JMU AFV Lab Blog

This article was on the “gizmag.com” blog this morning. In Europe, this team achieved a phenomenal 10,382 mpg on a hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicle! Perhaps this is food for thought for an AFV Lab project. Go to http://www.gizmag.com/shell-fuel-efficiency-record-beaten/15163/ to read more.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/shell-fuel-efficiency-record-beaten/15163/

ECOGIZMO

French team smashes five year efficiency record in eco-marathon

By Paul Ridden

10:49 May 20, 2010

A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students.

A five year Shell Eco Marathon fuel efficiency record has been smashed by a team of French students. Team Polyjoule broke the record on the first day of the event and then went on to break its own record by a further 482 kilometers. But the students still expect even more from their hydrogen fueled vehicle and are already looking toward next year’s Marathon.

ETH Zurich of Switzerland achieved the equivalent of 3,836 kilometers on just one liter of fuel in 2005, and set a bar that no-one has been able to top - until now. A joint effort by Polytech Nantes and Lycée La Joliverie smashed the record on the very first day of this year’s Eco Marathon, recording 4,414 kilometers on the equivalent of one liter of fuel (10,382 mpg).

Team Polyjoule had a shaky start which threatened to hamper any attempts, after their hydrogen-powered prototype broke down during pre-marathon testing. Once they pooled resources with Lycée La Joliverie, however, they proceeded to stomp all over the Swiss record. The feat is said to have been made possible by enhancing their vehicle’s electronics monitoring system, which minimizes energy loss.

The French students were not quite finished with Shell’s Eco Marathon, though, which saw over 200 teams taking part. On the very last day of the annual event, they added another 482km to their own record, traveling the new official world record of 4,896.1 kilometers per liter of fuel - a distance “roughly the equivalent of driving from the head to toe of Europe, from the North Cape in Norway down to the toe of the Italian peninsula.”

Polytech Nantes team leader Pauline Tranchard praised the team effort, which saw the students not only set a new world record but also take first place in the fuel cell category, which led them to an overall first place victory. “Five years’ research went into getting us to 4,896 kilometers on one liter of fuel,” she said. “Our insight and the wealth of experience that our colleagues from the Lycée de La Joliverie de Nantes brought to the table were both instrumental in helping us reach what many might have considered an unattainable goal.”

Tranchard believes that the team can do even better but will have to wait until next year to prove it.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/shell-fuel-efficiency-record-beaten/15163/

Interesting article on the “Gas2.0″ blog this morning. This VW “Beetle” has been built by two brothers in Europe and is now the “fastest electric car in Europe, beating out even the famed Tesla Roadster in a drag race.” Utilizing two forklift motors and sixty 12 Volt Lead Acid batteries, it is quite a vehicle. I wonder if the AFV Lab could do much the same thing with the Mustang donated by Timmy Austin?

Source: http://gas2.org/2010/05/12/video-electric-beetle-blasts-past-tesla-roadster/

Electric Beetle Blasts Past Tesla Roadster

Written by Christopher DeMorro

Source: http://gas2.org/2010/05/12/video-electric-beetle-blasts-past-tesla-roadster/

This article was on the “Gizmag” blog this morning. It’s a “hybrid” (electric+human) powered bicycle using carbon fiber construction and lithium batteries. Its total weight is just over 37 pounds. The AFV Lab has powered some conventional bicycles with electric power, so maybe the next iteration could include these improvements.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/lexus-hybrid-bicycle-concept/14938/

URBAN TRANSPORT

Lexus details hybrid two wheeler concept

By Gizmag Team

05:39 April 29, 2010

Lexus has announced details of the innovative Hybrid Bicycle Concept we first spied tucked away at last year’s Tokyo Motor Show. Headed for a UK debut at the Great British Bike Ride this weekend, the full-carbon fiber frame hybrid (electric+human) concept includes a 240W electric motor at the front hub, eight-speed transmission, a 25.9V Lithium-ion battery and regenerative braking. Head on through for more images plus our video overview.

The bike weighs 17kg, uses a belt drive instead of a chain and its electric motor charges in around two hours. The 8-speed internal gear and shift levers are from Shimano, while the lightweight, composite frame shares DNA with Valentino Rossi’s MotoGP-winning motorcycle. At this stage Lexus’ foray into two-wheeled transport remains a concept, with no word on any plans for a production release. We can only hope.

• Length (mm) 1,598
• Width (mm) 425
• Seat height (mm) 900
• Wheelbase (mm) 1,080
• Tyre size 20 x 1 3/8
• Weight (kg) 17
• Charge time Approx. 2hrs
• Motor output (W) 240
• Battery type Lithium-ion
• Battery voltage 25.9V/4.0Ah
• Gear system Shimano 8-speed internal gear
• Shift lever Shimano dual control
• Drive train Belt drive

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/lexus-hybrid-bicycle-concept/14938/

Came across this article on the Gas2.0 Blog this morning. It shows what other colleges and universities are doing in the Alternative Fuel Vehicle area. Perhaps our students could get some ideas here.

Source: http://gas2.org/2010/03/29/student-built-car-gets-2487-5-mpg-in-shell-eco-marathon/#more-6387

Student-Built Car Gets 2,487.5 MPG in Shell Eco-Marathon

Written by Nick Chambers

Source: http://gas2.org/2010/03/29/student-built-car-gets-2487-5-mpg-in-shell-eco-marathon/#more-6387

Came across this article on the “GreenCarReports.com” Website. I thought it was rather interesting coming so soon after my last Blog Entry on bamboo bicycles. Maybe bamboo could stand some investigation?

Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043593_biodiesel-bamboo-cabs-philippines-town-turns-taxis-green

Biodiesel Bamboo Cabs: Philippines Town Turns Taxis Green

By John Voelcker Senior Editor March 19th, 2010

March 19th, 2010 It’s not a particularly new story, these days, but hey, it’s also Friday. So we thought we’d revisit one of the more unusual attempts at green cars we’ve seen. This morning, a friend sent us an e-mail with photos of two taxis commissioned by the Philippine town of Tabontabon, in the province of Leyte, whose bodies are made of indigenous bamboo. More than that, they burn biodiesel fuel made from locally available nut oils. The ECO taxis built by Tabontabon Organic Transport Industry [TOTI] come in two sizes: ECO1 seats 20, whereas ECO2 carries eight passengers. Each is said to run for eight hours on a gallon of biodiesel, which in this case is derived from coconut oil. The bamboo-taxi story first surfaced last summer; it’s one of numerous attempts around the world to turn taxis more green. In the States, for instance, many fleets are now using Ford Escape Hybrid taxis, including some that have now been retired after 300,000-plus miles. Tabontabon mayor Rustico Balderian is the inspiration behind the unusual vehicles, which are fully 90 percent bamboo. They provide employment opportunities for local youth, and safer transport for families who otherwise ride four or five together on a single motorcycle. ECO1 is covered in the woven Filipino mat called banig, making it almost as colorful as the Jeepneys in use elsewhere in the Philippines. As the TOTI Eco site expains, though, Jeepneys didn’t work as public transit in Tabontabon. Drivers often waited for a full load of people before starting. In a town of 10,000, that often didn’t happen. Instead, passengers hopped on their motorcycles, known as habal habals. The hope is that locally made vehicles may be less costly, providing cheaper and safer transport for residents. A third vehicle, ECO3, is now under construction, this one with a frame made of bamboo too. [TOTI Eco Via Inhabitat via Fast Company via Autoblog; hat tip: Rick Feibusch]

TOTI bamboo ECO taxis in Tabontabon, Philippines

Enlarge Photo

It’s not a particularly new story, these days, but hey, it’s also Friday. So we thought we’d revisit one of the more unusual attempts at green cars we’ve seen.

This morning, a friend sent us an e-mail with photos of two taxis commissioned by the Philippine town of Tabontabon, in the province of Leyte, whose bodies are made of indigenous bamboo. More than that, they burn biodiesel fuel made from locally available nut oils.

TOTI bamboo ECO1 20-passenger taxi in Tabontabon, PhilippinesGallery

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The ECO taxis built by Tabontabon Organic Transport Industry [TOTI] come in two sizes: ECO1 seats 20, whereas ECO2 carries eight passengers. Each is said to run for eight hours on a gallon of biodiesel, which in this case is derived from coconut oil.

The bamboo-taxi story first surfaced last summer; it’s one of numerous attempts around the world to turn taxis more green. In the States, for instance, many fleets are now using Ford Escape Hybrid taxis, including some that have now been retired after 300,000-plus miles.

Tabontabon mayor Rustico Balderian is the inspiration behind the unusual vehicles, which are fully 90 percent bamboo. They provide employment opportunities for local youth, and safer transport for families who otherwise ride four or five together on a single motorcycle.

ECO1 is covered in the woven Filipino mat called banig, making it almost as colorful as the Jeepneys in use elsewhere in the Philippines.

As the TOTI Eco site expains, though, Jeepneys didn’t work as public transit in Tabontabon. Drivers often waited for a full load of people before starting. In a town of 10,000, that often didn’t happen. Instead, passengers hopped on their motorcycles, known as habal habals.

The hope is that locally made vehicles may be less costly, providing cheaper and safer transport for residents. A third vehicle, ECO3, is now under construction, this one with a frame made of bamboo too.

[TOTI Eco Via Inhabitat via Fast Company via Autoblog; hat tip: Rick Feibusch]

Source: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1043593_biodiesel-bamboo-cabs-philippines-town-turns-taxis-green

Here’s an article that appeared in our local newspaper, the Daily News-Record, today 11/20/09. Three high school students at a local high school, Eastern Mennonite High School, are converting a Mazda pickup to electric power.  It looks like they have a good project going there.

Source: http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=42535&CHID=1 a subscription may be required

Pickup Gets A Makeover Posted 2009-11-20

EMHS Students Turning Clunker Into All-Electric Marvel

By Jenny Jones

Stuart Bell (left) and Ashton Pease, seniors at Eastern Mennonite High School, paint the brackets Tuesday that will hold the batteries for the 1986 Mazda pickup they are converting into an electric vehicle. Photos by Pete Marovich MORE PHOTOS HARRISONBURG - A group of students at Eastern Mennonite High School is getting charged up, literally. Three senior students are turning a beat-up 1986 Mazda pickup truck into a modern marvel, swapping its fuel-powered internal combustion engine with an electric-powered motor. The students - Drew Veenis, Ashton Pease and Stuart Bell - are working under the direction of technology teacher Dennis Brubaker. They say they took on the task to learn new skills and show others that electric vehicles aren’t just science fiction. “I just really think it’s important …  that we start looking at ways to move away from fossil fuels,” said Veenis, 18. “Electric cars are definitely one of those ways.” A Little Community Help The idea for the project came after someone offered to donate an electric car to the school. While EMHS passed up the offer, the students and Brubaker began talking about how neat it would be to build their own electric vehicle. The guys started out by doing Internet research about what it would take to construct such a vehicle. Then, they began looking for a cheap ride. They found the Mazda in Staunton for $300. It had a thrown piston and a bit of rust, but that didn’t matter because the students wouldn’t need the engine and they planned to rework the body to make it more lightweight. From there, the students started contacting area businesses for donations. They need $2,400 for the 12 batteries it will take to power the vehicle, alone. Several companies have pledged materials and funds, including one that will donate environmentally friendly water-based paint for the exterior finish. “It’s become a big community kind of project,” Brubaker said. A School Showpiece For more than a month, the guys have worked on the truck practically every day. They’ve removed the old engine, taken off the bed and stripped the interior. And soon, they’ll drop a 150-pound electric engine under the hood. The batteries to power the engine will be secured to a bracket under the truck’s bed, which was shortened a foot to take weight off the truck. The vehicle will be 100 percent electric, Brubaker said. Once all the mechanical elements are in place, the guys will put an old-style flatbed on the truck, using wood Brubaker salvaged from his deck. They hope to enlist help to paint lightning bolts and possibly flames on the truck’s exterior in honor of the school’s mascot. They also dream of attaching solar panels to the truck, which would help provide additional energy to the engine. “There’s just lots of ideas going around,” Pease said. “Not a lot of people get a chance to build a car, let alone an electric car. … [It's] awesome.” When the truck is finished, it will likely be used to run errands for the school and, perhaps, be displayed at fairs and such to showcase the students’ work, Brubaker said. Paul Leaman, the school’s principal, said the project is teaching the students valuable skills, and he would like to see it continue for years to come. “We hope it can become kind of an icon for the school,” he said. Contact Jenny Jones at 574-6286 or jjones@dnronline.com

Source: http://www.dnronline.com/news_details.php?AID=42535&CHID=1 a subscription may be required

This article came across on the “Gas2.0″ blog on October 16. Students at the University of Kansas have produced an interesting hybrid vehicle. They took an old VW Super Beetle and converted it to electric power by replacing the conventional gasoline engine with an electric motor and batteries. (Wow, you’re thinking that’s not really original, is it?) But they went a step further and installed a diesel engine/generator in the front compartment of the VW to charge the batteries. But the students didn’t stop there, either. They designed the system in such a way that an ethanol, fuel cell, or gas turbine engine/generator could be substituted for the diesel setup with minimal alterations. Impressive, don’t you think?

To see this article, go to http://gas2.org/2009/10/16/kansas-students-run-retro-vw-beetle-on-batteries-and-biodiesel/

To view the students report on the project, go to http://groups.ku.edu/~ecohawks/IMECE2009-10247.pdf
(JMU AFV Lab students should take notice of this file and consider it when they report on their own projects.)

Kansas Students Run Retro VW Beetle on Batteries and Biodiesel

Written by Andrew Williams

A group of University of Kansas students have rigged up a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle to run on a mix of biodiesel and battery power.

The team, calling themselves the Ecohawks, claim the quirky hybrid is capable of getting 50 MPG from a series of 10 lead-acid batteries and a biodiesel generator.

Performance-wise, although quite cool looking in a retro kind of way, the car isn’t exactly what you’d call a speedster, topping out as it does at a leisurely 30 mph.

That doesn’t seem to bother team-leader Prof. Chris Depcik though, who told reporters, “We have driven it around and reached approximately 30 mph, but this was more of a proof-of-concept drive without pushing the boundaries. We are currently getting the vehicle into road-ready shape to be driven safely in order to determine these values.” (More pics after the jump).

• » See also: Update: Breakthrough Biodiesel Process Now Running At Commercial Scale
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Depcik says that given the mass availability of Beetle parts, (VW built 21.5 million of them before ceasing production in 2003), the choice of car was a no-brainer and estimates that it will be ready to pass a Kansas state inspection “with flying colors” by May 2010.

This article was on the gas2.org blog this morning. This is quite a project for any group, much less a high school group. Perhaps our AFV Lab group can come up with something like this? Go to http://gas2.org/2009/10/05/teenage-built-diesel-hybrid-does-0-60-in-4-seconds-soon-to-break-100-mpg/ to see the article

Teenage-Built Diesel Hybrid Does 0-60 in 4 Seconds, Soon to Break 100 MPG

Written by Jerry James Stone

Published on October 5th, 2009

2 Comments

Posted in Diesels, Hybrid-electric EVs

Students from West Philadelphia High School have built a diesel-hybrid race car that goes from 0-60 in four seconds. While the car currently gets 60+ mpg, they hope to soon break 100 mpg.

Why? They are competing for $10 million in the Automotive X-Prize .

Called the Hybrid Attack, the car was built by kids from West Philly’s Academy of Automotive and Mechanical Engineering. And if that alone doesn’t make them cool, they are the only high school team competing out of 90 different teams from the U.S. and overseas.

• » See also: Hyundai Enters The Green Auto Market With a Bang | IAA Frankfurt Auto Show
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The students were inspired by the gasoline-electric Prius they saw at the 2003 competition. But their car had to meet the proverbial requirements of a teenager: fast and cool-looking! “The Prius, it’s OK,” said Chris Millsip, a 17-year-old in his third year with the academy. “But it needs to go faster.”

Kids believe they can do anything. And I have to say I believe these kids can. According to Autoblog Green they are a top 10 contender for the prize.

“We didn’t design the car to win but to break the stereotype of what a hybrid car could be,” said Simon Hauger, the academy’s director since its inception in 1998.

In order to make the cut they must get the Hybrid Attack up to 100 mpg, make it road safe and easily mass produced.

In 2002, 2005 and 2006, the team won the Tour de Sol, a competition for alternative vehicles to drive at least 150 miles while getting 100 mpg or better. In fact, in their first attempt they beat out 40 other teams including one from MIT.

“I know we’re going to win,” said 15-year-old student Stefon Gonzalez. “We’ve got a good history of winning competitions and we’ve got the engineering background and the experience.”

Though, this time their competition includes a team from Cornell University, engineers from Ottawa and Silicon Valley, and a group led by an inventor created the voice-recognition software for the BlackBerry.

Stiff competition aside, these kids aren’t just holding their own against the likes of MIT… they are doing what the auto industry can’t (or won’t).

For me, that’s the real win.

Source: http://gas2.org/2009/10/05/teenage-built-diesel-hybrid-does-0-60-in-4-seconds-soon-to-break-100-mpg/

This article came in on the Gas2.0 blog last week. I thought the readers of the JMU AFV Lab Blog would be interested in it. Enjoy.

Go to: http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/ to read the entire article.

Student-Built, Hydrogen Fuel Cell-Powered Boat to Set Sail on Hudson River

Welcome to another episode of “If college students can do it, why can’t the rest of the world figure it out too?”

An enterprising and organized group of undergraduate and graduate students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have fitted an old sail boat with a spiffy set of hydrogen fuel cells and plan to run the boat from Manhattan to upstate New York later this month in a “green power” tour of sorts.

I love it when college students do this kind of stuff. Seriously. If I could have stayed in college forever, I would have. Believe me, I tried.
The group, founded by materials science graduate student William Gathright earlier this year, has taken a 40 year-old, 22 foot sailboat, fixed it up from its formerly decrepit state, fitted it with some compressed hydrogen gas storage tanks, and installed two off-the shelf GenDrive class 3 fuel cell units — each weighing 500 pounds. The fuel cells are on loan from local company, Plug Power.

“We’re high-tech environmentalists,” Said Gathright. “We want to share our vision of a time when people can take a pleasure cruise on their boat, or drive to the store, without leaving a trail of pollution and toxins behind them. We hope to inspire and challenge them to think of ways of making that vision a reality. This project, from beginning to end, has certainly been an exercise in creative problem solving. But you know what? We’re Rensselaer students. Innovating and problem solving is what we do best.”

In a nod to the history of the Hudson River as a source of American ingenuity and problem solving, the boat has been named the New Clermont after one of the world’s first commercial steam boats, Robert Fulton’s Clermont, which roughly followed the same route up the Hudson that the students will be taking on their green tour.

“Just as Robert Fulton wanted to prove to the world that steam was a viable, economical means to power boats and unleash the economic potential of our waterways, we want to open people’s eyes to the viability of hydrogen and fuel cells as a way to power boats, and one day maybe even our cars, trucks, and homes,” said student Leah Rollhaus, who also helps lead the New Clermont Project.

Source: Rensselaer (Via ScienceDaily)

Source: http://gas2.org/2009/09/18/student-built-hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered-boat-to-set-sail-on-hudson-river/

This article was on the “Gas 2.0″ blog yesterday. These students have built a supermileage vehicle with carbon fiber bodywork that gets 1,336 mpg on hydrogen. It only weighs 240 pounds. We have carbon fiber here at the AFV Lab and students last year used it to make body panels for the JMU supermilage vehicle. Our group used an aluminum frame to support the carbon fiber panels. However, the group in this article used a frameless, self supporting, carbon fiber structure for the whole body. The video below shows an overview of the construction of the body and chassis of the car and is very entertaining and instructive. Check it out below or at: http://gas2.org/2009/07/13/students-build-hydrogen-vehicle-that-gets-1336-mpg/.

Source: http://gas2.org/2009/07/13/students-build-hydrogen-vehicle-that-gets-1336-mpg/

Students Build Hydrogen Vehicle That Gets 1,336 MPG

Written by Jerry James Stone

Published on July 13th, 2009

Turkish students at Sakarya University have built a hydrogen car that gets 1,336 mpg. Well, sorta.

Called the SAHİMO, the vehicle’s current range is about 353 miles on a quarter gallon of fuel (568 kilometers on 1 liter). It travels such an obscene distance with so little fuel due to the vehicle’s uber-light weight: it weighs only 240 pounds (110 kilograms). The car’s made up of 90-percent carbon fiber.

I assume the size and weight limit it to holding only a liter of fuel. I couldn’t verify this as their site is in Turkish and mine is a little rusty.

The SAHMO won third most efficient vehicle in Europe’s 26th Shell Eco Marathon. And their next goal is to conquer the inaugural 2009 Global Green Challenge–an evolution of the World Solar Challenge competition in Australia–this October. About twenty electric, hybrid, alternative fuel and low emission production and prototype vehicles will compete in the race.

Melemez, a fourth-year student in the engineering department at Sakarya University, says “We are hoping to raise our record from 568 kilometers on one liter of hydrogen up to a full 1,000 kilometers on one liter, and we believe we can do it. “

Source: http://gas2.org/2009/07/13/students-build-hydrogen-vehicle-that-gets-1336-mpg/