JMU AFV Lab Blog

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/

I just read this article in the Gizmag Emerging Technology e-newsletter I get. I like this idea. It’s one of those “elegant” solutions that make you think: “Why didn’t I think of that!”

It reports on a group in the UK that took a conventional front wheel drive delivery van and installed twin electric motors on the rear axle that are powered by: “…a valve-regulated lead-acid battery rather than the nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or lithium ion (LiIon) technology used in conventional electric vehicles.” They plan to market this as a retrofit kit to install on existing vehicles. This concept could find a market in delivery companies that seldom carry loads that approach the GVWR of the van; delivery companies like florists, parcel services, auto parts jobbers, electrical wholesalers, and the like.

I can even see the possibility of such a project for the AFV Lab. It is doable. It could use a conventional rear drive differential with an electric motor attached to it, like a golf cart or like one of the Vantage vehicles JMU has ordered, or, following this article’s lead, an electric motor at each wheel.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/plug-in-hybrid-retrofit-kit-ice-vehicle/11631/

UK team Develops plug-in hybrid retrofit kit for ICE vehicle

from Automotive (1891 articles)

ADDZEV was developed using a standard Vauxhall Combo van

Image Gallery ( 2 images )

May 8, 2009 Automotive engineering facilities in the UK have joined forces to design a system which allows conventional delivery vans to be cheaply converted to run in a zero-emissions, all-electric mode for urban use. The ADDZEV (affordable add-on zero emissions vehicle) system was developed using a standard Vauxhall Combo van, retaining the existing conventional front-wheel-drive (FWD) system and an adding an electric drive in parallel for the rear wheels. The vehicle can operate with just front wheel drive powered by the internal combustion engine or can turn off the petrol engine and run with rear wheel drive under electric power only.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/plug-in-hybrid-retrofit-kit-ice-vehicle/11631/

AutoBlogGreen has this interesting article about students in India creating an air powered motorcycle.  It appears that they took a small, probably 50cc two cycle motorbike, installed lightweight air tanks on it, and plumbed the air pressure to the engine.  The video below shows the result.  This same concept could be duplicated in our AFV Lab.  We have two smaller fiberglass SCUBA tanks available, as well as bigger, fiberglass CNG tanks that could be used, with some preparation, for such a project.  However, I don’t know about finding a two cycle moped; it would have to be an older model, I’m sure, as I don’t think two cycle motorbikes are currently sold in this country.

While the numbers of this project aren’t that impressive, it is a concept that could benefit from some development. For instance, since operating temperatures would be lower, maybe Teflon compression rings could be used instead of metal rings.  Historically, air motors haven’t been models of efficiency; their main purpose has been their ability to offer maintenance free rotational power in environments that needed such. Efficient use of energy was a secondary consideration.

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/05/09/engineering-students-from-india-create-air-powered-motorcycle/

Engineering students from India create air-powered motorcycle

by Jeremy Korzeniewski on May 9th 2009 at 4:27PM

Just over a year ago, we reported on an air-powered moped that was built using carbon fiber tanks originally intended for firefighting use. Apparently, the idea has occurred to a few other people as well, as a group of engineering students from India have just completed another compressed air-powered motorcycle using a small 100 cc motorcycle as a starting point. Arshdeep Singh, one of the Air Bike’s designers, says:

“Our professors had asked us to create something which nobody has done so far and is also pollution free. Something which is economical and affordable to a common man. So we thought of inventing a bike, which runs on air. There is no combustion in this bike as it does not use any petrol, diesel or anything.”

At this point, the bike isn’t all that practical. Top speed is limited to just 18 kilometers per hour, but the team hopes to improve on the figure in future versions. Want to see and hear it run? Click past the break for a video.

[Source: Green Launches]

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/05/09/engineering-students-from-india-create-air-powered-motorcycle/

All of us here at the Alternative Fuels Vehicle Lab have been watching and waiting for news from the Automotive “X” Prize, that Multimillion Dollar prize contest for vehicles that get more than 100 miles per gallon and are capable of being put into production.  Finally, on April 7 this news item came out.  I highly recommend anybody who has an interest in alternative fuels and supermilage vehicles to check it out, especially the video.

111 Teams Get Green Light to Advance in Multimillion Dollar Competition

PLAYA VISTA, Calif., (April 7, 2009) –The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, a multimillion dollar competition designed to inspire a new generation of viable, super fuel-efficient vehicles, today announced its official list of 111 Registered Teams.

Having passed this first wave of judging, these teams now move one step closer to competing for their share of a $10 million prize purse that will be awarded to teams that win a rigorous long distance stage competition and can exceed 100 MPG equivalent fuel economy (MPGe).

The teams, which collectively represent 136 vehicle entries with 14 different fuel sources, include diverse groups from 25 U.S. states and 11 countries. Established automakers, emerging start-ups, universities and inventors are among those represented. Six of the Registered Teams remain confidential….

Go to http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/news-events/press-release/111-teams-get-green-light-to-advance-in-multimillion-dollar-competition for the article

Peter Denbigh sent me the article below:

250th Delivery

These two items from gizmag and AutoblogGreen came to my attention recently.

The first, immediately below, from gizmag, introduces a novel system for an electric bicycle that uses both a hub mounted motor and a separate hub mounted battery on the other wheel.  This struck me as quite an interesting idea.  Having never ridden an electric bicycle of any kind, I can only speak from what I suppose to be the case.  With that caveat, I have always thought that the battery pack on any electric bicycle I have seen heretofore was mounted much too high for stability.  It seemed to me they were all mounted up on the top frame tube or on the down tube coming down from the fork bearing tube.  Of necessity, they had to be high so not to interfere with the riders legs when pedaling.  Having the battery mounted in the hub would seem to me to make for a lower center of gravity and, thus, a more stable bike.  Having the probable weight distribution close to 50/50 would have to make for a better handling bike, too.

Even though it’s dated earlier, the second item, from AutoblogGreen, initially fascinated me, as it combines motor, battery, control system, and charger in one hub.  It also adds a Bluetooth wireless throttle control, too.  Talk about state of the art, this concept has all the bells and whistles.  Then I started really analyzing it and I kind of lost my initial enthusiasm.  I can’t help but think that all that weight biased to one end or the other would negatively affect handling.  I also can’t see how they are going to get a big enough battery in that hub to deliver the performance they claim.  I suppose the bluetooth solves the problem of wiring a control on the handlebar to the wheel, but I can’t help but think it’s overkill.  It appears to me to be a solution in search of a problem.

Sources:  http://www.gizmag.com/e-electric-bicycle-electric-motion/11059/ and http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/19/mit-greenwheel-simply-an-electric-bicycle-revolution/

February 23, 2009 With the increasing popularity of the electrically assisted pushbike we are starting to see some innovative designs hit the market. While hub motors are the number one solution for mounting the electric motor within a bike frame, either in the front or rear wheel, mounting the battery pack and motor drive electronics has remained a challenge when taking into consideration practically and aesthetics. The folks at Electric Motion Systems think they have the answer with a combination of a 750 watt rear wheel mounted hub motor with built-in motor drive electronics paired with a battery pack mounted in the front wheel hub.

e-electric bicycle

The E+ Electric Bike is available in six styles of bike that are all a variation on a hard-tail mountain bike. The E+ comes standard with a 750 watt BLDC rear hub motor but there is a high torque 85 Nm 1kw hub motor as an upgrade option. Both hub motors have built in inverters so there’s one less box to find mounting space on the bike frame for. The front hub mounted battery pack is something we’ve never seen before on an e-bike. The internal layout is very similar to a hub motor with the stationary inner structure (called the stator) attached to the axle while the outer housing is attached to the rim via spokes and rotates as part of the wheel. Thirty NiMH battery cells are arranged in six groups of five cells arranged in a polygon layout parallel to the axle and mounted on the stator. The battery pack puts out 36 volts at 9 amp hour giving a battery capacity of 324 watt hour. (0.324kw/hr). No electric only range is quoted as this is very dependent on terrain, how much you pedal and the amount of regeneration possible but each battery charge should give between 20 and 40 miles (32 – 64 km). A full charge from a 110v wall socket will take four to six hours and cost about $0.03.

The E+ has a handlbar mounted LCD display where the rider can select 19 different cycling modes that range from full electric to pedal only modes. One of the E+ modes offers to let you set the cycling mode for increased resistance to give you a greater workout even if there are no hills in sight. While this could well be a useful feature, it also highlights one of the side effects of BLDC hub motors - they do not freewheel. Because a BLDC hub motor contains permanent magnets even when no power is applied there is still magnetic attraction between the magnets and the poles on the stator meaning there is always cogging resistance. The company says this should only be a problem with a flat battery on extended flat surface riding, as with any kind of undulation the motor will regenerate on the down hills just enough to provide power assistance up the next hill.

The LCD-display also shows speed, distance traveled, battery capacity, cruise control option, and 19 cycling modes. It also displays trip-specific data such as distance of trip, duration, and average speeds. Pocket-sized and removable for safe and easy storage, when the display is removed, the battery is disabled and the motor is put into full resistance mode, making pedaling virtually impossible. This unit has backlighting (0-100%) and automatically adjusts the contrast of display depending on outdoor conditions.

The Electric Motion Systems E+ Cruiser and E+ Mountain Bike cost USD$3,495.

One definition of the word elegant is “to be gracefully concise and simple.” In the future, the dictionary just might include the GreenWheel as a product that illustrates this principle perfectly. From the MIT Smartcities team that gave us the stackable cars concept and the RoboScooter (still a go), comes a wheel that can turn an ordinary bicycle into a very desirable electric one in an easy, cost effective manner. Enclosing a motor, A123 Systems batteries and a generator into a small aluminum pancake hub, the GreenWheel can give you up to 25 miles of propulsion, or much more if you don’t mind pedaling. Unlike conversions kits from the past, it forgoes running wires the length of your bike by incorporating the magic of bluetooth to control the twist-throttle.

Over a dozen different configurations of the GreenWheel are scheduled to be tried and tested by a variety of cyclists this spring. Once the the team analyzes their feedback, an ultimate configuration of power, speed and cost will be settled on and mass production will get under way. With an estimated cost of “several hundred dollars,” they better plan on making a lot of them since not only are they a wonderful “solution” for several cities and ridesharing programs already showing interest, but in a world-economy that can’t afford to buy cars the way they used to, the GreenWheel should have a bright future.

[Source: MSNBC]

I ran across this item on the Autobloggreen.com website today. The picture doesn’t really correspond to the title’s promise, as the four seat, wheelchair accessible version would be the one most likely to use Handicapped Parking. However, it uses diesel power in a Plug In Hybrid Electric Vehicle. Diesel makes more sense in a PHEV, to my way of thinking. When you consider all the single speed stationary pumps and generators out there that are diesel powered and have already proven their efficiency and durability, it is evident that diesel would be a logical choice for recharging batteries in a PHEV. After all, there are thousands of diesel powered semitrailer refrigeration units like ThermoKing or TransiCold out there plugging merrily along for years in applications and environments that make a PHEV look like a garden party. And all of the modern diesel emissions controls like regenerative particulate filters and high pressure common rail fuel injection systems make the “stinking, smoking old diesel” a thing of the past. Diesel seems like the ideal ICE solution for a PHEV. Go to http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/01/whats-green-three-wheeled-and-can-park-by-the-blue-signs/ to see the original post and comments. Also, go to http://www.biotrike.com/ for the home page of the Bio-Trike.

What’s green, three-wheeled and can park by the blue signs?

by Sebastian Blanco on Feb 1st 2009 at 9:24AM

Using fewer resources to get around isn’t limited to any particular group of people. Heck, there are more 43 percent electric wheelchairs in the U.S. than electric vehicles (this statistic brought to you by the Department of Made Up statistics, but I hope my point is clear). If you often travel in a wheelchair but like the idea of an aerodynamic, biofuelled ride for your longer trips, check out the BioTrike-B3XH. Sure, all of the standard add-on equipment that helps the differently-abled (is that the right term these days?) drive an SUV would work just as well on the Volt or the Focus EV, but the BioTrike (the four-seat version, anyway) has been designed from the ground up to be accessible to people who use a wheelchair or are in other ways physically handicapped.

The BioTrike is a tadpole-style three-wheeled plug-in hybrid vehicle that burns diesel (or biodiesel, natch) in a Caterpillar-sourced engine. The builders claim that the range with a full tank and a full charge is somewhere between 700 and 900 miles. They don’t give a lot of details on the powertrain, but do say that the BioTrike has a 50-mile electric-only range. Prices start at $23,999 for the two-seat version and rise to $35,999 for the four-seat, wheelchair-ready version. Options extra.

Source:  http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/02/01/whats-green-three-wheeled-and-can-park-by-the-blue-signs/