JMU AFV Lab Blog

This article was on the autoguide.com blog this morning. A team of students from the University of British Columbia have converted an old ‘72 VW Beetle to an electric vehicle using lithium iron phosphate batteries and an 3 phase AC induction motor.  They are now in the middle of Canada on a cross Canada trip to demonstrate the capabilities of battery electric vehicles. Below the article is a YouTube video showing details about the car. Check it out.

Source: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/tag/ubc-electric-car-club

Students to Race Across Canada in Electric VW Beetle

On your mark, get set, drive green! A few determined students from the University of British Columbia are aiming to set a record for the fastest coast-to-coast drive across Canada in an electric vehicle. And not just any electric vehicle – they’re making the trek in a homemade electrified classic Volkswagen Beetle.

Their journey began last week as they set off from Vancouver to complete the 4,000-mile journey. Getting them there is the E-Beetle, a 1972 Bug the UBC Electric Car Club converted to run on electricity. Powered by a three-phase AC induction motor that’s hooked up to a lithium iron phosphate battery, the E-Beetle can go about 185 miles when cruising at 60 mph and 340 miles at 30 mph. If involved in a high-speed chase, the car can reach a top speed of around 85 mph. It takes four hours to recharge and it comes equipped four wheel discs with regenerative braking.

It’s a long drive, but these students are prepared. They’ve planned ahead and mapped out places to spend the night and plug in the car. There’s even a team blog you can follow that charts their progress.

[Source: Wired]

Source: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/tag/ubc-electric-car-club

This article was on the gizmag.com website this morning. The team led by Ohio State engineering students designed and built an electric powered vehicle that set a world record average two-way speed of 307.7mph. Shows you what a dedicated group of students can do.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/buckeye-bullet-25-world-land-speed-record/16140/

Buckeye Bullet 2.5 claims battery electric vehicle world land speed record of 307.7mph

The Bullet Buckeye team from Ohio State University has set a world record average two-way speed of 307.7mph (495km/h) with its battery electric Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5. The lithium ion battery powered car eclipsed the previous 245mph (394km/h) world land speed record for battery electric vehicles set in 1999 by White Lightning. The new record was set by the Bullet at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this week, is pending certification by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the worldwide motor sports governing body.

The Bullet was required to make two speed runs, one each in opposite directions and within 60 minutes, in order to be considered for the record. While the record is officially determined by averaging the speed of the two runs in the middle of the 12-mile course, the Bullet exited the flying mile at 320 mph (515km/h).

The team led by Ohio State engineering students had anticipated making further tries at besting its time this week but decided to stop after spending all night trying to replace the vehicle’s broken clutch; too much torque from the motor ripped apart the half-inch steel teeth that connect the motor to the gearbox.

The Bullet 2.5 uses the same body and chassis of the hydrogen fuel cell powered Buckeye Bullet 2, and nearly the same electric traction system, but it is powered by a 600+ kW A123 Systems lithium-ion battery pack that was designed, tested and assembled by the Bullet team and A123 Systems. The team is supported by French electric vehicle manufacturer Venturi Automobiles, the company behind the Fetish and Volage electric sportscars.

The Buckeye Bullet 2, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, set an FIA-certified world record of 302.877mph (487.4km/h) for the fuel cell class in 2009. While the original battery-powered Buckeye Bullet set a national record at 314.9mph (506.7km/h) in 2004, however this record did not meet FIA specifications. That team did, however, set a certified record of 132.129mph (212.6km/h) in 2007.

The Buckeye Bullet 2.5 will provide a test platform for systems including an all new inverter, control system and batteries to be used in the Buckeye Bullet 3.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/buckeye-bullet-25-world-land-speed-record/16140/

A Hand-Cranked Hybrid Car

This article was on the Forbes.com website. It’s quite an interesting idea. Inventor Charles Samuel Greenwood has created a unique “human powered” vehicle that utilizes four people “rowing,” like in a canoe or scull to propel the vehicle. The article goes on to say: “However, Greenwood addresses the times when owners may not have three friends available to help power the vehicle. The HumanCar Imagine PS (power station) is equipped with electric plug-in capabilities so that a single person operating a hand crank can power the vehicle. That makes this a genuine human-electric hybrid. Forget the advanced gasoline-electric hybrids of today; tomorrow’s hybrid is a true muscle car.” Check out the YouTube video and article below, or go to http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/18/hybrid-car-toyota-technology humancar.html?boxes=techchannellighttop to see the article.  This looks like something that could be inspiration for an AFV Lab project.

Melissa Hincha-Ownby, 08.18.10, 06:00 PM EDT

The HumanCar Imagine PS uses hand cranks to generate power.

The next big thing in hybrid vehicles may not come from the likes of Toyota or General Motors. Instead, it may come from Charles Samuel Greenwood. Greenwood has been working on a human-powered vehicle concept for decades, and all of his hard work is coming together in the form of the HumanCar Imagine PS. The vehicle seats four and generates power through a system of hand cranks. Yes, hand cranks.

One might think that a hand-cranked vehicle would be marketable only as a neighborhood vehicle with a limited top speed. However, the HumanCar has surprising potential–a top speed of 30 mph going uphill and 60 mph on a flat surface. All of this can be achieved via human power and nothing else.

However, Greenwood addresses the times when owners may not have three friends available to help power the vehicle. The HumanCar Imagine PS (power station) is equipped with electric plug-in capabilities so that a single person operating a hand crank can power the vehicle. That makes this a genuine human-electric hybrid. Forget the advanced gasoline-electric hybrids of today; tomorrow’s hybrid is a true muscle car.

This zero-emissions vehicle is not only better for the environment; it improves the driver’s health thanks to the workout you get while driving it. The human health aspect was part of Greenwood’s decision to build and ultimately refine this concept.

“It was 1968. Traffic was at a complete standstill, again, on a busy boulevard in what is now known as the Silicon Valley,” Greenwood wrote. “Sitting within their cars were many commuters who were overweight and out of shape, breathing unhealthy exhaust fumes. As a young engineer working at my first job at a research and development laboratory for a major corporation, it seemed intuitively that there must be a better way to move people around than this.”

And with that, the concept for the HumanCar Imagine PS was born. The vehicle is street legal as a low-mass vehicle and is vehicle-to-grid (V2G) compatible. Greenwood plans to bring the vehicle to market next year but is already taking reservations on his website. A $50 fully refundable, no-questions-asked reservation fee will put you on the list for a $15,500 HumanCar Imagine PS.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/18/hybrid-car-toyota-technology-humancar.html?boxes=techchannellighttop

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.