km on left.
Sales, Service, Rentals, Consultants
Batteries, Chargers, Solar, Wind, RV
Marine, Standby Power—Heart,
Trace, Best UPS.
ing the rough instructions, he converted his 1963 Triumph Spitfire.
"The book was very crude," Holmquist recalls. "There wasn't anyone
doing anything at that time so I was
winging it. I blew up some stuff, particularly batteries, broke some axles - actually I broke a lot of stuff -- but
it got me hooked."
The conversion eventually worked
and Holmquist recalls driving the
Triumph to work each day, plugging
it in, and putting a nickel on his employer's desk to pay for the electricity. But the Triumph wasn't a practical car, so his next project was converting his Datsun truck, which had
a range of about 60 kilometres and
was a perfect commuter vehicle.
In 1993 he met a B.C. Hydro employee who was interested in an electric truck. Holmquist was delighted:
his first customer! He converted his
Chevy S10 pickup, which was used
for years to drive around town to
read meters.
That truck changed hands several
times, Holmquist says, and is still
being driven in Vancouver.
With gas prices back above the $1-alitre mark, one starts to wonder:
"Why aren't we driving these
things?"
Holmquist answers: "These vehicles
don't have as much power and there
are very few commercials out there
that advertise a fuel-economy car.
Power and sex is what sells, and
there's no power nor sex in an electric S10 pickup."
But he was determined to get electric
vehicles out on the road and met
with the fleet buyer for the B.C. gov-
Page 4
ernment, who commissioned an S10
for himself, using it as a show vehicle
at car events up and down Vancouver Island.
But when the government put out a
tender, their specifications were impossible to meet, Holmquist says.
"They wanted a four-passenger car
with a 120-kilometre range and zero
maintenance. It was all do-able as
individual components, but not
when you put it together as a package."
Holmquist refused to give up. He
made annual trips to California
where more and more people were
doing remarkable things with electric
cars. At home, he started building
conversion kits for S10s.
He also continued to do the odd conversion. He took part in a demonstration program through the Vancouver Island Advanced Technology
Centre and sold one of the demo vehicles to Kim Kerns, a professor at
the University of Victoria, who later
bought an S10 and still commutes
with it daily.
Kerns says her vehicle is excellent for
commutes. If there is a disadvantage,
it's that she can't be spontaneous and
decide to drive to somewhere else
instead of going home after work.
"But really, how often does that happen? I still have a gas car, so we're a
two-car household and one of those
is an electric car."
After selling the demo vehicles, sales
remained few and far between and
Holmquist continued to plod along,
averaging one or two kit sales a year.
"But I knew that it eventually had to
happen," he says.
Continued on Page 5: Conversion
I would like to tell you a little story! Many of us are interested in the four
wheel commuter type of EV and there is good news out there. To be specific
our interest in plug in hybrids is getting quite a boost. First our EVS member, Hymotion, (a plug in hybrid conversion company with facilities in the US
as well as Canada) has been purchased by A123 a battery company, and there
is a story there. I think A123 is connected to Cobasys, the Nickel Metal Hydride Company that is also doing the Lithium battery technology.
1897: - See Issue #1, 2007
There the plot thickens. General Motors is part owner of Cobasys along with
Texaco, and GM has anew concept car, the Volt. GM has done it again - they
have stated the Volt will be a niche vehicle (like the EV1) and will be on limited
production. GM says it is to compete with the Prius. At the same time they
that in South America it will use Ethanol, and in Europe the fuel will be diesel.
GM will also do a fuel cell version for sale in China. The Volt is on schedule to
be for sale in 2010. (Automotive News, May 7 issue).
1899: Pope Manufacturing Company forms the Electric Vehicle
Company, the first large-scale operation in the US automobile industry.
And voila we will have a plug in hybrid for sale. Made in the US I am afraid,
according to the latest information. Anyway a series hybrid, (electric motor
only to the wheels, and a gasoline motor to charge the batteries after 40 miles.
Our new printing of the manual seems to be well received, however apparently
we need to fix a drawing or two and that will be attended to.
Our Government is making noises about support for green vehicles but I have
not seen anything of substance except a rebate for the purchase of a new hybrid.
I must compliment Robert for the work he is doing and I know we all thank
him. Howard, President, EVS
Conversion—From Page 4
Things happened in the late 1990s
when PLH Aviation in Vancouver
asked him to design an aircraft refuelling truck for the LAX airport in
Los Angeles.
He worked with the engineers and
when the vehicle was complete, it
glided smoothly out of the company's
shop in Vancouver. Everyone liked it
and PLH wanted more, but the cost
of building a big truck from the
ground up was prohibitively expensive. What to do?
One of the company principals came
up with a winning solution. He
bought a GM truck for about
$30,000 and asked Holmquist to
convert it. Holmquist hired an engineering student from the University
of Victoria and together they designed a drive train that worked perfectly. PLH ordered five more trucks.
1898: NYC blizzard, only EVs were
capable of transport on the roads.
First woman to buy a car – it was an
EV.
1900: NYC’s huge pollution problem – horses. 2.5 million pounds of
manure, 60,000 gallons of urine
daily on the streets; 15,000 dead
horses removed from the streets
each year. All US cars produced:
33% steam cars, 33% EV, and 33%
gasoline cars. Poll at the National
Automobile Show in NYC showed
people's first choice for automobiles
was electric followed closely by
steam. From: www.eaaev.org/
The aviation company had also
found a dealership in Portland, Ore.,
willing to take the motor and components Holmquist discarded. Curious,
the dealer paid Holmquist a visit in
1999 and decided he was on to something. He sold the idea of electric
trucks to South West Airlines and
Holmquist converted two trucks for
them.
kit a month. All of a sudden the conversion thing has come back."
He was finally busy enough to quit
his day job and form his own company, Canadian Electric Vehicles Ltd.
Shortly after his trucks hit the
ground in Phoenix, Air BP noticed
them and ordered nine for themselves and then several for Puerto
Rico, Hawaii, Australia and Dubai.
"We were getting about one inquiry a
day and selling one or two kits a
year," he says. "Now we're getting 40
inquiries a day and selling about one
Holmquist notes that his electric
utility trucks have all been sold to
business and government in the
United States -- not one has been
purchased in Canada.
Page 5
Holmquist suspects that it won't be
long before the large auto manufacturers start building affordable plugin hybrids and then electric-only
cars. He admits he could never compete with them and is concentrating
on the industrial market.
"Every electric vehicle on the road is
one gas or diesel powered one off the
road, and that certainly can't hurt."
Source: Vancouver Sun
URL: http://www.canada.com/
vancouversun/news/driving/
story.html?id=e0190a0b-62d64d09-8eb7-0ac67ae8547d
Full steam ahead for Nevada solar project By Michael Kanellos, March 12, 2007, CNET News.com
BOULDER CITY, Nev.--The Nevada
Solar One power plant is essentially a tea kettle, just one that
happens to take up 300 acres and
can provide enough power for
15,000 homes.
The plant, which will start to generate electricity for nearby Las Vegas
in April, consists of approximately
184,000 mirrors arranged in long,
parabolic arrays that focus the sun's
energy on a receiver--a metal tube
filled with oil that's encased in specialized glass--from German conglomerate Schott.
Sunlight heats the oil to 400 degrees
Celsius (about 750 degrees Fahrenheit). The oil gets transferred to a
heat exchanger where it makes
steam, which then cranks a turbine
to produce electricity. If the heat
can't be used right away, it gets
transferred to vats of molten salt
which retain the heat for later use.
"The steam side, it is not rocket science. It has existed for more than
100 years. The solar side, we know it
is going to work," said Gilbert Cohen,
senior vice president of Acciona Solar Power, which owns the plant and
will sell it to local utilities. "The potential is huge here."
The project underscores the resurgence that's taking place for a technology called solar thermal for generating electricity. Solar thermal
power plants began popping up in
Israel and the American Southwest
in the '80s, but construction of new
plants largely ground to a halt in the
early '90s.
Now, solar thermal projects are under way--or at least on the white
board--in Spain, Greece, Mexico,
Iran, Algeria and parts of the U.S.,
among other places. When it goes
live, Solar One will be the third largest solar thermal plant in the world
with a 64 megawatt capacity. Potentially, the site could crank out 2,000
megawatts, or enough power for
about a half-million people, Cohen
said. The U.S. Southwest could ultimately produce 4,000 to 40,000
megawatts of solar thermal power,
he speculated, enough for 1 million
to 10 million consumers.
In California's Mojave Desert, already home to 354 megawatts of
solar thermal facilities, Stirling Energy Systems in conjunction with
utility company Southern California
Edison is erecting a 500 megawatt
plant to open in 2009.
The driving force behind the demand
for solar thermal power, besides
global warming and fears about rising electrical prices, are state and
federal laws aimed at curbing fossil
fuels and coal. In Nevada, regulations require that utilities get 15 percent of their power from renewable
resources and a total of 5 percent
from solar power by 2015. Other
southwestern states have passed
similar laws.
Solar thermal plants aren't cheap.
The construction tab for building Solar One will likely run about $250
million, said Cohen. The power generated by the plant, minus any subsidies, may not get to parity with electricity generated from conventional
plants until around 2020, added Nikolaus Benz, a development manager for Schott. Solar thermal electricity, according to statistics from
Schott's publications, will cost
around 15 to 17 cents a kilowatt hour
in the U.S. Residents of Las Vegas
now pay around 7 cents a kilowatt
hour.
Solar thermal fans, however, say the
technology represents the most economical way to harness the sun's
power on a large scale. The solar
plants will last for decades, so by
2030, solar thermal will be a better
buy than coal-fired electricity, which
is expected to go up in price.
"The return is pretty good, but you
have to take the first step," Cohen
said. The technology also has an
advantage in age, added Cohen.
During the 15-year lull when utilities
weren't commissioning new plants,
engineers had time to enhance the
performance of their products and
wring out operational inefficiencies.
Page 6
Schott, for example, has come up
with a new coating for the glass tube
on the receiver that lets 96 percent
of the solar radiation through to the
oil-filled metal tube sealed inside the
glass. The coating also withstands
abrasion better than earlier versions.
The mirrors are mounted on the arrays in four rows that form a near
perfect parabola to reflect as much
sunlight as possible onto the purple
receiver, about the diameter of a can
of pasta sauce.
Contrary to expectations, the mirrors
won't sizzle birds or bugs: they only
get as hot as the outside temperature, said site manager Bob Cable.
When operational, the arrays will
rotate with the sun--software and
microcontroller adjusting the pace of
their movements depending on the
day of the year and the position of
the sun.
Work on the massive plant is slightly
ahead of schedule. Construction on
Solar One--which includes over 7
million aluminum parts in the frame
and 76 kilometers' worth of oil-filled
receivers as well as a nearby electrical plant--began in February 2006.
The field is now 90 percent done
while the companion buildings are 70
percent there.
Steam heat
Although solar thermal systems and
solar photovoltaic (PV) panels both
transform energy from the sun into
electricity, they work in vastly different manners. In general, silicon PV
panels convert 15 to 22 percent of
the light that strikes them into electricity; mixing other materials into the
panels can increase efficiency, but
also adds cost.
Solar thermal plants are more efficient, said Cohen, with efficiencies
ranging from around 20 percent to
40 percent, according to studies, in
part because it's easier to extract
heat from sunlight than electrons.
Solar thermal water heaters--which
heat water for commercial and residential buildings--rely on the same
principle.
Continued on Page 7: Full Steam
Full Steam—From Page 6
Silicon vs. CIGS: With solar energy, the issue is material
The molten salt vats also give solar
thermal systems insurance against
cloudy days, something that PV
doesn't have. One hundred thousand
square feet of molten salt holds
enough heat to provide electricity for
four hours.
By Michael Kanellos, October 2, 2006, CNET News.com
The big drawback is that solar thermal plants can't be installed everywhere. They work best in warm, dry
locations, unlike PV panels which
even work well in Germany. Shadows from vapor trails and planes can
curb their production. And dust is a
major problem. To keep it off, a cart
festooned with moist brushes that
look like they came from a car wash
hoses off the mirrors.
As a result, solar thermal mostly gets
deployed for power plants, which
cost hundreds of millions of dollars
and take up hundreds, if not thousands of acres of land. An individual
can put a PV system on a private
home, but it will cost about $20,000.
Until recently, financing for these
projects has been nearly impossible
to obtain. Security is a potential issue, too. Venture capitalist Vinod
Khosla recently said during a panel
discussion that a thermal plant occupying three percent of Morocco's
land could provide Western Europe
with all of its power. Maybe so, said
other panelists, but that would also
make it a potential target for terrorists, or even a political tool.
Solar One's location was the result
of a host of factors, said Cohen. A
lake about 18.5 miles away provides
water to the station. Additionally, it's
only 3 miles from three electrical
substations. It costs about $1.5 million per mile to connect to a substation, so distance counts.
Plus, it's about the sunniest place in
America.
"You have a site here that for 360
days is almost like today," Cohen
said, nodding toward the bright blue
sky.
Full+steam+ahead+for+Nevada+solar+p
roject+-+page+2/2100-11392_36166113-2.html?tag=st.num
Silicon or CIGS. In the solar
world, them's fightin' words.
The booming solar industry is in the
midst of an argument over which
material will become dominant in
the future for harvesting sunlight
and turning it into electricity. Solar
panels made from crystalline silicon
currently account for more than 90
percent of the solar infrastructure
today.
Unfortunately, silicon panels remain
relatively expensive to make. Without subsidies, it's still cheaper to get
electricity from the grid. A two-year
shortage of polysilicon, which may
not ease until 2008, has severely
limited growth and sales.
Panels that harvest energy with CIGS
(Copper Indium Gallium Selenide)
cost far less to make and install, say
backers. The material can be sprayed
onto foil, plastic or glass or incorporated into cement and other building
materials. Conceivably, the entire
exterior of a house or building could
become a solar generator.
CIGS also doesn't degrade in
sunlight like other thin-film technologies.
"The smartest investors are going
short on silicon and long on thin
film, especially CIGS," said Martin
Roscheisen, CEO of Nanosolar, a
start-up that has received $100 million in venture funds to build a plant
capable of producing 430 megawatts-worth of CIGS panels.
"The semiconductor is 100 times
thinner. We combine low-cost materials with low-cost processes. The
expenses on silicon are extremely
high."
Page 7
A huge vote of confidence in CIGS
came earlier this year when Shell,
one of the largest solar companies in
the world, sold its silicon solar business to focus on developing CIGS.
So if CIGS is so good, why isn't there
more of it out there? Mind share.
Silicon has become one of the most
studied materials ever discovered,
and advances in reducing processing
time and manufacturing that were
discovered in the semiconductor
world rebound directly to silicon solar-cell manufacturers. Other alternatives--solar thermal energy,
photovoltaic dyes--have failed to undercut it in functionality and cost.
"Silicon has a reliability record which
is unmatched by any other material,"
said T.J. Rodgers, CEO of Cypress
Semiconductor, which is the primary
stockholder in the fast-growing silicon panel maker SunPower.
"The three most studied materials in
history are steel, cement and silicon,
so they have a leg up on us there,"
acknowledged B.J. Stanberry, CEO
of CIGS developer HelioVolt. "I'd say
you're a fool if you predicted the imminent death of silicon. But their
inability to deliver is creating an opportunity for thin film, and CIGS will
have a significant portion of the market within 10 years."
Silicon, even its adherents admit, is
not ideal. Theoretically, silicon is
capable of converting 29 percent of
the sunlight that strikes it into electricity, according to Dick Swanson, a
former Stanford professor who
founded SunPower.
URL: http://news.com.com/21021008_3-6121488.html?tag=st.util.print
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
Members Corner: Wanted: Donation Electric car, truck, or scooter, even without batteries
Hi, we're looking for an EV donation vehicle to be used as a data-logging project for Revived Batteries (see link below)
and to go on a roadshow/demonsration in the war against Climate Change. Batteries not included, as the joke goes, because we've got plenty of free batteries.
Do you have a mothballed EV? An EV with weak or dying batteries? If you read the new book, "Lives Per Gallon", you'll
understand why this project is important. Thanks for all replies.
Here's the website for our first revived battery electric vehicle project: http://electric-pickup.blogspot.com/
We've learned a lot in the last month, and we are very close to be able to create battery packs that will have a running cost
that is only half that of gasoline vehicles. (Right now, except for our revived-battery vehicle, an EV's battery depreciation
costs alone 2X-10X that of using gasoline in a Toyota Tercel. The remaining job in EV development is to lower the battery
cost. In our particular case, there is only one remaining challenge: We've already run several electric bikes on revived
batteries reliably for years -- now, we'd like to fully transfer this know-how to cars/trucks. )
Please call Rob at ( 6 0 4 ) 7 3 9 - 7 7 1 7 (Vancouver, B.C.)
Page 8
2007, Issue # 3
MAY-JUNE
City Plugs In: Front Cover
2007 Hybrid Review: Front Cover
EV Tailpipe: Front Cover
Editors Introduction – Pg.2
Cover Stories continuation– Pg.2
Power Density in Batteries– Pg.4
Charging Batteries – Pg.4
Electric Pickup – Pg.5
Real EV Experiences – Pg.6
Plug-in Hybrids Fact Sheet– Pg.7
City plugs into hybrid car trend —May 24, 2007: Toronto to
launch pilot project with cars that can be charged from any wall socket.
Mayor David Miller will announce
this morning an ambitious initiative
to convert hybrid vehicles in the city
to "plug-in" models that can be
charged from any wall socket and
powered mostly from electricity, the
Toronto Star has learned.
The aim of the project – called the
Toronto Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle Pilot
Project – is to prove that hybrid vehicles, when equipped with larger
batteries that can be charged from
the grid, can operate in an urban setting on a single charge for more than
50 kilometres with little need for
gasoline.
Down the road, the vehicles could
also serve as mobile backup power
stations, able to provide emergency
electricity to homes during a blackout or be plugged into the grid en
Continued on Page 2: City Plugs in
Aren't electric
cars just trading
a tailpipe for a
smokestack?
FACT: Electric cars are
cleaner than even the cleanest hybrid car.
Well-to-wheels, even if all your electricity is generated by coal-fired
plants, there are significantly fewer
harmful pollutants and CO2 produced to power a plug-in vehicle
than the a comparable gasoline
powered car.
Learn more facts at:
www.pluginamerica.com/
faq.shtml
Next Issue: July-Aug 2007
2007 Hybrid Cars Review Tuesday, May 15, 2007
In this 2007 Hybrid Cars Review we
seen that not all Hybrid Cars are created equal. When going out to look
for a Hybrid Car the differences can
be confusing. For 2007 the top 5 Hybrid Cars include the Accord and
Civic by Honda, The Lexus GS 450h
and the Camry and Prius by Toyota. I
think you may be surprised at which
car appears to be the best choice
base purely on the numbers.
the city MPG. The Prius and the
Civic tie for the best highway MPG at
51. None of the others really come
close.
Let's start with the fuel economy.
The clear winner seems to be the
Toyota Prius. With it's 60/51/55
(city/highway/combo) miles per gallon. No other model touches the
great city MPG of the Prius. The next
best is the Honda Civic at 49 MPG in
the city. The Prius beats the Lexus
and the Accord by more than double
The bottom line is that the Prius has
the best yearly fuel cost at $685 with
the civic close behind at $753. the
other three hybrids are really in another not so good league at $964,
$1216 and $1565 respectively, for the
Camry Accord and Lexus.
Now let's get to some real numbers.
Here are some amazing facts. The
Prius has the smallest gas tank and
therefore it makes sense that it's the
cheapest to fill up at $26.88 on average. The civic comes close at $27.79
with a slightly larger tank. The Lexus
on the other hand costs almost $42
to fill up. The Prius will travel 589
miles on a full tank only beaten by
the Camry at 604 miles, but the
Camry has a tank that holds almost
50% more fuel that the Prius!
Continued on Page 2: Hybrid Review
Editors Introduction,
This Issue
This is an introduction to my third
EVSurge Newsletter, and a short
explanation of the changes in it.
I have decided to add this space to
summarize some of the content,
direction and plans the newsletter is
and will be taking.
In this issue there will be an extra
focus on the Plug-In Hybrid Electric
Vehicles or “PHEV’, trends with
them, who is buying into them, their
battery packs, why this is good for
the pure EV process, and energy
terms for they new reader and the
old reader alike. I also have considered thoughts and relevance of the
Presidents message and decided to
move it and the co-located
EV History column to page 3.
- Robert Weekley—Editor
Hybrid Cars—From Page 1
It seems purely on a fuel economy
basis the Prius is the clear choice for
the best Hybrid Car with the Civic
close behind. But lets dig a little
deeper. You may be concerned about
being cramped in such a small car?
We let me tell you that all these
hybrid cars are very close in passenger volume. Ranging from 91 cubic
feet for the Civic and 103 cubic feet
for the Accord, the Prius come in the
middle at a respectable 96 cubic feet.
And here is another surprise the
Prius beats out all the others in luggage volume by at least 5 cubic feet.
The Prius has 16 cubic feet luggage
volume. The other range from 8 to 11
cubic feet.
In my mind the clear winner in this
2007 Hybrid Cars review is the Toyota Prius all around. The Civic is not
too far behind. The clear loser is the
Lexus.
Source: hybridcars.illkity.com/
URL: http://
hybridcars.illkity.com/2007-hybrid-carreview.html?
gclid=CLDM6JWPkYwCFRMFPgodVkRr
CA
City Plugs in—From Page 1
masse during the day to supply peak
power and prevent blackouts.
It's a far-out idea, but one utility in
California is already studying the
possibility of motorists selling surplus electricity from their cars back
to the grid.
"By boosting the all-electric range of
hybrid vehicles, this technology has
the potential to help us address one
of the largest climate and air-quality
impacts in the city," Miller states in a
draft media release obtained by the
Star.
The announcement comes on the
heels of an international meeting of
mayors last week in New York City,
where a number of municipal climate-change initiatives were announced and a "green city" competition gathered momentum.
During the first phase of the Toronto
project, 10 vehicles – eight Toyoto
Priuses, one Honda Civic Hybrid,
and one Ford Escape Hybrid – will
be converted and driven for a year
under urban driving conditions.
Car sharing network AutoShare, for
example, will have a hybrid plugged
The plan is to expand the project in
2008 to as many as 200 vehicles,
contingent on funding.
"I would be quite keen to take this to
the general public," said Philip Jessup, executive director of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, which
spearheaded the project. "First we
have to demonstrate the technology
is viable, that it works on Toronto
streets and in our winters, that the
system is safe, and that there's significant potential environmental
benefits. Then we go from there."
A number of other municipalities are
experimenting with hybrid vehicles
to battle rocketing gasoline prices
while dramatically reducing emissions.
New York, for instance, is planning a
downtown congestion charge and
this week announced it will convert
its taxi fleet to hybrid vehicles within
five years, a move Toronto is so far
reluctant to match.
But experimenting with hybrids that
can be charged from a power outlet,
an approach New York, California
and a number of major U.S. cities are
also exploring, could prove more
effective in the long term.
Conventional hybrids are powered
primarily by a gasoline engine, aided
by an electric motor – battery packs
recapture energy otherwise lost in
braking and decelerating, but cannot
be recharged any other way.
in at one of its city parking spots, so
members can test drive it in dry, wet
and snowy seasons.
Other organizations contributing a
hybrid vehicle to the project include
"green" electricity retailer Bullfrog
Power, Toronto Hydro, the University of Toronto, York University, architecture firm TAS Designbuild, and
the Ontario ministries of transportation and environment.
Page 2
Plug-in hybrids, on the other hand,
are powered primarily by an electric
motor, with some assistance from a
gasoline engine. Their battery packs
are recharged by plugging into a
standard 110-volt wall outlet.
It's expected plug-in hybrids will get
double the gas mileage of conventional hybrids. Driving a kilometre
on electricity instead of gasoline is
also much cheaper, and is likely to
become cleaner over time as Ontario
phases out its coal-fired plants.
The Toronto Atmospheric Fund, a
city agency providing funding for the
project, estimates the retrofitted vehicles will see a 40 per cent drop in
their carbon dioxide emissions,
Continued on Page 3: 2.4l/100 km
This morning I was watching CNN for a few minutes and they introduced two
New York City taxi drivers and their vehicles. One was a van, I am not sure of
the make, but it had the rear door sliding and a third back seat. The other was
a hybrid, but what a choice! A Lexus. Yes, the owner/driver was very proud
and said he would have taken a Prius but the waiting list was too long. Anyway he paid $40,000.00 for it and was very pleased. The announcer was
comparing something, fuel consumption, I expect, and I had to move on so I
do not know the final result.
1900: - See Issue #2, 2007
I visited Georgetown High School last week and was very pleased to find all is
well. No problems with the truck and no problems with the manual. It is finished. It will be moved to Halton Hydro for the summer and back to the
school for the students to use next fall.
I am finally going to get my Electric Ranger home this week and I will bring it
to the next meeting if my home charger is hooked up by Thursday. It has been
at Electrovaya bound to the 240V hard wired charger connection there. I have
a 70k range and cannot make a round trip to my home, 50k one way, but have
been driving it in the Oakville neighborhood and like it a lot.
Summer is here and I hope you all make the most of it as we do have a long
winter and less enjoyable weather.
See you next September. Robert has done a great job on the newsletters we
have and we must all thank him. Good bye for now. Howard, President, EVS
EXTRA! This issue contains a Page 9 - it is a Survey added by
the Editor. Please fill it out and return it to him ASAP.
2.4l / 100 Km —From Page 2
growing to 60 per cent once all coal
facilities are closed.
University of Toronto students and
faculty will gather performance data
from the vehicles to determine precise emission reductions and fuelmileage improvements. The data will
be compared with other U.S. cities
conducting similar projects.
Concord, Ont.-based Hymotion, recently acquired by A123 Systems Inc.
of Watertown, Mass., will do the retrofits and install battery packs based
on A123's advanced lithium-ion battery technologies. The companies are
also working with General Motors on
its plug-in hybrid development program.
Ricardo Bazzarella, president of Hymotion, said the retrofitted cars can
travel 100 kilometres on 2.4 litres of
gasoline.
Once time-of-use electricity pricing
becomes more widespread in the
province, drivers will be able to
charge their vehicles overnight while
they're asleep and when power prices
are at their lowest, he said. The extra
battery pack, while pricey today, is
expected to fall significantly over the
next few years.
Greg Kiessling, executive chairman
and founder of Bullfrog Power, contributed his corporate car – a Toyota
Prius – to the project because of
what he calls a "perfect fit" for electricity produced from renewable energy such as wind and water.
But some observers say the idea,
while worth exploring, isn't necessarily supported by the technology, at
least not yet.
"The battery technology has a long
way to go," said Barry Bower, a petroleum analyst with the Ministry of
Energy. "And it's got a lot further to
go in Ontario, where we have this
little thing called winter." Batteries,
he added, don't like the cold.
Source: Toronto Star
URL: http://www.thestar.com:80/
article/217207
Page 3
1901: Oldsmobile EV (Walt Disney's). William McKinley, 25th US
President, takes his final ride in an
electric ambulance.
1903: First speeding ticket – it was
earned in an EV. Krieger company
makes a hybrid vehicle — using a
gasoline engine to supplement a
battery pack.
1904: America has only 7% of the 2
million miles of roads better than
dirt – only 141 miles, or less than
one mile in 10,000 was “paved”.
Here's a 1904 Curved Dash Olds
(replica). Henry Ford begins assembly line production of low-priced
gas-powered vehicles.
1908: Henry Ford buys his wife,
Clara Ford, an EV. Many socialites of
that time gave this rousing endorsement for EVs, “It never fails me.”
Next Generation —From Page 6
that it is imperative to teach children
at a very young age the importance
of breaking our nations dependency
on oil. Julia's goal is to educate the
next generation, helping them understand that there is a better and
cleaner alternative to gasoline.
Julia hopes that her passion for EV's
will spread to her
students and as
they become the
future leaders of
this country that
passion will change
the world as we
know it.
Julia and David spend time in
schools reading "The Adventures of
Ellie the Electric Car" to young students and introducing them the
"real" Ellie, allowing them to make
the connection between fantasy and
reality. By the end of their presentation every child wants his or her own
"Ellie". What a wonderful world it
will be when everyone has the "EV
Grin".
Source: pluginamerica
URL: ww.pluginamerica.com/
real_ev.shtml
Power Density in Batteries and Electric Vehicles— August 29, 2005 — David Herron
Power density is the core measure
controlling the speed and range you
can get with a given vehicle. Power
density controls the quantity of electricity you can store within a given
space, and is measured two ways:
volume =
the size of the area for batteries
weight =
the carrying capacity of the vehicle
These are usually measured asvolume power density = kilowatthours / liter = kwh / l
weight power density = kilowatthours / kilogram = kwh / kg
Remember that
1 kilowatt-hour = 1 kilowatt used
over 1 hour = kwh
1 kilowatt = 1,000 watts
And remember that, as an electric
vehicle moves down the road, it consumes electricity. Say the vehicle has
a 120 volt electrical system, and uses
30 amps to cruise, therefore the vehicle cruises at 3.6 kilowatts. If the
vehicle is run for an hour, it consumes 3.6 kilowatt hours of electricity.
The main measurement controlling
the range capability of a given battery pack in a given vehicle is, how
many kilowatt-hours can you carry
in the vehicle. Hence, the power den-
Charging Batteries August 30, 2005
Batteries are simply a storage means
for electricity. They do not in themselves generate electricity, so any
electricity coming from a battery has
to come from elsewhere.
The electricity is stored in chemical
bonds, and it is the battery chemistry
which determines the storage capacity (see power density). We don't
need to worry over why lithium batteries store more power than nickelmetal-hydride which in turn store
more power than lead-acid. That
question is best left for the battery
experts of the world. We just know
through repeated observation that
the battery chemistries power density does work out that way.
To charge a battery one simply runs
a current through the battery until it
is charged. Simple, eh? Well, not
quite, because if you over-charge the
battery the chemistry will be ruined.
That and other considerations means
one should take care to charge your
sity of the chosen battery pack directly determines the kilowatt-hours
in the vehicle. Obviously the batteries have to fit within the physical
dimensions of the vehicle, hence the
"volume power density" measure
given above. Another consideration
is how much weight the vehicle can
carry on its frame, tires, and suspension system, maybe you have lots of
room for batteries but you'd overload
the car if you filled it to capacity.
Hence the "weight power density"
measure given above.
Source: Seven Generation Ruminations
URL: http://www.7gen.com/book/
batteries-electric-vehicles/powerdensity-batteries-and-electricvehicles/656
— David Herron
batteries correctly.
While some people do simply wire
up a "bad boy" charger (little more
than a direct connection from household electricity to the battery pack)
for charging their batteries, this isn't
recommended.
tery pack. These same terminals are
also connected to the power controller to send power to the motor.
Typical wiring for a battery
charger:
Instead you can buy a proper battery
charger. Good quality battery chargers know the best method to charge a
battery, and test the battery's condition as it is being charged, and always charges the battery properly
and to the correct level without overcharging. Battery chargers are designed for specific battery chemistries, and it is best to use a NiMH
charger for NiMH batteries, and a
lead-acid charger for lead-acid batteries.
Balanced battery packs
Battery packs are best when the cells
are "balanced", meaning that the
batteries in the pack act pretty much
the same. Each individual battery is
a unique individual, however.
Typically you connect the battery
charger to the positive-most and
negative-most terminals of the bat-
If one battery in a pack goes "bad" it
will drag down the performance of
the rest of the pack. For example if
Page 4
Continued on Page 5: Charging
Charging —From Page 4
one battery can't hold a full charge,
there will be two effects. First, when
the pack is fully charged it still won't
provide the full voltage the pack is
meant to give. Second, as you use the
battery pack the one battery will run
out of power first, before the others,
and impede power flow through the
pack. Finally, the bad battery will
tend to cause damage to the other
batteries in the pack.
I think it is best to wire the battery
pack so there is one charger per battery. Unfortunately you spend more
on chargers, but end up with a more
properly charged battery pack. The
chargers will tell you when one of the
batteries is bad.
Battery regulators
In some cases people use special circuits to "regulate" their battery
packs. This is most of the same effect
as having one charger per battery,
but with less expense.
The regulator circuits are wired as
part of the connections between the
batteries.
Manufacturers of battery
chargers
http://zivanusa.com/ - Makers of a
highly customizable battery charger.
It is computer controlled to have any
charging "algorithm" allowing it to
be used for "any" battery type.
http://soneil.com/ - A leading maker
of chargers for lead acid batteries.
Their charger has frequency characteristics they claim desulfates batteries, leading to improved life.
www.accelrate.com - "AccelRate’s
charger technology utilizes a charge/
discharge algorithm that enables a
full state-of-charge in 80% less time
than conventional technology, and
will extend battery life to its original
capacity because of heat reduction
Springs Man builds Electric Pickup Truck—June 3, 2007
By Bill McKeown, The Gasette (Colorado Springs Gazette)
The dreamer in Mike Phillips took
more than a decade to mull it over.
The engineer in Mike Phillips took
just seven months to do it.
on how to convert a truck into an
electric vehicle. His wife said she’d
always wanted an electric vehicle,
too, and encouraged her husband to
give it a try.
The result: “Sparky,” an electricpowered pickup, constructed on the
bones of a dinosaur-sucking 1997 S10 Chevrolet.
“It had always been in the back of my
mind,” he said. “With oil skyrocketing, I said, ‘It’s about time.’”
The transformation of the ordinary
brown truck was a journey of exploration spurred, in part, by the challenge of building his own batterypowered vehicle.
In January 2006, he bought the S-10
for $4,000. In April, Phillips and his
mechanically inclined buddy Dean
Gacita pulled the engine and transmission out of the truck. Phillips immediately sold the engine, so there
was no turning back.
“There were some nonbelievers who
asked me why I was doing this,” said
Phillips, an electrical engineer with
Welkin Sciences. “Because I can.
Why climb Mount Everest? Why do
anything?”
Phillips' journey into the future began in 1995, when he became intrigued with the idea of building his
own electric car. He bought a book
detailing how to do it using a small
Chevy pickup. But he decided such a
vehicle wouldn’t give him the driving
range he needed to get from his
then-home in Black Forest to his job
downtown.
Life changes saw him settled in town
in 2005 with his second wife, Tina.
One day the two were moving boxes
and they came across his old manual
during charging." Their chargers
work not only with lead-acid, but
also Ni-CD, Ni-MH, and Lithium
batteries.
Source: Seven Generation Ruminations
URL: http://www.7gen.com/book/
batteries-electric-vehicles/chargingbatteries/658
Page 5
Not that there wasn’t some trepidation.
“Can I really do this?” Phillips asked
himself. “And there was some
doubt.”
Over the course of the next six
months, working most every weekend, Phillips, his wife, his 16-yearold son Chris, and a cast of interested neighbors, friends and suppliers built a vehicle Detroit tried
briefly to do and then crushed.
Jeff Goodwin and his crew at Bud’s
Muffler installed extra leaf springs in
the rear to handle the weight of
1,300 pounds of batteries. Goodwin
and his team also donated their time
to pull the pickup bed off and construct bar-steel boxes to hold 16 of
the 20 deep-cycle, six-volt batteries
that give the truck its juice. They also
installed a simple lift system for the
bed so Phillips could get to his bank
of batteries.
Then, into an engine bay stripped of
most of its components went the
150-pound, 75 horsepower electric
motor, of the type that powers forkContinued on Page 6: Sparky
Sparky—From Page 5
lifts. The motor was mated to the
original five-speed transmission by a
special plate, and the clutch and
pedal were removed since they are
not needed in an electric vehicle. The
original wiring harness was yanked
out, since none of the sensors for the
internal combustion engine were
needed.
Then came the electrical stuff: tying
the batteries together with fingerthick cables and building a bright
yellow control board under the hood.
On the board is a controller that
takes the 120 volts produced by the
batteries and controls the motor.Phillips also had to install a vacuum pump to run the brake booster
system and figure out a heater system since no coolant flows in the
truck anymore.
a recharge, but it’s designed to have
a range of 60 miles.
What he wasn’t quite prepared for
was hills. He said because of the
gearing in the transmission, the
truck struggles to do much more
than 30 mph up the hilly streets
leading to his home. But that’s OK,
he said. He’s in no hurry; he stays in
the slow lane; and folks seem to give
him the space he needs once they
read the signs on Sparky saying
“100% Electric Vehicle.”
“I see people in the rear view mirror
getting in the other lane, but no one’s
flipped me off yet,” he said.
On a flat road, though, Sparky can
move; Phillips has hit 60 mph on
Powers Boulevard, with just the hum
of the tires and the spinning of the
transmission gears indicating motion.
There were some glitches and some
technical hurdles to overcome. But
by November 2006, Phillips was
ready to take his baby for a test ride.
And it was good. Not quick, but
good.
“There’s nothing more satisfying that
driving something you’ve built,” he
said. “I understand car guys now.”
The final touch was a coat of electric
blue paint, done by Maaco at a discount because the painters were intrigued.
Figuring in the $1,800 he spent for
the batteries and the kilowatts used
during the six hours needed to recharge the truck, Phillips reckons his
cost per mile is 12 cents. His other
car is a Chevy Blazer, and the cost to
drive that beast is 20 cents a mile.
Phillips said he knew going in that
the truck would have a limited range
— he’s only driven it 38 miles before
All told, the conversion — not counting his time — cost $12,000.
There’s also an attractive side benefit: He will over several years be able
to deduct 85 percent of the $12,000
spent on the project from his state
income tax.
Still, he said, Sparky isn’t for everyone.
“It’s definitely a second car,” he said.
“I have to think about where I’m going. I can’t just jump in and run a
bunch of errands.
“But this is a good, dependable vehicle for someone commuting in the 10
to 15 mile range,” he said.
“It was an intellectual exercise. I’ve
reduced my dependency on foreign
oil and I’ve helped the environment a
bit. It was a great experience. I’d do
it again.”
He also gained something in the project that can’t be put into dollars and
cents, kilowatts or miles per gallon —
the admiration of his wife:
“He is not a guy to blow his own
horn,” Tina Phillips said of her husband. “But I think what he has done
is remarkable. ... I’m so proud of
him.”
Is that electricity in the air?
Source: Colorado Springs Gazette
URL: http://www.gazette.com/articles/
phillips_23157___article.html/
no1_truck.html
Real Electric Vehicle Experiences, from ‘Plug In America’
Ellie the Electric Car inspires a
new generation
Julia Ammons and David Ratliff live in a
suburb of Atlanta Georgia. David has a
background in Electrical and Electromechanical Engineering and owns a growing business outfitting vehicles for law
enforcement agencies. He has had an
interest in Electric Vehicles for most of
his life, but finally got fed up with gas
prices when they first rose to above
$2.00 per gallon. He was searching for a
vehicle to convert when he found "Ellie",
a 1995 Hyundai Elantra, sitting with a
blown engine at a storage lot, near a
friend's auto repair shop. He bought the
little car for $70, then by winning various auctions on eBay, he purchased
most of the necessary components to
convert her to electric drive.
He designed the mechanical components and had a friend fabricate
them at his machine shop. David
then performed the electrical and
mechanical conversion work himself.
In total, Ellie has cost about $6000
Page 6
to convert to electric drive, including
the batteries.
Julia is an Early Childhood Educator
with a passion for teaching the next
generation to "Dump the Pump".
After meeting David in 2005 while
he was in the middle of converting
his to a fully electric vehicle, Julia
was inspired to write a children's
book telling the story of this sweet
little cars conversion. Julia believes
Continued on Pg 3: Next Generation
Global Warming Solutions: Plug-In Hybrids - A report and Fact Sheet from the Bluewater Network
Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicles
represent one of the most immediate, dramatic, and affordable solutions for reducing petroleum use and
global warming pollution from vehicles.
Plug-ins are capable of achieving
more than 100 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent and can reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by nearly
60 percent in California. Even
greater reductions are possible as we
add more renewable power sources,
such as solar and wind, to our electric grid.
Importantly, no new fueling, production, or transportation infrastructure
is required to achieve these profound
greenhouse gas reductions; an extension cord and a standard outlet is all
that is necessary to refuel the car’s
electric battery.
Bluewater is working at the state and
national levels to make plug-ins a
reality.
You can add your voice to bring plugins to market.
even on the national grid.
•
The consumer, charging the car
with a standard extension cord,
has dramatic fuel savings, reduced vehicle maintenance costs,
and more free time (fewer trips
to the gas station).
•
The nation benefits because fueling with electricity reduces our
dependence on imported oil and
reduces our trade deficit.
What is the electric range of a
Plug-in?
Electric range depends on the size of
the battery in the vehicle. Demonstration Plug-ins currently have allelectric ranges between 25 and 60
miles. Plug-ins can also be configured to run on a mixed mode,
switching automatically between
electricity and gasoline (or other liquid fuel) to maximize fuel efficiency.
Plug-In Hybrid Fact Sheet
What is a Plug-in Hybrid
Electric Vehicle?
A Plug-In hybrid electric vehicle
(“Plug-in”) is a conventional hybrid
car, such as a Toyota Prius, with a
more powerful battery and a simple
electric plug. Although the Plug-in
looks and feels like a “regular” car,
its battery can be plugged in and
charged at any outlet at home or in a
parking garage, allowing 20 to 60
miles of all electric driving. It’s like
having an electric car with an insurance policy – you fill up at home
from a standard outlet, at an equivalent cost of under $1/gallon, and
when your battery runs out, your car
operates as a regular fuel-efficient
hybrid.
What are the benefits of a Plugin Hybrid Vehicle?
•
The Plug-in is fueled in part by
cleaner, cheaper, domestically
produced energy. This results in
reduced greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality,
How much more will a Plug-in
cost versus a comparably sized
conventional hybrid?
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) estimates that, with
mass production, the cost of a Plugin battery will add $2,000 to $3,000
to the cost of a conventional hybrid.
After factoring in the lower costs of
fuel and maintenance, massproduced Plug-ins should provide
better overall economics than the
equivalent gasoline powered car.
Aren’t you just moving the
pollution from the car’s tailpipe
to the coal powered electrical
plant?
No. Recent studies demonstrate that
emissions of most pollutants and
greenhouse gases are lowered by a
shift from internal combustion engines to Plug-in vehicles, regardless
of how the electricity is produced.
Page 7
Further, as grid electricity continues
to get cleaner, incorporating renewable energy like solar and wind, the
environmental benefits of Plug-ins
only increase. If you have photovoltaics (solar panels) on your home,
you can generate the energy to power
your vehicle completely off the grid.
Where can I get a Plug-in
Vehicle?
Despite public demand for Plug-ins,
automakers are not yet making them
available for commercial sale. Both
Toyota and GM have publicly stated
that they are on a course to bring
Plug-Ins to the mass market. Some
small companies and non-profits are
converting conventional hybrids,
such as the Toyota Prius, into Plugins to demonstrate that these cars
are a viable near-term transportation
solution.
What can I do?
Tell automakers that you want to be
able to purchase a Plug-in vehicle
now and that you want choices in
Plug-in vehicles! Visit
www.pluginpartners.org to declare
your support for these cars.
What is Plug-In Bay Area?
Plug-In Bay Area is a chapter of
Plug-In Partners, a national grassroots initiative that is demonstrating
to automakers, such as Ford, Toyota,
General Motors and others, that a
growing market is calling for the
production of flexible-fuel Plug-In
hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV).
Plug-In Bay Area educates the public
and decision-makers about the benefits of Plug-In hybrids and urges
them to make concrete commitments
to purchase cleaner, more efficient
vehicles.
Visit these websites to learn
more:
Plug-In Bay Area
www.pluginbayarea.org
Plug-In Partners
www.pluginpartners.org
CalCars Plug-In Hybrid Project
www.calcars.org
Source: Bluewaternetwork.org
URL: http://
www.bluewaternetwork.org/
campaign_gw_trans_plugin.shtml
We are a non-profit group of Electric Vehicle (EV) Enthusiasts, Engineers, and
Environmentalists. We are, vitally concerned with Clean Electric Transportation.
excluding July and August. Newsletters are free for members.
Ontario (IPPSO), Private Gatherings, and The Electric Distributors Association (EDA).
We encourage vehicle conversions from gasoline to electric by Canadian Automotive students and we are available to
offer a seminar to assist the students. To purchase an EV we will try to offer information on make and availability.
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
Please check applicable boxes: [ ] I drive an EV now. [ ] I want to drive an EV. [ ] I can help others build an EV.
Individual Application $30 [ ]. Senior application - $20 [ ]. Business Application - $100 [ ].
Members Corner: Short Report on Electricfly, by Robert Weekley:
Cars Odometer at Purchase and first Photo: October 14, 2006: 164,623 and trip meter: 127.0
Eight (8) New Trojan SCS-150 Batteries Purchased May 18, 2007.
Cars Odometer at New Battery installed date of May 25, 2007: 164,758, and trip meter: 261.7 Km.
Distance Driven on old batteries = 134.7 Km. This includes trip to Body Shop for Floor Pan and Rocker Panel Repairs.
Cars Odometer at Press Date of this issue - June 21, 2007: 164,979. Distance driven on new batteries = 221 Km.
General Facts discovered so far:
Maximum Freeway speed to date = 105 Kmh., Driving home from Canadian Tire at Leslie & Shepphard on the Freeway.
Range from first charge of 25 Km, to 29 Km, to a latest max last Saturday of over 36 Km.
Steady State Speed & Power tests reveal: At 30 Amps in First gear - a speed of 30 Kmh., 50 Amps draw in Second Gear
yield 50 Kmh., and 60 Amps draw in Third Gear yield a speed of 60 Kmh. These steady state first run tests, are by me.
Other discoveries:
When my main off-board charger failed, Sunday, June 17th - I was forced to test my Multiple Chargers - Multiple Battery
idea. Using Eight (8) Canadian Tire ‘Motomaster Eliminator Intelligent Battery Charger with 2A/8A/12A settings and
selections for Regular, Deep Cycle and AGM/Gell cell types, I quickly put 5 in the back and 3 under the hood on power
bars, connected to extension cord. Powered them up, and configured them to charge Deep Cycle batteries at 12A, and
went to work! In the morning - each battery was at 100% and 13.1V! Success! The initial tests show this can work very
well! The next steps are to work out more permanent configurations to install and connect the Eight chargers.
Page 8
Special Electric Vehicle Society EV Questionnaire—Please complete and return to the Editor
Name: ___________________;
Phone #: ____ - _____ - _______
I am interested in doing an EV
Conversion. [ ]
I own an EV Conversion. [ ]
I would like to convert a
Car [ ] / Truck [ ]
My Vehicle is a
2-door [ ] 4-door [ ]
Hatchback [ ] Sedan [ ]
Short Box [ ] Long Box [ ]
Crew Cab [ ] SUV [ ]
My Commute to work distance:
0—20 Km [ ] 20— 40 Km [ ]
40—60 Km [ ] 60—80 [ ]
80—100 Km [ ] 100—120 Km [ ]
120—140 Km [ ] Over 140 Km [ ]
Each Way [ ] Round Trip [ ]
My Reserve Driving Distance:
0—5 Km [ ] 5—20 Km [ ]
20—40 Km [ ] 40—60 Km [ ]
I need to be able to maintain:
30 Kph [ ] 40 Kph [ ]
50 Kph [ ] 60 Kph [ ]
70 Kph [ ] 80 Kph [ ]
90 Kph [ ] 100 Kph [ ]
110 Kph [ ] 120 Kph [ ]
I would need: Heat [ ],
Air Conditioning [ ],
Standard Cabin Lights [ ]
Extra Cabin Lights [ ]
(Vanity, Floor, Sides, Glove-box,
Hatchback & Hood)
My EV is converted from a
Car [ ] / Truck [ ]
I drive my EV: - each day [ ]
- a few times a week [ ]
- a few times a Month [ ]
My EV Seats: 2 people [ ]
4 people [ ] 5+ people [ ]
I usually drive my EV:
By myself [ ] with 1 passenger [ ]
with 3 people in it [ ] full [ ]
I am able to drive on city streets
and keep up with speeds up to:
50 Kph [ ] 60 Kph [ ]
70 Kph [ ] 80 Kph [ ]
I am able to drive on the 400
series Freeways at speeds to:
90 Kph [ ] 100 Kph [ ]
110 Kph [ ] 120 Kph [ ]
130 Kph [ ] 130 + Kph [ ]
I charge my car every:
Day [ ] Two Days [ ]
Three Days [ ] Four Days [ ]
Five Days [ ] Six Days [ ]
Week [ ] Month [ ]
To charge my EV, I plug in to:
110/120 VAC [ ] 220/240 VAC [ ]
96 VDC Charger [ ] 120VDC [ ]
144 VDC [ ] Other Special Plug [ ]
Number of Adults usually in the
vehicle while driving:
one [ ] two [ ] three [ ] four [ ]
five [ ] six or more [ ]
My Charging time daily takes:
Under an Hour [ ] 1—3 Hours [ ]
4—6 Hours [ ] 7—9 Hours [ ]
10 Hours or more [ ]
Number of Children usually in
in the car while driving:
one [ ] two [ ] three [ ] four [ ]
five [ ] six or more [ ]
I take people for a demo ride in
my electric car:
Each Day [ ] Each Week [ ]
Each Month [ ] Sometimes [ ]
Regularly [ ] Seldom [ ]
Every chance I get to [ ]
Electric Vehicle Society of Canada
Member Since: _____ / ______
Month / Year
Charging—I charge my EV:
Only at home [ ] Only at work [ ]
Only at home or work [ ]
At my friends homes [ ]
At the Mall [ ] At the Coffee Shop [ ]
At the Hospital [ ] At the Car Wash [ ]
At my Garage [ ] At the Restaurant [ ]
At the Post Office [ ] Gas Station [ ]
Any place I can find a 110V Plug [ ]
I charge my EV with:
Grid Power [ ] Solar Power [ ]
Both Solar and Grid Power [ ]
Wind Power [ ] Wind & Grid Power [ ]
Solar & Wind Power [ ]
Solar, Wind, & Grid Power [ ]
Micro Hydro Power [ ]
EV charge Network:
I would be interested in making my
home/location available for an EV
Charging Network [ ]
I know of an existing EV Charging Network that I use [ ]
I know people that have said they would
love to help people with EV’s in charging
them up [ ]
I would be interested in finding people
to support EV’s with making a charging
point available [ ]
I would be interested in finding businesses that want to support EV’s by
making a charging point available [ ]
I would like to form a group actively
involved in promoting a growing
number of EV charge points [ ]
2007, Issue #4
JULY-AUG
Ford Battery Truck: Front Cover
Lead Acid Batteries (Tech) – Pg.2
Special Editors Message – Pg.3
ZENN Continues - Pg.6
House talk on plug-in cars – Pg.7
First Air Powered Car– Pg.8
Ford workers pin hopes on battery-powered truck
by William Wilcoxen, Minnesota
Public Radio, May 17, 2007
Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities
assembly plant is slated to go dark
next year. But some of the plant's
workers hope battery
power can keep Minnesota's auto industry
moving forward. Members of the United Auto
Workers are trying to
save jobs by developing
an electric vehicle. Union leaders plan to have
an electric version of the
Ford Ranger on display
at the State Fair this
summer.
St. Paul, Minn. — Inventor Bob Albertson of
Alma, Wisconsin, has
been researching and
designing automotive
components for decades
and holds a number of
patents. But Albertson
says his track record was not
enough to budge the skepticism he
encountered when pitching his idea
for an electric car to potential investors.
"I went out here two years ago to
obtain funding," Albertson says. "I
was telling people I could make a
car that'd go 200-300 miles without
a charge. Well, nobody believed
me."
Next Issue: October 2007
At the time 30 to 40 miles was all
battery powered cars could muster.
Today, though, electric cars that go
200 or more miles between battery
charges are not only possible, there
are already prototypes. A California
company called Tesla Motors makes
a high-speed, lithium batterypowered sports car. It's spendy-$92,000--but is drawing media attention from the likes of the New
York Times and ABC News. A price
tag in the six-figure range will keep
Tesla's electric vehicles out of reach
for most Americans. But inventor
Bob Albertson maintains he can
deliver battery power for the massmarket. Albertson says gaspowered vehicles already on the
road can be reconfigured to run on
electricity.
"We're looking at making kits
available that you could retrofit,
let's say a Ford Ranger, where they
could take the present engine out
of the car, the gas engine, and put
in our kit," he says.
Albertson envisions dealerships
around the region where auto workers could carry out these gas-toelectric conversions.
Some of the strongest believers in
his vision can be found in the union
hall at United Auto Workers Local
789. The union office sits across the
street from an 82-year-old plant
that Ford plans to close next year.
Nineteen-hundred people used to
work there, building Ford's light
truck, the Ranger. Next year, that
number will fall to zero.
Continued on Page 6: Ford Workers
How Lead Acid Batteries Work - from the von Wentzel family site!
Here is a short run-through of how leadacid batteries work. I'll start with some
basics and work my way up - hence the
absence of an alphabetical order. Depending on your familiarity with the subject, you may want to scroll down more
or less.
Voltage
Voltage is an electrical measure which
describes the potential to do work. The
higher the voltage the greater its risk to
you and your health. Systems that use
voltages below 50V are considered lowvoltage and are not governed by an as
strict (some might say arcane) set of
rules as high-voltage systems.
degrade quickly under deep discharge and re-charging cycles. Most
starter batteries will only tolerate
being completely discharged a few
times before being irreversibly damaged.
•
Current
Current is a measure of how many electrons are flowing through a conductor.
Current is usually measured in amperes
(A). Current flow over time is defined as
ampere-hours (a.k.a. amp-hours or Ah),
a product of the average current and the
amount of time it flowed.
Power
Power is the product of voltage and current and is measured in Watts. Power
over time is usually defined in Watthours (Wh), the product of the average
number of watts and time. Your energy
utility usually bills you per kiloWatt-hour
(kWh), which is 1,000 watt-hours.
What is a Lead-Acid Battery?
A lead-acid battery is a electrical storage
device that uses a reversible chemical
reaction to store energy. It uses a combination of lead plates or grids and an electrolyte consisting of a diluted sulphuric
acid to convert electrical energy into potential chemical energy and back again.
The electrolyte of lead-acid batteries is
hazardous to your health and may produce burns and other permanent damage
if you come into contact with it. Thus,
when dealing with electrolyte protect
yourself appropriately!
Deep Cycle vs. Starter Batteries
Batteries are typically built for specific
purposes and they differ in construction
accordingly. Broadly speaking, there are
two applications that manufacturers
build their batteries for:
Starting and Deep Cycle.
•
As the name implies, Starter Batteries are meant to get combustion engines going. They have many thin
lead plates which allow them to discharge a lot of energy very quickly
for a short amount of time. However, they do not tolerate being discharged deeply, as the thin lead
plates needed for starter currents
•
Deep Cycle batteries have thicker
lead plates that make them tolerate
deep discharges better. They cannot
dispense charge as quickly as a
starter battery but can also be used
to start combustion engines. You
would simply need a bigger deepcycle battery than if you had used a
dedicated starter type battery instead. The thicker the lead plates,
the longer the life span, all things
being equal. Battery weight is a simple indicator for the thickness of the
lead plates used in a battery. The
heavier a battery for a given group
size, the thicker the plates, and the
better the battery will tolerate deep
discharges.
Some "Marine" batteries are sold as
dual-purpose batteries for starter
and deep cycle applications. However, the thin plates required for
starting purposes inherently compromise deep-cycle performance.
Thus, such batteries should not be
cycled deeply and should be avoided
for deep-cycle applications unless
space/weight constraints dictate
otherwise.
Regular versus Valve-Regulated
Lead Acid (VRLA) Batteries Battery
Containers come in several different configurations. Flooded Batteries can be
either the sealed or open variety.
•
•
Sealed Flooded Cells are frequently
found as starter batteries in cars.
Their electrolyte cannot be replenished. When enough electrolyte has
evaporated due to charging, age, or
just ambient heat, the battery has to
be replaced.
Deep-Cycle Flooded cells usually
have removable caps that allow you
to replace any electrolyte that has
evaporated over time. Take care not
to contaminate the electrolyte - wipe
the exterior container while rinsing
the towel frequently.
VRLA batteries remain under constant
pressure of 1-4 psi. This pressure helps
the recombination process under which
99+% of the Hydrogen and Oxygen generated during charging are turned back
Page 2
into water. The two most common
VRLA batteries used today are the Gel
and Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) variety.
•
Gel batteries feature an electrolyte
that has been immobilized using a
gelling agent like fumed silica.
•
AGM batteries feature a thin fiberglass felt that holds the electrolyte
in place like a sponge.
Neither AGM or Gel cells will leak if
inverted, pierced, etc. and will continue
to operate even under water.
Battery Cells
Battery Cells are the most basic individual component of a battery. They consist
of a container in which the electrolyte
and the lead plates can interact. Each
lead-acid cell fluctuates in voltage from
about 2.12 Volts when full to about 1.75
volts when empty. Note the small voltage difference between a full and an
empty cell (another advantage of leadacid batteries over rival chemistries).
Battery Voltage
The nominal voltage of a lead-acid battery depends on the number of cells that
have been wired in series. As mentioned
above, each battery cell contributes a
nominal voltage of 2 Volts, so a 12 Volt
battery usually consists of 6 cells wired
in series.
State of Charge
The State of Charge describes how full a
battery is. The exact voltage to battery
charge correlation is dependent on the
temperature of the battery. Cold batteries will show a lower voltage when full
than hot batteries. This is one of the
reasons why quality alternator regulators or high-powered charging systems
use temperature probes on batteries.
Depth of Discharge (DOD)
The Depth of Discharge (DOD) is a
measure of how deeply a battery is discharged. When a battery is 100% full,
then the DOD is 0%. Conversely, when a
battery is 100% empty, the DOD is
100%. The deeper batteries are discharged on average, the shorter their socalled cycle life.
For example, starter batteries are not
designed to be discharged deeply (no
more than 20% DOD). Indeed, if used as
designed, they hardly discharge at all:
Engine starts are very energy-intensive
but the duration is very short. Most battery manufacturers advocate not disContinued on Page 3: Batteries
A Special Message From the Editor - Robert Weekley
This Summer issue of EVSurge is not going to print generally - but will be had
online, as a PDF Version for internet access, as a special courtesy issue.
It is largely dedicated to the topic that is basic to most, but not all, custom
build, or non-Production Line, Electric Vehicle Conversions: Lead Acid
(PbA) Batteries, and relevant information on them.
Batteries —From Page 2
charging their batteries more than 50%
before re-charging them.
Battery Storage Capacity
The Amp-hour (Ah) Capacity of a battery tries to quantify the amount of usable energy it can store at a nominal
voltage. All things equal, the greater the
physical volume of a battery, the larger
its total storage capacity. Storage capacity is additive when batteries are wired
in parallel but not if they are wired in
series.
Most marine, automotive, and RV applications use 12V DC. You have the choice
to either buy a 12V battery or to create a
12V system by wiring several lowervoltage batteries/cells in Series.
When two 6V, 100Ah batteries are wired
in Series, the voltage is doubled but the
amp-hour capacity remains 100Ah
and require a
minimum of
cabling. However, the wiring
must have the
capacity to deal
with a full battery bank.
You should fuse
each battery
individually in
such a bank to
ensure that a
battery gone
bad will not
affect the rest of the bank.
Battery banks wired in Series-Parallel
are even more complicated. Here, four
6V cells are wired in two "strings" of
12VDC that were then wired in parallel.
Using 6V, 100Ah batteries, this system
will have a storage capacity of 200Ah at
12V or 2,400Wh.
1908: - See Issue #3, 2007
1910: Motorized assembly produces
gas-powered cars in volume; reducing
cost per vehicle.
1912: 38,842 EVs on the road. Horse
drawn “tankers” deliver gasoline to gas
stations. EVs perform well in snow.
1913: Ford creates experimental EVs
[1, 2] . Self starter for gas cars (10 years
later for the Model-T).
1915: The Detroit Electric Automobile.
1921: Federal Highway Act. By 1922,
federal match (50%) for highway construction and repair (for mail delivery).
Before this, roads were considered only
“feeders” to railroads, and left to the
local jurisdiction to fund.
(2 batteries) and series-parallel for the
house bank (4 batteries).
Despite advances in instrumentation,
the battery industry mostly still advertises amp-hours as a capacity measure
instead of watt-hours. Hopefully, the
battery and marine power instrumentation industry will make a transition to
Watt-hours (Wh) in the future.
(Total Power = 1200 Watt-hours).
You may decide to wire batteries in series because a single 12V battery with
the right storage capacity is simply too
heavy, unwieldy, or awkward to lift into
place. Batteries consisting of fewer cells
(and hence lower voltage) in series can
provide the same storage capacity yet be
portable. It is not unusual to see solar
power installations where the battery
bank consists of a sea of 2V batteries
that have been wired in series.
Two 6V, 100Ah batteries wired in Parallel will have a total storage capacity of
200Ah at 6V (or 1200 Watt-hours).
Battery banks consisting of 12V batteries wired in parallel are often seen on
OEM installations in boats and RVs
alike. Such banks are simple to wire up
Since such a system has more wiring, it
is very important to group "strings" logically and to label everything. Furthermore, it is a very good idea to fuse every
"string" of series-wired batteries to ensure that a problem in one part of the
battery bank does not take the whole
bank down.
We use Group GPL4C batteries exclusively on our boat. Since these batteries
have a nominal voltage of 6V, we have
wired them in series for the starter bank
Page 3
Available Capacity versus Total
Capacity
Since batteries depend on a chemical
reaction to produce electricity, their
Available Capacity depends in part on
how quickly you attempt to charge or
discharge them relative to their Total
Capacity. The Total Capacity is frequently abbreviated to C and is a measure of how much energy the battery can
store. Available Capacity is always less
than Total Capacity.
Typically, the amp-hour capacity of a
battery is measured at a rate of discharge that will leave it empty in 20
hours (a.k.a. the C/20 rate). If you attempt to discharge a battery faster than
the C/20 rate, you will have less available capacity and vice-versa. The more
Continued on Page 4: Batteries
extreme the deviation from the C/20
rate, the greater the available (as opposed to total) capacity difference.
However, as you will discover in the
next section, this effect is non-linear.
The available capacity at the C/100 rate
(i.e. 100 hours to discharge) is typically
only 10% more than at the C/20 rate.
Conversely, a 10% reduction in available
capacity is achieved just by going to a
C/8 rate (on average). Thus, you are
most likely to notice this effect with engine starts and other high-current applications like inverters, windlasses, desalination, or air conditioning systems.
For example, the starter in an engine
will typically quickly outstrip the capacity of the battery to keep cranking it for
any length of time. Hence the tip from
mechanics to wait some time between
engine start attempts. Not only does it
allow the engine starter to cool down, it
also allows the chemistry in the battery
to "catch-up". As the battery comes to a
new equilibrium, its available capacity
increases. A very elegant equation developed in 1897 by a scientist called
Peukert describes the charging and discharging behavior of batteries.
The Peukert Effect
As you can see below, the Peukert equation consists of several factors.
Peukerts Equation: I n x T = C
Where
•
I is the current
(usually measured in amperes)
•
T is time
(usually measured in hours)
•
n is the Peukert number / exponent
•
C is the theoretical storage capacity
of the battery
(usually measured in amp-hours).
Use the C/100 capacity or add 10%
to the storage capacity at the C/20
rate.
As you can see, the available current is
dependent on the rate of discharge and
the Peukert exponent for the battery.
The closer the exponent is to 1 (one), the
less the available capacity of a battery
will be affected by fast discharges. Peukerts numbers are derived empirically
and are usually available from manufacturers. They range from about 2 for
some flooded batteries down to 1.05 for
some AGM cells. The average peukerts
exponent is 1.2 though the exact number
depends on the battery construction and
chemistry.
The following image shows the dramatic
impact of the Peukerts exponent on the
available capacity of a 120Ah battery,
depending on the ampere draw. As you
can see, the lower the Peukerts Exponent, the lesser the effect on available
capacity. Note the dramatic difference
in Available Capacity between the average flooded cell (n = 1.20) and a deep
cycle AGM (n = 1.08) with high-current
applications.
Note how batteries that have a high Peukerts Exponent will quickly run out of
capacity with high loads. Here, the lowexponent battery will last over 100 minutes with a 50 ampere load, while the
high-exponent battery will last about 20
minutes. Thus, anytime you deal with
large loads relative to the battery capacity available, chose a low-exponent battery. This is why many wheel-chairs and
other electrically motorized vehicles use
AGMs.
This chart answers why starter batteries
are built to have a low Peukerts exponent. Otherwise, they'd simply not be
able to crank an engine for more than a
few seconds. However, the thin plates
that allow flooded cells to work as
starter batteries also make them too
fragile for deep-cycle use.
Note: for full size Charts - See the
Source URL
In the above picture, note how the low
exponent battery (topmost curve) has
more than four times the available capacity over a high-exponent battery
(lowest curve). This chart uses a linear
scale.
When the time comes to charge a battery, the Peukerts effect also comes into
play. The capacity of a battery to absorb
a charge during the bulk phase is also
dependent on it's Peukerts number. This
is one of the reasons why AGM cells can
be bulk charged at much higher rates
than either Gel or Flooded cells.
Reserve Minutes
Reserve Minutes are a measure of how
long your battery can sustain a load before it's available capacity has been
completely used up. This measure is
especially useful for folks who want to
run inverters, fridges, and other large
loads. The following chart has a logarithmic time scale (minutes) - hence, the
non-linear nature of the Peukert effect is
smoothed out quite a bit.
Page 4
Conversion Efficiency
The conversion efficiency denotes how
well a battery converts an electrical
charge into chemical energy and back
again. The higher this factor, the less
energy is converted into heat and the
faster a battery can be charged without
overheating (all other things being
equal). The lower the internal resistance
of a battery, the better its conversion
efficiency.
One of the main reasons why lead-acid
batteries dominate the energy storage
markets is that the conversion efficiency
of lead-acid cells at 85%-95% is much
higher than Nickel-Cadmium (a.k.a.
NiCad) at 65%, Alkaline (a.k.a. NiFe) at
60%, or other inexpensive battery technologies.
Battery Life
Battery manufacturers define the endof-life of a battery when it can no longer
hold a proper charge (for example, a cell
has shorted) or when the available battery capacity is 80% or less than what
the battery was rated for. The life of
Lead Acid batteries is usually limited by
several factors:
•
Cycle Life is a measure of how many
charge and discharge cycles a battery can take before its lead-plate
grids/plates are expected to collapse and short out. The greater the
average depth-of-discharge, the
shorter the cycle life.
•
Age also affects batteries as the
chemistry inside them attacks the
lead plates. The healthier the "living
conditions" of the batteries, the
longer they will serve you. LeadAcid batteries like to be kept at a
full charge in a cool place. Only buy
recently manufactured batteries, so
learn to decipher the date code
stamped on every battery... (inquire
w/manufacturer). The longer the
battery has sat in a store, the less
time it will serve you! Since leadacid batteries will not freeze if fully
charged, you can store them in the
cold during winter to maximize
their life.
•
•
•
Construction has a big role in battery life too, some designs are better
at preserving batteries than others
and the suitability of a design for a
given application plays a role also.
For example, flooded lead-acid cells
will typically fare worse than their
VRLA bretheren in operations that
involve a lot of jerky motion - the
immobilized plates in VRLA cells
will be stressed less than suspended
plates in cheap flooded cells.
etc. All these factors come together
to determine just how long your
battery may ultimately serve you.
Equalization
Sulphation layers form barrier coats on
the lead plates in batteries that inhibit
their ability to store and dispense energy. The equalization step is a last resort to break up the Sulphate layers using a controlled overcharge. The process
will cause the battery electrolyte to boil
and gas, so it should be only done under
strict supervision and with the proper
precautions.
It is much more tricky to equalize a
VRLA battery than a flooded battery
with removable caps. However it apparently can be done as described at the
Ample Power web site.
(http://www.amplepower.com/)
Since I do not have the space here to
describe the Equalization process in
detail, I'd consult some of the links on
the index page instead.:
http://www.vonwentzel.net/Battery/
index.html
Plate Thickness helps - the thicker
the plates, the more abuse, charge
and discharge cycles they can take.
Thicker plates will also survive any
equalization treatments for sulphation better. The heavier the battery for a given group size, the
thicker the plates are, so you can
use weight as one guide to buying
lead-acid batteries.
Gassing
Batteries start to gas when you attempt
to charge them faster than they can absorb the energy. The excess energy is
turned into heat, which then causes the
electrolyte to boil and evaporate. The
evaporated electrolyte can be replenished in batteries with removable caps
such as most flooded deep-cycle batteries. Many car batteries are sealed and
thus need to be replaced when their
electrolyte evaporates over time.
Sulphation is a constant threat to
batteries that are not fully recharged. A layer of lead sulphate
can form in these cells and inhibit
the electro-chemical reaction that
allows you to charge/discharge batteries. Many batteries can be saved
from the recycling heap if they are
Equalized In closing, the design life
of a battery depends in part on its
construction, its type, the thickness
of the plates, its charging profiles,
Since AGM and Gel cells are always
sealed, it is very important to guarantee
they are not overcharged. The only way
to ensure this is to use a temperaturecompensated charging system. Such
chargers use a temperature probe on the
battery to ensure that the battery does
not get too hot. As the battery heats up,
the charging current is reduced to prevent thermal runaway, a very dangerous
condition.
Page 5
Thermal Runaway
This is a very dangerous condition that
can occur if batteries are charged too
fast. One of the byproducts of Gassing
are Oxygen and Hydrogen. As the battery heats up, the gassing rate increases
as well and it becomes increasingly
likely that the Hydrogen around it will
explode. The danger posed by high Hydrogen concentrations is one of the reasons that the American Boat and Yachting Council (ABYC) requires that batteries be installed in separate, wellventilated areas.
Self-Discharge
The self-discharge rate is a measure of
how much batteries discharge on their
own. The Self-Discharge rate is governed by the construction of the battery
and the metallurgy of the lead used inside.
For instance, flooded cells typically use
lead alloyed with Antimony to increase
their mechanical strength. However, the
Antimony also increases the selfdischarge rate to 8-40% per month. This
is why flooded lead-acid batteries
should be in use often or left on a
trickle-charger.
The lead found in Gel and AGM batteries does not require a lot of mechanical
strength since it is immobilized by the
gel or fiberglass. Thus, it is typically
alloyed with Calcium to reduce Gassing
and Self-Discharge. The self-discharge
of Gel and AGM batteries is only 2-10%
per month and thus these batteries need
less maintenance to keep them happy.
Battery Group Size
To further complicate matters, manufacturers for marine batteries make
them in all sorts of sizes and voltages.
Battery case sizes are typically denoted
by a "Group Size" which has nothing to
do with the actual size of the battery.
For example, Group 8D batteries are
much larger than Group 31 batteries.
Here are some examples:
The group size will merely indicate the
Ford Workers —From Page 1
approximate exterior dimensions
(including terminals) and voltage of the
battery in question. However, the exact
dimensions can only be directly obtained from each manufacturer.
The UAW's Gary Muenzhuber says
union leaders are excited about Albertson's plan to retrofit a Ranger
with electric
components
and demonstrate its viability at the State
Fair. The dream
is to convince
someone to
save factory
jobs by making
electric Rangers from the
wheels up.
For the balance of the story:
Source: www.vonwentzel.net
URL: http://www.vonwentzel.net/
Battery/00.Glossary/index.html
ZENN continues the
electric car momentum
Posted By: Ryan Kim | August 28 2007
You might be forgiven for thinking that
electric cars are all high end sports rockets, given the publicity surrounding the
Tesla. But there are more modest cars
afoot, including the ZENN from Toronto,
which made its debut today in the East
Bay.
The ZENN Motor Company announced it
would be selling the compact car at
Green Motors of the East Bay in Berkeley. The cars actually go on sale in the
next couple days. The ZENN car will also
make an appearance at the Solano Stroll
on Sept. 9 and also at The Fourth Street
Shops, Retromobilia, where ZENNs will
be on display with other alternative vehicles and available for test drives.
So what's to like about the new car? Well,
it's cheap and made for tooling around a
"We really feel that this is something that will grab the eye of
somebody. Maybe not Ford, we're
just hoping we can do something
to save this plant," Muenzhuber
says.
But if the concept is a long shot,
the plant's closing appears a sure
thing. Ford lost $7 billion last year
and has said it's firm in its decision
to close the St. Paul plant,
among others.
but provide reasonable range -that could be a real winner," Cole
says.
Ford has already dabbled with an
electric Ranger. The truck had a
range of only about 65 miles and
was cancelled after just a few years
of production. As for efforts to preserve auto manufacturing jobs,
Cole says the biggest obstacle is
overcapacity, not only at Ford, but
in the industry generally.
"If you look at the capacity to make
cars and trucks in the world, there's
capacity to make about 85 million
and the sales rate is at about 65
million," Cole says. "So this overcapacity problem is a horrendous issue."
Despite the hurdles, UAW officials are moving ahead. They've
been in contact with unions on the
Iron Range and plan to drive the
prototype Ranger from the fairgrounds to a Labor Day rally in
Bovey.
Albertson says even if
they're not made at the
existing plant in St. Paul,
electric vehicles could offer a way to salvage auto
manufacturing jobs somewhere in Minnesota.
But that hope will need to
be reconciled with certain
economic realities.
Albertson and the UAW
lack financing.
And analyst Dave Cole,
who chairs the Center for
Automotive Research in
Ann Arbor, Michigan, says
the industry does not
seem interested.
city or neighborhood. The car starts at
$12,750 and has a range of up to 35
miles. It recharges using a standard 120
volt electric outlet in as few as four
hours. Federal regulations limit the cars
speed to 25 mph but ZENN officials say it
can hit 35 mph. So it's not going to blow
the doors off anyone but it's a nice sign
that electric cars are coming around,
albeit slowly.
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/
blogs/sfgate/detail?
blogid=19&entry_id=19814
Cole says the technical
sensation of this year's
International Auto Show in Detroit
was a General Motors car. GM plans
to produce a hybrid with a small
gas engine that recharges a relatively low-cost battery pack and has
a range of about 600 miles.
"Right now it looks to me like this
series hybrid or plug-in hybrid with
lithium batteries that are not huge
Page 6
Source:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/
URL:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/
display/web/2007/05/16/
electricranger/
Also See:
Mag-Trans Corporation - News
http://magtransauto.com/
magtrans_auto.htm
House talk on plug-in cars erupts- Mich. lawmaker warns of demise of U.S. auto industry - July 13, 2007
BY JUSTIN HYDE,
FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF
WASHINGTON -- A debate over the
survival of Detroit's automakers
broke out during a congressional
hearing Thursday on the future of
plug-in hybrid vehicles, as advocates
pressed for more action and a Detroit defender warned the industry
was on the brink of collapse.
The hearing was a mix of sympathy,
castigation and bluster that has become typical of any debate about the
auto industry on Capitol Hill. While
General Motors Corp., Ford Motor
Co. and Chrysler are building prototype plug-in hybrid vehicles, none
was invited to the hearing of the
House Select Committee on Energy
Independence and Global Warming.
That is the panel overseen by Rep.
Ed Markey, the Massachusetts Democrat who has proposed a fuel
economy standard of 35 miles per
gallon by 2018 for new vehicles and
pledged to add it to the energy bill
the House likely will consider later
this month.
Markey said it was a lack of will,
rather than any bugs in new technology, that was keeping plug-in hybrids from U.S. roads.
"Innovations such as the plug-in hybrid should not have been sitting on
the shelf for so long," said Markey.
"After all, this isn't rocket science; it
is auto mechanics."
But Michigan Rep. Candice Miller,
R-Harrison Township, said Markey
and supporters of tougher fueleconomy standards would force
higher costs on Detroit without accounting for the advantages foreign
automakers enjoy, such as government-paid health care for workers in
their countries. She added that the
Senate's recent vote for tougher fueleconomy standards would bankrupt
Chrysler, whose reliance on trucks
poses the toughest efficiency challenge for Detroit automakers.
dustry, citing the 150-m.p.g. efficiency that prototypes can achieve in
city driving because of their use of
nightly recharging and driving up to
40 miles on electricity alone.
"Congress seems to be making a conscious decision to bankrupt Detroit,"
Miller said.
The head of A123 Systems, the battery company working with GM and
other automakers, noted his company had to make its lithium-ion
batteries in China because there was
no U.S. alternative. A123 plans to sell
plug-in hybrid conversion kits for
$7,000 to $10,000 and has pushed
for a tax credit that would offset
some of those costs.
Miller said after the hearing that
Markey had enough votes to put his
fuel-economy proposal on the House
energy bill, but had declined her requests to hold a hearing in Detroit on
new technologies or invite auto executives to his panel.
Automakers and the Michigan delegation support a less-stringent fuel-
Actor Rob Lowe, right, listens to David
Vieau, CEO of A123 Systems, as they
appear on Capitol Hill on Thursday at a
House hearing on the potential of plug-in
hybrid vehicles.
economy plan in the House, and
have warned that the Senate and
Markey bills threaten thousands of
U.S. jobs.
"I told him, 'Why you keep insisting
on cramming higher fuel-economy
standards down our throat is beyond
me,' " Miller said. "I think what happened in the Senate will happen in
the House."
Witnesses at the panel -- including
actor Rob Lowe -- urged Congress to
back the nascent plug-in hybrid in-
Page 7
Some testified about the risks of inaction. Frank Gaffney, head of the
Center for Security Policy and a former Defense Department official in
the Reagan Administration, warned
that Chinese automaker Chery could
build a plug-in hybrid for as little as
$12,000.
"I dare say that will be the end of
Detroit if that vehicle is available in
large numbers in America in the near
future," he said.
Lowe, who said he had driven a Toyota Prius converted to a plug-in hybrid by A123, told the panel that
automakers should move toward
plug-ins with the same urgency that
the nation geared up for World War
II
"Can't our amazing and powerful
Detroit automotive industry be given
the message, together with effective
incentives, to speed up their conversion to plug-in hybrids?" Lowe
asked.
Contact JUSTIN HYDE at 202-9068204 or [email protected].
Source: Detroit Free Press
URL: http://www.freep.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070713/
BUSINESS01/707130384
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Paid by:
Cash [ ] Cheque [ ]
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
Amount Paid:
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________ $100 - Business [ ]
$30 - Individual [ ]
$20 - Senior [ ]
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
Date Paid: (dd/mm/yr)
I would like my Newsletter: By Mail [ ] By email [ ] Pick up at Meetings [ ]
___ /___ /_______
World's First Air-Powered Car: Zero Emissions by Next Summer By Matt Sullivan, June 2007
India’s largest automaker is set to start
producing the world’s first commercial
air-powered vehicle. The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy
Nègre for Luxembourgbased MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to
the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion
models, to push its engine’s
pistons. Some 6000 zeroemissions Air Cars are
scheduled to hit Indian
streets in August of 2008.
Barring any last-minute
design changes on the way to production,
the Air Car should be surprisingly practical. The $12,700 CityCAT, one of a hand-
ful of planned Air Car models, can hit 68
mph and has a range of 125 miles. It will
take only a few minutes for the CityCAT to
refuel at gas stations equipped with cus-
Page 8
PM
tom air compressor units; MDI says it
should cost around $2 to fill the car’s carbon-fiber tanks with 340 liters of air at
4350 psi. Drivers also will be able to plug
into the electrical grid and use the car’s
built-in compressor to refill the tanks in
about 4 hours.
Of course, the Air Car will likely never hit
American shores, especially considering its
all-glue construction. But that doesn’t
mean the major automakers can write it
off as a bizarre Indian experiment — MDI
has signed deals to bring its design to 12
more countries, including Germany, Israel
and South Africa.
Source: Popular Mechanics.com
URL: http://www.popularmechanics.com/
automotive/new_cars/4217016.html
2007, Issue #5
SEPT-OCT
The electric car, darling of the 1907 Auto show
1907 Electric Car: Front Cover
Mitsubishi i-EV: Front Cover
Posted Oct 15th 2007
CAR Mag Likes MiEV– Pg.2
EnerDel Lithium Battery – Pg.2
the fact that there are women in the
photo above should not surprise you
on whit.
OK, so, what's the reason for brining
this up again? It's because of Scientific American's gallery of cars from a
1907 car show. SciAm's post is a photographic supplement to the November 2007 issue, specifically an article
on cars in the magazine's "50, 100 &
150 Years Ago" section. In the best
recycling fashion, the pictures are
from the November 1907 Scientific
American. The car in the photo is "A
Powerful Electric Touring Run-
Thunder Sky Patents – Pg.3
Ener1 + Think Global Sign – Pg.4
VW Confirms 1-Liter Car – Pg.5
GM Plans Volt for 2010 – Pg.5
Electric Car aims for Top – Pg.6
Toyota Flex-Fuel PHEV – Pg.7
Electric 1968 Bradley GT2 – Pg.8
Hot Links to See Now!
GreenEnergyTV
http://greenenergytv.com/
If you're at all familiar with the 100+
year history of the electric car, then
Mitsubishi's i-EV moving towards production
Posted Sep 28th 2007
While there are electric cars avail-
Advanced Automotive Batteries
www.advancedautobat.com/
Green Car Congress
www.greencarcongress.com/
AltairNano Batteries
http://www.altairnano.com/
markets_energy_systems.html
Next Issue: NOV-DEC 2007
What kind of numbers might the iMiEV boast? The Daily Telegraph
says a 160 km (100 mile) range
and a top speed of 130 km/h
(about 80 mph).
Standard home charging will happen overnight, but a 3-phase 200
volt 50kW QuickCharger will give
you an 80 percent charge in half an
hour.
Plug-In Highway Network
http://www.pluginhighway.ca/
Thunder Sky Energy Group Ltd.
http://www.thunder-sky.com/
home_en.asp
Continued on Page 2: 1907 Darling
able today, no large automaker is
offering one. Mitsubishi might just
be the first out of the gate with a
plug-in car (not a hybrid) called the
i-EV (aka i-MiEV). If sources withing
the company are telling The Daily
Telegraph in Australia the truth, the
small electric car could be on sale
as early as next year. Apparently,
the electric "i" is off the concept
stand and onto the streets as an
evaluation vehicle. Mitsubishi has
been working on this car for a while
(see the collection of links below),
so it's not crazy talk to suggest it
will be available in 2008.
Source: www.autobloggreen.com
Continued on Page 2: Mitsubishi
1907 Darling —From Page 1
Lithium ion battery for hybrid vehicles unveiled
about." Does anyone know more
about it?
October 10, 2007
URL: http://
www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/1
5/the-electric-car-darling-of-the1907-auto-show/
By Jeff Swiatek
[email protected]
Racing against competition to offer a
better battery for hybrid vehicles, EnerDel said it has developed a lithium-ion
Mitsubishi —From Page 1
- Oct 6th 2007
by Sam Abuelsamid
The folks at UK magazine CAR got
the opportunity to spend some quality
time with the Mitsubishi i-EV recently
and they came away preferring it to the
conventional gas-powered version. The
electric car that looks somewhat like a
four-door Smart has an electric motor
driving the rear wheels and lithium ion
batteries mounted under the floor.
The low mounted batteries and electric
motor torque actually result in better
handling and acceleration than the
660cc gas version. The i-EV has a 100mile range and leisurely 14 second 0-60
time. Mitsubishi hopes to have the i-EV
on sale by 2008 or 2009 at price of
$30,000 although that may be tough to
reach unless they're willing to sell it at
loss.
URL: http://
car-likes-the-mitsubishi-i-ev-evenbetter-than-the-gas-version/
An EnerDel video shows a nail being run
through its battery with no ill effect,
while conventional lithium-ion batteries
that were overcharged exploded in
flames when punctured.
There is a “huge market” for better batteries in hybrid gas-electric vehicles,
and EnerDel appears to be a leader in
serving that market, said Susan Eustis, a
battery analyst for WinterGreen Research in Lexington, Mass.
URL: http://
mitsubishis-i-ev-moving-towardsproduction-available-perhaps-i/
CAR likes the Mitsubishi
i-EV even better than the
gas version
tured. It expects to be the first to massproduce the batteries.
EnerDel officials say the company’s
new lithium ion battery runs cooler
and can be punctured without exploding. It’s a “major milestone. We are
close to bringing this to the market,”
said EnerDel’s Chief Executive Ulrik
battery that is smaller, more powerful
and longer-lasting than the batteries
now in use.
The Indianapolis company, which held a
news conference Tuesday to announce
its research success, said it hopes to sign
a contract soon to sell batteries to a major automaker and begin commercial
production by 2009.
“It’s a very vibrant and interesting market. No question, there are going to be
huge breakthroughs in this area,” she
said.
Engineers led by Chief Operating Officer
Naoki Ota came up with the design over
the past two years. EnerDel’s battery is
about the size of two regular automobile
batteries.
Competitors in the race to develop a
better battery include Japanese electronics giants Panasonic and Sony.
Hybrid vehicles now in use by a growing
number of drivers are powered by a
regular engine and an electric motor fed
by a nickel metal hydride battery pack.
Beyond the automotive industry, mar-
If that occurs, employment at its Northeastside plant could soar from 55 workers to several hundred, EnerDel said.
Developing the lithium-ion battery for
cars “is a major milestone. We are close
to bringing this to the market,” said EnerDel Chief Executive Ulrik Grape.
Lithium-ion batteries commonly are
used to power laptops and cell phones.
Developing larger models for use in cars
has been problematic, in part because
they can be unstable: They run hot and
can explode if dropped.
EnerDel has developed one that runs
cool, is unaffected by low temperatures
and doesn’t short out even when punc-
Page 2
kets for the battery technology include
military and aerospace, asset tracking
and other specialty battery applications,
Continued on Page 3: EnerDel
I traveled to Victoria last weekend for my last Navy Reunion, including going
aboard a Destroyer, the Algonquin, which was a great experience.
1921: - See Issue # 4 (July-Aug 07)
It is a working destroyer as was coming in for 3 days for re-fit and supplies.
They let us go anywhere on the ship and take pictures.
I was shocked to see that they even have live missiles loaded on it for live action events. It’s not the Navy I knew!
I also celebrated my 60th Wedding Anniversary while there.
While in Victoria, I discovered three different Taxi Fleets that are using the
Toyota Prius, and I spoke to the drivers and they said they were getting 49
mpg, twice what they would be getting using a normal gas powered taxi, and
the same as the cars promoted specs for fuel economy.
The Electric Vehicle Conversion Manual is continuing to sell well.
The Plug in Hybrid is taking off, in that there are two conferences happening
one in Canada and one in the U.S.A. The Canadian Conference is in Winnipeg,
and the U.S. one is in San Diego.
I am still enjoying my Ford Ranger Electric, and continue to believe that Electric Vehicles are the way to go.
Thanks for Listening, and I hope to see you at the meetings.
Howard, President, EVS
1956: National System of Interstate
and Defense Highways. Funded 90%
by states, and 90% by the federal
government.
1957: Sputnik is launched. The US
space program initiates advanced
battery R&D.
1966: Gallup poll: 36 million really
interested in EVs. At the time EVs
had a top speed of 40 mph, and
typical range less than 50 miles.
1967: Walter Laski founds the
Electric Auto Association.
1968-1978: Congress passes more
regulatory statues than ever before
due to health risks associated with
cars: collisions, dirty air.
EnerDel —From Page 2
EnerDel said.
Bill Wylam, who formerly headed the
Delco Remy division in Indianapolis
that produced batteries for General Motors, lauded the EnerDel battery as “a
great achievement.”
“I almost feel like I’m watching one of
my kids graduate from medical school,”
he told the crowd, crammed into a conference room at EnerDel’s 100,000square-foot plant.
ana a hub for innovation in hybrid vehicle technology,” he said.
EnerDel’s Indianapolis plant is big
enough to handle its projected manufacturing needs for two to three years,
Grape said.
EnerDel is one of five battery makers
that have received millions of dollars in
funding from the three major U.S. automakers through the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium. The company has received grants from the U.S. Department
of Energy, too.
The Indiana Economic Development
Corp. will meet with EnerDel soon to
talk about possible economic incentives
the state can offer, said Paul Mitchell,
policy director for economic and work
force development in the governor’s
office.
Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., was on hand
to help unveil the battery, covered with
a gray cloth at the front of the room.
“The potential for job creation and investment down the line is a tremendous
opportunity,” Mitchell said. EnerDel
and other companies “could make Indi-
Company officials led Burton on a 10minute tour of the factory, where two $1
“Oh my,” Burton said as he helped lift
the wrap. “This is phenomenal. This is
the whole thing?”
Page 3
million coating machines pour lithium
in a thin watery mixture into cells in the
battery.
EnerDel’s parent company has spent
more than $100 million so far to develop the battery. Other investors include a Russian timber mogul, Boris
Zingarevitch, and New York hedge fund
Satellite Asset Management.
Source: www.indystar.com
URL: http://www.indystar.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007310100007
Thunder Sky Battery Limited is a hightech manufacturer who is the first company in the world successfully replace
“PVDF”by solvent binder in the production of rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery
with high capacity and high power.
Since the foundation in 1998, TS has
gained a number of patents in over 26
countries and areas by its original Lithium-Ion power battery technology as the
only one to get this patent in the world.
ENER1 AWARDED LITHIUM ION BATTERY DEVELOPMENT
AND SUPPLY CONTRACT WITH THINK GLOBAL
Ft. Lauderdale, FL October 15, 2007
Ener1, Inc. (OTCBB: ENEI) announced
today that its EnerDel subsidiary entered into a Supply Agreement with
Think Global of Oslo, Norway, the
manufacturer of the Th!nk City electric
vehicle (EV).
Under the agreement, Think Global has
selected EnerDel as the supplier of
choice for prismatic Lithium ion (Li ion)
batteries that will be used to power its
Th!nk City vehicle. EnerDel will use its
experience in battery management sys-
tem integration already implemented in
its recently unveiled HEV product. EnerDel’s Li ion solution for the Electric
Vehicle drive train is designed to have
higher energy density than HEV cells
and to enable vehicles to last up to a
goal of 100 miles (160 kilometers) without recharging.
Under the Agreement, EnerDel must
deliver production prototypes in March
2008 and pre-production parts in July
2008, with a value of approximately
$1.4 million. Once these milestones are
met to the satisfaction of Think Global,
production orders under the contract
are expected to result in EnerDel battery
sales of $70 million over the two-year
period ending in 2010. Under Think’s
growth plan, the total value of the contract could eventually exceed $200 million.
Charles Gassenheimer, Chairman of
Ener1 and Peter Novak CEO of Ener1,
stated, “The Ener1 team has met its goal
of signing a Li ion battery development
contract with an automotive customer
in 2007. This contract with Think is the
commercial breakthrough that will provide the investment community with a
clear picture of the substantial revenues
and cash flows that are possible in the Li
ion battery market. EnerDel is now
working on products in each of the major electric vehicle battery categories –
HEV, PHEV and EV. The management
and development team at EnerDel have
developed a technology that we Advanced Energy Solutions 2 believe is
superior to all existing competitive technologies, and this agreement validates
our efforts over the last two years. At the
same time, we believe that timely execution on this contract is critical to sustaining the competitive advantage we
believe we have established in the marketplace.”
Ulrik Grape, EnerDel’s Chief Executive
Officer, added, “Supplying batteries to
Think gives EnerDel the opportunity to
work with one of the most exciting and
market-ready EV products today. It is
truly rewarding to be working on this
technological breakthrough with such
an innovative company. While our battery for hybrid electric vehicles is unique
in its design for safety, power and long
life, we believe that our PHEV and EV
technology will also set the standards
for delivering safe energy for longer
distances.”
supply requirements to increase substantially from these levels.”
About Think Global
Based in Oslo, Norway, Think Global is
the leading electric vehicle manufacturer in Europe. Formerly owned by
Ford Motor, the company was purchased by a group of Norwegian investors in 2006. Think Global recently
raised $95 million in equity capital from
investors including DFJ Element, Rockport Capital Partners, British Hazel
Capital, The Heinz Family Office, and
Wintergreen Funds, as well as a number
of influential Norwegian investors.
Think’s existing factory in Norway is
presently being upgraded by Porsche
Consulting to make it one of Europe’s
most cost efficient assembly plants
ready to mass-produce the Think model
in 2008. For more information, please
visit: www.think.no (Select English)
Source: Enerdel.com
URL: http://enerdel.com/content/
view/129/61/
Aging Hybrids doing quite well!
Think Comment:
Jan-Olaf Willums, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Think Global stated,
“We are confident in EnerDel’s capabilities to deliver this safe, reliable and
high energy battery system that will
power the electric vehicle of the future.
While this is the largest Lithium ion
battery contract in the automotive industry to date, we expect demand for
our vehicle and the resulting battery
Page 4
We know that the all-electric Toyota
RAV4 EV is one of the cars that has
gone up in value over the years. Mark
Phelan, a Detroit Free Press columnist,
noted this week that early hybrid vehicles, especially the Honda Insight, are
also still doing well among their happy
owners and are selling well enough in
the aftermarket.
URL:
dont-put-them-out-to-pasture-quiteyet-aging-hybrids-doing-wel/
VW Boss confirms 1-Liter car for 2010 - Tuesday 9 October 2007
As outrageous as the idea of a 1L/100km
car sounds, more reports have emerged
confirming the ultra-frugal car is in fact
in development and that it could be on
the market by as early as 2010. At last
month’s Frankfurt Motor Show senior
VW exec Ferdinand Piëch claimed the
car would be available by the end of the
decade and now CEO Martin Winterkorn has backed up the claim as well as
providing some of the production details.
First up Winterkorn stressed that the 1Liter “would not be a best seller” and
thus will only be produced in limited
numbers. Its body will be constructed
from plastic and magnesium and its
power source will be a one-cylinder engine displacing just 0.3L. Top speed will
be 120km/h and consumption will fall
around the 1L/100km mark (235mpg),
reports AFX.
(Motorauthority.com)
even be produced remember that VW
developed a concept version back in
2002 that sipped just 0.89L/100km.
Source: Motorauthority
URL:
http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/
volkswagen/vw-boss-confirms-1-litercar-for-2010/
See also:
Preview: VW’s 235 MPG Project
http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/
volkswagen/preview-vw%e2%80%99s235mpg-project/
If you still doubt that such a car could
GM plans to begin making Volt in 2010 at Hamtramck (Detroit)
September 28, 2007
By TIM HIGGINS
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER
Detroit Free Press. GM has agreed to
begin production of the Chevrolet Volt
at the Detroit Hamtramck assembly
facility beginning in 2010 as
one of the future product
commitments made to the
UAW as part of their tentative
labor agreement, according to
the union.
production of its large SUVs through
2012 at the Arlington, Texas and Janesville, Wisconsin plants. Both plants will
manufacture full-sized SUV replacements starting in 2013.
Detroit Free Press Reference:
Among those products listed is the Volt,
which is to begin production in 2010,
according to the union’s 24 page report
obtained by the Free Press.
Source: Green Car Congress
& Detroit Free Press
URL: http://
www.greencarcongress.com/2007/09/
index.html
UAW leadership, which is
recommending ratification of
the agreement, provided local
leaders with a 24-page report
about the highlights of the
new agreement. The report
includes a list of future product commitments at 16 of
GM’s 17 US assembly facilities
where workers are represented by the UAW.
In addition to the Volt, GM
will have Hamtramck start manufacturing a product on global small car platform starting in 2009; produce the
Buick Lucerne and Cadillac DTS until
2010; and begin production of a Chevrolet mid-sized car in 2012, according to
the report.
GM’s commitments include continuing
The union told local leaders today about
details of the tentative deal reached
Wednesday, including future product
commitments made by GM at 16 of 17
U.S. assembly facilities where workers
are represented by the UAW.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20070928/
BUSINESS01/70928061/0/SPORTS18
General Motors Corp., in its tentative
labor agreement with UAW, has agreed
to begin production of the electric-drive
Chevrolet Volt at its Detroit Hamtramck
assembly facility, according to the union.
Page 5
Electric Car Maker Aims For the Top With Sports Car - October 15, 2007
Tesla Readies $98,000 Roadster And
Looks to Expand Downward
Tesla Motors is a car company that's
both decades ahead of its time, and a
year behind schedule. Soon, it will become clear which is more important to
Tesla's long-term future, and the future
of the disruptive ideas the company
represents.
For those who somehow missed the blizzard of publicity that has swirled around
this company for the past 18 months or
so, Tesla (www.teslamotors.com) is a
Silicon Valley start-up, bankrolled by
some of the same people who brought
you the Internet boom of the late 1990s.
The company's stated ambition is to develop over the next several years a full
array of electric cars. Tesla's fans -many of them influential leaders of Silicon Valley's "clean tech" greentechnology movement -- see Tesla as an
icon of the broader effort to make big
money by unshackling the U.S. economy
from petroleum.
Tesla's first model will be a $98,000 electric roadster, developed around the architecture of a Lotus Elise, that uses 6,831
lithium-ion batteries similar to those used
in laptop computers, a patented electricmotor system, and a highly sophisticated
package of controllers and software to
deliver an exotically attractive car that
zaps from standstill to 60 miles per hour
in under four seconds and can travel up
to 245 miles on a single charge.
the first quarter of 2008 could be only
about 50 vehicles, with a goal of building
a total of about 600 cars in the 2008
model year. Tesla recently told potential
customers that it can no longer guarantee delivery of 2008 models. Newcomers
to the waiting list might well get 2009s.
During an interview last week in his modest office in one of the nondescript warehouses Tesla occupies in the San Francisco suburb of San Carlos, Mr. Eberhard says he has gained respect for the
challenges that conventional auto makers face.
"Our plan is to ramp up very gently," he
says. The run of cars produced during
Big car makers, led by General Motors
Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp., responded to a California mandate in the
late '90s by producing vehicles that were
supposed to prove that electric vehicles
could be affordable and oh-so-politically
correct. Unfortunately, the GM EV1 and
the electric Toyota RAV4 struck mainstream customers as geeky, slow and
impractical.
"Electric cars had a terrible black eye,"
Among the problems Tesla has encountered: The car's body had to be redesigned because the door sills were so
high that getting in and out of the vehicle
required excessive acrobatics, especially
for women in skirts.
A supplier for the car's original transmission failed, and a subsequent decision to
move from a one-speed transmission to
a two-speed proved more difficult to execute than expected. In August, the car
flunked a 30 mile per hour side-impact
crash test, necessitating more lastminute design changes.
The logistics of getting components produced in Thailand, Taiwan, and the U.S.
to arrive at the right time at the assembly
plant in England have proven challenging. To manage this effort, Tesla in September hired Michael Marks, former chief
executive officer of contract manufacturing giant Flextronics International Ltd. to
become its CEO, replacing Mr. Eberhard,
who remained as president of technology.
Mr. Eberhard says. As far as the general
public was concerned, "they sucked and
they were dead."
Tesla's Big Idea was to start with an
electric car that appeals to the id, not the
superego. From the start, Mr. Eberhard
says he wanted a car that could outrun a
Porsche in a 0-60 trial, and would go 250
miles on a charge. He says the production Roadster will hit the under foursecond target for the 0-60 dash, and will
get very close to the original goal on
range.
More fundamentally, the Tesla Roadster
is designed to ride the technology curve
from the high end of the price ladder
down -- the direction that has worked for
most other forms of technological innovation from the VCR to the laptop.
Tesla isn't planning any traditional advertising, but if it did, one slogan could be:
"You can't kill an electric car you can't
catch."
Tesla and its approach to electrifying the
automobile may well redefine the car
industry. But first, Tesla needs to actually
deliver the car. That was once supposed
to have happened by early this year.
Now, company co-founder Martin Eberhard says, the first Roadsters should
come off the Lotus assembly line in Britain sometime during the first quarter of
2008.
electric vehicle technology in the 1990s
and early years of this decade.
But after the Roadster is launched, and
the high-tech elite have shown off their
status-defining 2008 models at Silicon
Valley's finest restaurants and clubs,
what can Tesla become?
"Silicon Valley engineers find it easy to
think they know everything and Rust Belt
companies don't know anything," Mr.
Eberhard says. "More often than not the
knee jerk reaction, that these guys (in
Detroit) don't know what they are doing,
is wrong."
That said, Mr. Eberhard says conventional car makers did get it wrong on
Page 6
Tesla so far has raised $105 million from
venture-capital firms and Chairman Elon
Musk, the PayPal founder who was a
ground floor investor. That's a lot for a
tech startup, but it's chump change in the
auto industry, where car programs with
century-old, conventional technology can
easily cost $500 million to $1 billion.
Continued on Page 7: Sports Car
Sports Car — From Page 6
"Our ambition is, one step at a time, to
become a real car company," Mr. Eberhard says. Tesla plans to develop more
practical and more affordable electric
vehicles, expanding its potential revenue.
But the time frame for that is now 2010,
not 2009 as once proposed.
Last May, Mr. Eberhard told a Senate
committee that the company's second
model would be a $50,000 sedan built in
New Mexico, followed by an even more
affordable car. Now, Mr. Eberhard is
cagier about exactly what Tesla's "White
Star" model line will be, and exactly
when it will appear. "We are deep, deep
into that," he says. "We are planning on
building (cars) in Albuquerque. It's possible we might want to do something different."
Tesla is named for Nikola Tesla, the godfather of alternating current and radio
who nonetheless died poor, in part because his weirdness wound up obscuring
his genius. In recent years, Tesla has
become a patron saint of Silicon Valley.
for less money, he says. By contrast,
Tesla is offering a product unlike any
other. "Nobody produces a real electric
car," he says.
But there's another ghost hovering over
Tesla Motors -- one whose name Mr.
Eberhard brings up before a visitor can
get around to it: John DeLorean.
What will define success for Tesla? Big
Mr. DeLorean, who died in 2005, was the
charismatic General Motors executive
who left GM after clashing with its stolid
hierarchy, and who later founded a company to build what he called the "ethical
sports car." The DMC-12, with its
stainless steel body panels and gull-wing
doors, was designed to appeal to
wealthy enthusiasts with a taste for the
exotic. But Mr. DeLorean's company
collapsed in 1982, and he spent several
years fighting and beating charges of
drug dealing and fraud. The DeLorean
company's failure is one of several examples of how hard it has been for upstarts to challenge the automotive oligarchy since World War II.
"What problem was DeLorean solving?"
Mr. Eberhard asks in response to the
inevitable question about how Tesla
avoids DeLorean's fate. The DeLorean
car, when it appeared, was not any better, in some ways not as good, as a
Chevrolet Corvette that GM was offering
car makers have tools, capital and experience in dealing with the harsh environment of the global auto market that
Silicon Valley doesn't possess, even with
its abundance of rich, smart technology
visionaries and venture-capital firms. Mr.
Eberhard says selling out isn't the plan,
even though "we've been approached by
many, many car companies."
"We are rolling everything we can back
into growing the company," he says. "If
we wanted to be a fancy sports car company, we could do that next year."
Source: The Wall Street Journal Online
URL: http://online.wsj.com/article/
eyes_on_the_road.html?mod=djemroad
Toyota to Show Plug-in Flex-Fuel Hybrid Concept with Double the Fuel Efficiency of the Prius
10 October 2007
gine and a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
Built of carbon fiber reinforced plastic
(CFRP) throughout the body frame to
ensure superior collision safety, it sports
narrower pillars for a better field of vision.
•
FT-HS. A next-generation hybrid
sports car, the FT-HS features a
hybrid system with a 3.5-liter V6
gasoline engine.
•
LF-Xh. A specialty Lexus SUV, this
concept applies the Lexus Hybrid
Drive with a V6 engine in an allwheel drive powertrain.
Other hybrid concepts that Toyota will
feature at the show are:
Sketch of the Toyota 1/X plug-in
hybrid.
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will
exhibit eight concept and 13 other vehicles at the upcoming 40th Tokyo Motor
Show. Among the concepts is the 1/X,
(pronounced “one-Xth”), a vehicle that
maintains an interior space on par with
that of the Prius, with a targeted fuel
efficiency that is double that of the Prius
and a weight reduced to 420 kilograms
(about one third the weight of the
Prius).
The 1/X features a 500cc flex-fuel en-
•
Hi-CT. The Hi-CT also is a plug-in
hybrid concept, with a AC100V accessory socket that enables stored
electricity to be used for a variety of
applications.
•
Crown Hybrid Concept. The Crown
hybrid concept implements THS II
with a two-stage motor speed reduction device that helps achieve
higher fuel efficiency, lower CO2
and reductions in other exhaust
emissions.
Page 7
Source: Green Car Congress
URL: http://
www.greencarcongress.com/2007/10/
toyota-to-show-.html
Name/Business _______________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________ Phone____________________
City ______________________________________ Fax ______________________
E-mail Address _______________________________________________________
Members Corner: eBay Find of the Day: 100% electric 1968 Bradly GT2
(Like First EV I Saw! - ed)
Need an electric car with style? Hop on over to eBay, where a seller in Dickinson, Texas is hawking his latest garage creation:
a 100 percent electric 1968 Bradley GT2. The seller, according to the description, has been converting cars to electric power and then
selling them to raise money for school. This particular vehicle hasn't been through a lot of testing (he estimates it's only been driven
for about 10 miles with the new electric motor), but it does come with:
ADC #FB1-4001A 9.1" 72-144VDC 19HP Double Shaft motor
Curtis 1231C controller
Xantrex battery monitor with 500 volt prescaler and ammeter shunt
A 108 volt deep cycle battery bank (and a 12-volt accessory battery)
New speedometer
New AM/FM/CD player
A keypad starter kill (the right code must be typed into the keypad before the car will start).
Currently at no bids, with a starting price of US $9,999.00. Charger not included.
Source URL(s):
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2007/10/17/ebay-find-of-the-day-100-electric-1968-bradley-gt2/
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Bradley-GT2-ElectricCar_W0QQitemZ230181761975QQihZ013QQcategoryZ7251QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Posted Oct 17th 2007 4:03PM by Sebastian Blanco
Page 8
The electric motor
A Link from the throttle to the controller
The batteries
A majority of the electric cars on the road today are "home brew"
conversion vehicles. A typical conversion uses a DC controller
and a DC motor.
A simple DC controller connected to the batteries and the DC
motor. If the driver floors the accelerator pedal, the controller
delivers the full 96 volts from the batteries to the motor. If the driver
takes his/her foot off the accelerator, the controller delivers zero
volts to the motor. For any setting in between, the controller
"chops" the 96 volts thousands of times per second to create an
average voltage somewhere between 0 and 96 volts.
•
•
•
•
The heart of an electric car is the combination of:
Electric cars are something that shows up in the news all the time.
Electric Vehicles – The EV, What Makes Them Tick?
That is, a 20,000-watt motor will accept 100,000 watts for a short period
of time and deliver 5 times its rated horsepower. This is great for short
bursts of acceleration. The only limitation is heat build-up in the motor.
Too much overdriving and the motor heats up to the point where it selfdestructs.
DC installations tend to be simpler and less expensive. A typical motor
will be in the 20,000-watt to 30,000-watt range. A typical controller will
be in the 40,000-watt to 60,000-watt range (for example, a 96-volt
controller will deliver a maximum of 400 or 600 amps). DC motors have
the nice feature that you can overdrive them (up to a factor of 10-to-1)
for short periods of time.
If it is an AC motor, then it probably is a three-phase AC motor running
at 240 volts AC with a 300-volt or higher, battery pack.
If the motor is a DC motor, then it may run on anything from 96 to 192
volts. Many of the DC motors used in electric cars come from the electric
forklift industry.
An AC controller hooks to an AC motor. Using six sets of power
transistors, the controller takes in 300 volts DC and produces 240
volts AC, 3-phase. The controller additionally provides a charging
system for the batteries, and a DC-to-DC converter to recharge the
12-volt accessory battery.
The person doing the conversion has a lot of choices when it
comes to battery technology. Lead Acid, Nickel-Metal Hydride,
Lithium Ion, & Lithium Polymer. The vast majority of home
conversions use lead-acid batteries, and there are several different
options: Marine deep-cycle lead-acid batteries, Golf-cart batteries, and
High-performance sealed batteries. The batteries can have a flooded,
gelled or AGM (absorbed glass mat) electrolyte. Flooded batteries
tend to have the lowest cost but also the lowest peak power.
Usually, the person doing the conversion has a "donor vehicle" that
will act as the platform for the conversion. Almost always, the
donor vehicle is a normal gasoline-powered car that gets converted
to electric. Most donor vehicles have a manual transmission.
Any electric car that uses batteries
needs a charging system to recharge
the batteries. The most sophisticated
charging systems monitor battery
voltage, current flow and battery
temperature to minimize charging
time. The charger sends as much current as it can without raising battery
temperature too much. Less sophisticated chargers might monitor voltage
or amperage only and make certain assumptions about average battery
characteristics. A charger like this might apply maximum current to the
batteries up through 80 percent of their capacity, and then cut the current
back to some preset level for the final 20 percent to avoid overheating
the batteries.
The DC-to-DC converter is normally
a separate box under the hood, but
sometimes this box is built into the
controller.
by the chemical reaction. Once
the state of charge reaches a
certain point, at about 80
percent of capacity, more and
more energy goes into heat and
electrolysis of the water. The
resulting bubbling of electrolyte
is informally called "boiling." For
the charging system to minimize
the boiling, the charging current
must cut back for the last 20
percent of the charging process.
AC installations allow the use of almost any industrial three-phase
AC motor, and that can make finding a motor with a specific size, shape
or power rating easier. AC motors
and controllers often have a regen
Charging Current
feature. During braking, the motor
When lead-acid batteries are at
turns into a generator and delivers
a low state of charge, nearly all
power back to the batteries.
the charging current is absorbed
Citicar description http://www.bjharding.com/citicar/moreev.htm
The Electric Auto Association http://www.eaaev.org/index.html
Electro Automotive - http://www.electroauto.com/index.html
Jerry's Electric Car Conversion http://www.jerryrig.com/convert/
The GM EV1 - perhaps the best-known electric car
- Who Killed the Electric Car: GM and Chevron http://www.ev1.org/
- EV-1 Club - http://ev1-club.power.net/
- General Motors EV-1 Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
- The EV-1 Chronicles - http://www.eanet.com/kodama/ev1/
EV-1 Now replaced by the Chevy Volt:
http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/
Anywhere: Electric Auto Association – www.eaaev.org
Ottawa Area – Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa
www.evco.ca
East of Toronto – Durham Electric Vehicle Association
www.durhamelectricvehicles.com
In the G. T. A. – The Electric Vehicle Society of Canada:
www.evsociety.ca
For More information, Contact your local EV Organization:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Great Links
The EV Challenge (www.evchallenge.org) is an innovative
educational program for middle and high school students that centers
around building electric-powered cars.

Welcome to the Electric Vehicle Society!

Transcription

Similar documents

qmotion technology - Hunter Douglas Commercial

Vu 102 cms (40”) LED TV Model: 40D6575

pdf of the article

LIFEPAK 500 Maintenance Checklist

Talking Neopets Plushie Talking Neopets Plushie

Lithium Formation Plant

Talking Neopets Plushie Talking Neopets Plushie

Tips for protecting your equipment Headlamps

DOS SD-STD-02.01 K12 L3 ASTM F2656 M50 P1