Hi,

The batteries in the floor will weigh 800-900 pounds, so the Cg is not in question. There is one person on the right side; and there is a reason I put the three passenger seats on the left: on most roads in the USA, the road crowns in the center (left side of the car) and the right side suspension takes a bigger beating than does the left side. The unbalanced load could be as high as 300-350 pounds, so, I don't think this will be a problem.

Think of it this way: since the CarBEN's driver seat is in the center, and most of the time there is only one person in any car -- then most of the time, all other cars are "out of balance" by almost as much as that, all the time...

I thought about have the hatch incorporating the rear transom, but this adds a lot of weight at the very back of the door, and the angle it opens would have to be a lot greater, to get the headroom. I also thought about it hinging up as the hatch opens (while still attached to the rest of the hatch) but this would get very complicated when the whole thing is being closed.

A child who can't climb over the rear doors, could be lifted over by the adult(s) also there?

Sounds good

Hi Neil, Have you ever considered using the Michelin Active wheel concept ? Also, they seem to have a tire specially designed for EVs, not sure what it's worth though...
some basic info here : http://electricnick.com/2010/01/12/ev-t ... -michelin/

Hello,

Yes, I have -- hub motors would be helpful in some ways. They are very expensive, though.

After I get a prototype and running, I hope to experiment with rigid wheels and solid (non-inflatable) tires and regenerative shock absorbers. The solid tires and rigid wheels could be much lighter weight (which counts double to weight losses anywhere else), and they could have vanishingly low rolling resistance, and they would pass along most of the energy to the regenerative shocks; making their effect greater than it would be with conventional tires.

The ride quality could actually be better than with conventional tires, since light wheels makes the system more compliant (they move rather than moving the car), and the suspension can be fully tuned and damped to match the wheels.

This could help get the energy consumption even lower than 100Wh/mile, and that could extend the range; as well as recharging the batteries (a bit) from the energy regained from the shock absorbers (instead of wasting it as heat). Every little bit counts.

Okay, I now have all five 3D figures in the model, and the two passenger seats right behind the driver are splayed slightly to fit their legs in, while still having decent headroom. You can see this best in the plan section:







Longitudinal section views:

Here's some images of the battery pack I modeled today (all 768 cells!):

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10 ... n-x-prize/

So I was reading news on new Jaguar supercar C-X75

Its a hybrid.. yeah.. with a gas turbine! Two of them even, very mean looking thing



But yeah, not super efficient but a supercar

But then I learned that GM "WhoKilledTheElectricCar" EV1 had a prototype hybrid version with a gas turbine.
The same EV1, very light car with Cd 0.19


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1#EV1_series_hybrid


We had our future car back then, damn I'm mad.

Gas turbine series hybrid makes sense in many ways. Gas turbine has very good power/weight ratio. Its quite efficient at optimal rpm and steady speed. Multifuel comes as a bonus. Here we have CNG sold more than 3 times cheaper than gasoline.

At the end of the 2nd movie, did someone say "blow baby, blow"?

The 3rd movie is so fun to watch, all these volunteers with such enthusiasm! I didn't know Alexandra Paul was involved with "who killed the electric car", that movie is a must see. Period.

Yes, the lawyer says that -- I'm not sure it is necessary for the spot to work. But, it does get your attention!

This is a particularly interesting episode of "Fully Charged":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdtBmojIOzg

The third Plugin America PSA is out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEM_dOH_YmU

Hi,

The fourth Plugin America PSA, called "Clothes" i.e. regular maintenance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGNU1rG68wk

Did you see this... weird wooden car?
It is made of wood and it is powered by a motorbike engine.
photos

No, I've never seen it. It doesn't look like it would be very efficient?

I don't think so, sounds like it will be heavier than a motorbike (maybe unless it's made of balsa wood), so a motorbike engine won't do the trick, but its shape is interesting and it was worth a post.

Three new PSA's released today by Plug In America:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAx4UbQw0Hs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4OLXeUESm8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRmgMHNud2o

I've done a relatively accurate model of Dave Cloud's Dolphin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HqiK4kW4fU

Have you ever considered one of those news ultra fast flywheels for energy storage ? To me, those things are the future of short distance commuting in a vehicule : no recycling issues, ultra fast charging (a few minutes, just like refuelling your car), super low losses at idle, a not too bad weight/power ratio, and those things are starting to get decently powerful !

And why not add a solar panel on the roof for example for extra charging ...

Thoughts ?

They are very high tech, and I don't think they are practical for street cars; for a primary power source anyway.

Yes, a small PV panel would be good for running the ventilation fan, or other similar things, but it would not add very much range.

By the way, there are types of batteries that can be charged in 6 or 10 minutes.

http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1050863_electric-car-drives-375-miles-at-55-mph-recharges-in-6-minutes
http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1058119_its-official-dbm-energys-electric-car-battery-is-real

There are not any recycling issues with most lithium batteries; or lead acid batteries for that matter.

Finally, some useful-ish results doing tuft testing with three leaf blowers!



Click on thumbnail for a link to the album. Some photos are with flash, so they freeze the tufts, and some are without, so some of their motion is apparent.



And yes, I was wearing ear protection!

Hello,

I got to meet these folks on the Illuminati team while I was at the X-Prize Knockout Round (June '10 at Michigan Speedway), and they have made some improvements to their scratch-built car, called Seven.

http://illuminatimotorworks.org/blog/?p=292
http://ecomodder.com/blog/illuminati-motor-works-shows-healthy-2075-mpge/

Their 4 seat all-electric sedan has a 200 mile range, goes 0-60 in ~8s, and it was rated by the Chrysler engineers to get 207.5MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). They have it insured and registered in Illinois, and they are driving it on public roads -- which makes me quite jealous.

I am hoping to start building the full size shell for a working prototype of CarBEN EV soon. Here's a video animation of the latest SketchUp model:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXrqznFQ85c

Some images of the same model:



This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA.

Neil, you know that you will be able to do aerodynamic testing FAR better in the CAD realm, right? And I bet making that mock up wasn't too quick either!!

What is the end game with relation to this design? IE, when you are happy with the design, then what happens?

Have you seen the VW concept that is supposed to get 300 MPGe? I heard they are making a few, too.
Note this may be english gallons not US gallons.. for this reason can i suggest broad use of km/l (additionally?) for discussion, no ambiguity there.

I've tried to get CFD done, but the SketchUp model I made will not be easily translated into a solid model, and so if CFD is going to happen, the design will have to be recreated in a solid modeler.

I'm going to start building a full size shell, with the intent of making a working prototype.

This the latest / final version of CarBEN EV (which will use the windshield of the Smart ForTwo) that I will be starting to build -- a full size working prototype.

Email me if you are interested in the project, or if you would like a copy of the SketchUp 3D model.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYWGc4GpL7o

I'm buying a 3-axis CNC machine to produce the 2" thick EPS foam sections, that I will glue up (site plan style!) and then smooth out the steps, and then fiberglass inside and outside to form a strong and light and thermally insulated car chassis:
http://www.phlatboyz.com/Phlatprinter-3-Kit_p_9.html

This is going to be a lot of fun! Especially having an electric car that seats 5 people and should be able to go 300-400 miles (or more!) on a single charge.

Greetings,

This is a 3-axis CNC machine I assembled from a kit. It cuts sheets of foam, wood, plastic, etc. from g-code files you generate from a SketchUp model. It turns a virtual model into a solid real item. I'm going to start construction of my CarBEN EV electric car.
















Video of test run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCxENFw129E

First running of a test file (and the cutting bit is not powered up) -- you can see the yellow cone pointer showing the position of the cutter bit relative to the virtual sheet on the laptop screen; while the 3 stepper motors are putting the PhlatPrinter III through its paces, as it were.

Very cool machine -- I need to come up to speed on how to generate my own g-code files to get started constructing my CarBEN EV full sized working prototype electric car!


Here's a screen capture of my initial try at laying out the 2'x8' sheet of foam in DataCAD:


In the upper right is an approximate layout of the first 2" thick foam sheet, to be cut on on my PhlatPrinter III. I need to redo it with an alignment "rod" in the SketchUp model, that will appear as 1/2" circles, like those shown on the red F2 section. I'll use dowels to align the sections as I glue them together.

I need to confirm the limits of the cutting area -- I think the righthand edge needs a 4" band (on the 2' side) so that the X-axis friction rollers can keep hold of the sheet? And that means the F2-5 red piece will need to be moved up to the second 2'x8' foam sheet.

I also need to separate the doors, hood, wheel skirts, etc. so they can be made as pieces, and I'll have to design hinges for all of them.

Edison2 has installed an electric drivetrain in the 3rd generation of their Very Light Car, and the EPA Conbined rating jumps from 110MPGe up to 245MPGe! Pretty amazing efficiency.

http://www.edison2.com/blog/


(click on image for link)

I know nothing about car building and don't have many free week ends, but if one day you need a hand for this project, please do let me know !! I think what you're doing is amazing.