JMU AFV Lab Blog

This article was on the Gizmag blog this morning. KTM has applied for patents on a hybrid dirt bike that has conventional drive to the rear wheel as its other bikes, but adds in-wheel electric motors to both front and rear wheels for, in effect, a hybrid, all wheel drive motorcycle. KTM announced a hydraulic AWD motorcycle earlier, but I like this idea better. After all, wire is lighter than hoses with hydraulic fluid, and with the small, powerful hub mounted motors now being used in electric bikes, an electric motor is probably substantially lighter than a hydraulic motor. However, I am still concerned about the effect of the substantial increase in unsprung weight and its effect on handling. In addition, I would think tires, rims, wheels and bearings would have to be heftier to handle the increased inertia of the motor assembly, further increasing the unsprung to sprung weight ratio with its attendant adverse effect on handling. We’ll wait and see.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/ktm-2wd-hybrid-dirt-bike/10348/
(Be sure to check out the 4 images of the patent application drawings)

KTM 2WD hybrid dirt bike

November 12, 2008 Patents lodged by Austrian Competition Motorcycle Manufacturer KTM indicate that a hybrid 2WD dirt bike is not far away. Common sense dictates that a motorcycle with both wheels driven (2WD) will go around corners faster and with greater surety than one equipped only with the motorcycle’s traditional rear-wheel drive, much the same as 4WD cars offer superior traction to their rear or front wheel drive brethren. A lot of interesting development work has been done over the last decade with YamahaOhlins 2WD system on selected enduro bikes in Europe, Christini developing mechanical AWD (aka 2WD) kits for Honda and KTM dirt bikes and KTM talking publicly about its hydraulic 2WD development. Now it appears KTM is to employ a small electric motor on each wheel to supply additional torque when it’s needed. A recently filed set of patent applications heralds some exciting prospects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle#Dirt_Bike/Trials_Bike offering http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle Honda

Back in 2004, we wrote about KTM’s prototype hydraulic 2WD system which project leader Wolfgang Felber described as having a pre-set torque distribution between the front and rear wheel. He also commented, that although the system was already fairly well developed, it could “definitely be improved upon.”

Having both wheels driven on road, trail or competition two-wheeled machinery offers many advantages. On almost any surface, 2WD offers better traction and stability, but it offers a greater advantage for slippery, wet or loose surfaces, on larger machines and is particularly useful for inexperienced and non-expert riders.

Interestingly, Kurt Nicol of KTM described the 2wd advantages extremely well here, and there’s an excellent account of testing the Yamaha 2wd system on MCNews.com.au – our take is that existing 2WD systems don’t quite offer enough advantage for the expert rider to be worth their additional weight – yet!

The additional weight of a hydraulic system makes it only a marginal advantage for an expert rider, and it’s only a matter of time before a suitable light weight electric motor is available that will offer far more sophisticated, (most likely computer-controlled) power delivery from the front wheel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor

The bike pictured in the patent images has the shape of a desert racer - KTM has dominated desert racing for a decade - a desert racer will also be one of the most obvious beneficiaries of the design as 2WD offers much greater stability and better steering in deep sand. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent

Perhaps most significantly, this is the first time that a motorcycle manufacturer with genuine race credibility has moved into the electric/petrol engine hybrid area and if KTM does bring the 2WD hybrid to market, it will be entirely to gain a competitive advantage. KTM’s ethos is to deliver “ready to race” motorcycles, which guarantees that if it don’t work, it won’t be on its motorcycles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethos

Almost certainly we’ll see a lot more 2WD motorcycles in the next few years as electric motors develop and proliferate to accommodate the growing electric bike industry. One likely technology contributor to the field of 2WD via electrically powered front wheels will be the motor suppliers to the burgeoning electric bicycle industry which demands very lightweight in-wheel motors. Given that the front wheel of a motorcycle with 2WD needs roughly 15 % of total power, the power output needs for the front wheel electric motor are not that great.

Even more intriguing is the use of an electric motor in the rear wheel and the advantages this offers in delivering predicatable, linear torque at low speeds (perfect for KTM’s strength, it’s core dirt bike clientele) as well as the brutal horsepower of KTM’s entire dirt bike range.

Source: http://www.gizmag.com/ktm-2wd-hybrid-dirt-bike/10348/

This article was on the AutoBlogGreen.com blog this morning. It is an interesting application of the technology of individual electric motors in each wheel driven by an ICE powered generator.  I have wondered how long it would take for technology and innovation to develop to the point that this could be done.  After all, practical application of the idea has been around for at least a half century or more.  The diesel electric railroad locomotives that ended the era of the steam engine railroad locomotive utilize the same technology.  A diesel engine drives a generator which in turn drives electric motors in each drive wheel.

Web surfing from this site led me to the “PML Flightlink” site, http://www.pmlflightlink.com/ which, in time, led me to this very interesting site, http://www.pmlflightlink.com/archive/news_mini.html. The Pml Flightlink Ltd company has converted a mini to its system, too, but what makes this particular conversion unique is that it has no friction brakes, but relies strictly upon regenerative braking. Quite interesting, I think.

SEMA 2008 Preview: PML Flightlink to show Ford F-150 PHEV

Posted Oct 25th 2008 at 4:39PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford, SEMA Show

PML Flightlink, makers of the 640-horsepower electric MINI from 2006, is headed to SEMA this year with a new concept vehicle to display. Based on a full-size Ford pickup truck, it would be hard to come up with a platform further from the MINI that the company originally used. Still, the concept F-150 will feature a similar setup to those used on PML’s earlier concepts, including the Volvo ReCharge concept. The motors themselves are a permanent magnet pancake style and are integrated within the wheels. This design could potentially rid the truck of many drivetrain components such as, of course, the engine and transmission as well as the driveshafts and transfer case that would otherwise be necessary for a four-wheel drive truck. Instead of going the full electric route, though, the SEMA-bound F-150 will use a plug-in series hybrid powertrain, so the truck’s on-board battery can be recharged by the stock gasoline engine. We’ll see if we can’t track down more details closer to the truck’s debut.

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/25/sema-2008-preview-pml-flightlink-to-show-ford-f-150-phev/

Came across this article on the AutoBlogGreen.com blog this morning. It’s an interesting concept. The “soleckshaw” driver simply exchanges his spent battery at a solar powered charging station for a freshly recharged battery and then goes on his way. Go to http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/22/solar-powered-rickshaws-to-run-around-the-streets-of-delhi/ for the entry.

Meet the soleckshaw, the solar-powered rickshaws running in Delhi

Posted Oct 22nd 2008 at 4:36PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

The pedal-powered rickshaw is a time-honored method of getting around in many countries where not every citizen has the means to drive a car. Of course, time marches on, and the classic rickshaws are definitely a step or two behind the times. Still, there is a market for zero emission people carriers, especially in developing countries that don’t already have other mass-transit solutions in place. Plus, while it may not seem like everybody’s cup of tea, there are a large number of people that make their living pedaling rickshaws. Enter the soleckshaw, a hybrid human- and solar-powered rickshaw that was recently shown off in Delhi. The project also includes solar charging stations where used-up batteries can be swapped for fresh ones.

The soleckshaw is powered by a 350-Watt, 36-volt brushless DC motor driving the rear wheels through a differential. There’s room for two passengers out back and the vehicle can reach 12 miles per hour or so. The battery is good for about 45 miles of range, which equates to about six hours of service. Each soleckshaw is expected to cost around $450.

[Source: India Press Inormation Bureau via Wired]

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/22/solar-powered-rickshaws-to-run-around-the-streets-of-delhi/

BMW has an entry into the electric car market now, and, as to be expected from BMW, it’s a good one.  0-60 in about 8.5 seconds, top speed of 95 mph, and a range of 150 miles.  Go to http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/10/bmw-group-elect.html#more to see the details.

BMW Group Electric MINI to Debut at LA Auto Show in November

18 October 2008

The MINI E. The zero-emission MINI will sport a plug logo in Interchange Yellow. Click to enlarge.

The BMW Group will introduce its battery-electric MINI E (earlier post) at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. BMW says that it will deploy a fleet of some 500 of the all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic.

The MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a 35 kWh lithium-ion battery pack (28 kWh usable), with a single-stage helical gearbox transferring power to the front wheels. The MINI E’s electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220 Nm (162 lb-ft), with 0 to 100 kph acceleration in 8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 kph (95 mph).The battery pack will support a range of more than 240 km (150 miles).

Based on the current MINI, the car will initially be available as a two-seater. The space taken up by back-seat passengers in the series model has been reserved for the lithium-ion battery pack. The 380V lithium-ion storage unit comprises 5,088 cells grouped into 48 modules. These modules are packaged into three battery elements that are compactly arranged inside the MINI E.

The MINI E’s lithium-ion battery can be plugged into all standard power outlets, with charge time dependent on the voltage and amperage of the electricity flowing through the grid. In the USA, MINI will provide its cusomtres with a fast-charging wallbox. To be installed in the customer’s garage, the wallbox enables higher amperage, and provides a full 28 kWh recharge after 2.5 hours. Based on the car’s range, a kilowatt hour translates into 5.4 miles (185 Wh/mile).

Regenerative braking can extend the car’s range by up to 20%.

The MINI E’s brake system comes with a newly developed electric underpressure pump. Its Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs. Both brake and steering assistance react to driving conditions and are thus extremely efficient. Even the air conditioning’s electrical compressor only operates if desired or necessary.

Weighing in at 1,465 kilograms (3,230 lbs), the MINI E has an even weight distribution. Minor modifications made to the suspension ensure safe handling at all times. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system has been adapted to this model’s specific wheel loads.

The MINI E will initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The possibility of offering the MINI E in Europe as well is currently being considered.

The limited-production MINI E series will be manufactured through the end of 2008 at the company’s Oxford and Munich sites. MINI’s UK plant will be responsible for manufacturing the entire vehicle with the exception of the drive components and the lithium-ion battery, with the brand’s series models rolling off its assembly lines concurrently. The units will then be transferred to a specially equipped manufacturing complex situated on BMW plant premises where the electric motor, battery units, performance electronics and transmission will be integrated.

MINI E customers will join forces with BMW Group experts to assist in the project’s evaluation. The cars will be offered on a one-year lease with an extension option. Monthly lease installments will cover any required technical service including all necessary maintenance and the replacement of wearing parts. At the end of the lease, all of the automobiles belonging to the project will be returned to the BMW Group’s engineering fleet where they will be subjected to comparative tests. Only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E.

MINI will establish a service base on both coasts of the US, staffed by service engineers that are specially trained to perform maintenance and repair work on the MINI E’s electrical components. In the event of drive malfunction, these experts will provide professional support at the customer’s local MINI dealer or the service base’s specially equipped workshop. Technical inspections will take place after 3,000 miles (just under 5,000 kilometers) and at least after six months.

The MINI E has already gone through the major phases of product development for mass-produced vehicles and passed numerous crash tests on the way. Aspects investigated besides passenger protection were the impact of collision forces on the lithium-ion battery and finding a non-hazardous location for it in the car. The MINI E’s energy storage unit emerged completely unscathed from all of the crash tests mandated by US standards.

The BMW Group says that it plans to start series production of all-electric vehicles over the medium-term as part of its Number ONE strategy. The development of innovative concepts for mobility in big-city conurbations within the scope of “project i” has a similar thrust, as its objective also includes making use of an all-electric power train.

Source:  http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/10/bmw-group-elect.html#more

This item was on the Gas2.org blog this morning. Quite an accomplishment, I think. Go to http://gas2.org/2008/10/14/texas-teen-builds-his-own-electric-car-on-10000-budget/ to read more.

Texas Teen Builds His Own Electric Car on $10,000 Budget

Written by Andrew Williams

Published on October 14th, 2008

40 Comments

Posted in Electric Cars (EVs)

This fall, Texas teenager Lucas Laborde will be driving to school in an electric car he built himself. The 17 year old spent last summer converting a conventional gas-powered car to run on batteries. Total cost? Around $10,000.

Luke’s EV is based on a kit car, known as a Bradley GT II, which his father bought on eBay for just $5000 splashing out a further $5700 on electric conversion parts and batteries. The rest was left up to Luke’s ingenuity and technical know-how.

After 150 hours of work, Luke had hooked up eight 80-pound lead-acid batteries in the space left after removing the fuel tank, as well as several other ‘creative locations.’ He finished up with an EV capable of travelling 40 miles between charges, a top speed of 45mph, (more than enough for the local school run), and heaps of low-end torque. As Luke told reporters, “it has a lot of power.”

The car isn’t without a few ‘quirks’ though; the weight of the batteries has caused the fiberglas body to twist slightly, meaning that the gull-wing doors don’t completely close. However, by using his own initiative, and making use of widely available existing components, Luke Laborde has put many global car companies to shame by creating a working, highway-ready EV, in far less time and on a much lower budget.

Image Credit - Steve Striharsky at bradleygt2.com

Source: http://gas2.org/2008/10/14/texas-teen-builds-his-own-electric-car-on-10000-budget/

This item was on the GreenCarCongress.com blog. It introduces a concept for an electric bicycle that has motor and battery inside the hub! A very elegant concept, I think. I do wonder if the motor heat will have an adverse effect on battery life. It uses Lithium Ion batteries, which have a heat problem, anyway. Go to http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/10/mit-bringing-sm.html#more to read more about it. Be sure to read the comments at the bottom of the article, too.

MIT Bringing Smart Biking Project to Copenhagen; Prototype Hybrid Bicycle

12 October 2008

MIT researchers at its SENSEable City Laboratory have unveiled a project in Copenhagen aimed at transforming bicycle use, promoting urban sustainability and building new connections between the city’s cyclists. The project, called SmartBiking, will utilize a novel self-organizing smart-tag system that will allow the city’s residents to exchange basic information and share their relative positioning with each other.

As part of the project, a prototype of a smart bicycle is being developed in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab’s Smart Cities Group. This hybrid bicycle harvests the energy created when braking and releases it while cycling. All hybrid-drive elements, including the battery, are packed in the rear wheel, which becomes a self-contained component that could be retrofitted on most existing bicycles.

A considerable fraction of [Copenhagen’s] energy comes from renewable sources and, unlike a few decades ago, 30 to 40 percent of its citizens use bicycles as their primary method of transportation. So our challenge was, ‘How can we enhance these dynamics of sustainability? And how can we use technology to make them more widespread?’

The smart tags will allow individuals to monitor the distance they travel while cycling as part of a citywide “green mileage” initiative, which is similar to a frequent-flyer program. Ultimately, fine-grained monitoring of urban activities could allow cities such as Copenhagen to enter carbon-trading schemes. Cities could obtain funding for sustainable city services in exchange for their efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions. The impact could be considerable, as cities account for approximately half of the world population, but are responsible for a much larger share of carbon emissions.

Beyond encouraging Copenhagen’s citizens to ride more often, the program aims to help them interact as well. A Facebook application called “I crossed your path” creates a social network for cyclists, allowing them to link up with people they may have ridden past during the day and potentially establish new connections, according to Christine Outram, the principal research assistant on the project.

The project will be implemented citywide in time for the November 2009 UN Climate Change Conference, which Copenhagen will host.

The Smart Biking Project is developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT research group focused on technology and urban planning that is a part of the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, together with the MIT Design Lab. In addition to professors Ratti and Mitchell, the team comprises Assaf Biderman, Francesco Calabrese, Michael Lin, Mauro Martino and Outram.

Among the MIT Smart Cities Group’s projects is the CityCar, a stackable electric two-passenger city vehicle. The CityCar utilizes fully integrated in-wheel electric motors, energy storage integrated in the axle, and suspension systems called “Wheel Robots.” This technology is patented-pending and under design development at the MIT Media Lab.

source: http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008/10/mit-bringing-sm.html#more

I ran across this item in Science Daily this morning. It is an interesting concept. Is there technology to make a circuit that is both charger and inverter, i.e., can use line voltage to charge batteries and then take battery voltage and invert it back to line voltage? I don’t know of any. If not, this concept would be workable only by adding an inverter circuit in parallel with the charger circuit, with attendant control mechanisms, which would add considerably to the purchase price of a PHEV. Go to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172140.htm to read the full article

Scientists Explore Putting Electric Cars On A Two-way Power Street

ScienceDaily (Oct. 12, 2008) — Think of it as the end of cars’ slacker days: No more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by providing power to the electricity grid.

Scientists at the University of Michigan, using a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), are exploring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) that not only use grid electricity to meet their power needs, but return it to the grid, earning money for the owner.

“Cars sit most of the time,” said Jeff Stein, a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “What if it could work for you while it sits there? If you could use a car for something more than just getting to work or going on a family vacation, it would be a whole different way to think about a vehicle, and a whole different way to think about the power grid, too.”

The concept, called vehicle-to-grid (V2G) integration, is part of a larger effort to embrace large-scale changes that are needed to improve the sustainability and resilience of the transportation and electric power infrastructures. If V2G integration succeeds, it will enable the grid to utilize PHEV batteries for storing excess renewable energy from wind and the sun, releasing this energy to grid customers when needed, such as during peak hours.

This will lead to more sustainable transportation and grid infrastructures, and will also increase the resilience of these infrastructures to sharp changes in energy costs, supply, or demand.

The NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation program created a topic for a 2007-2008 call for proposals on resilient and sustainable infrastructures. This topic argues that the nation’s infrastructures over the past century have evolved largely independently but new technologies have emerged that coupled some of these infrastructures. This has created a need for fundamental tools to design and develop these new technologies and to evolve these coupled infrastructures.

Stein and others see the PHEV as a perfect example of such a new technology that in this case is coupling the transportation and power grid infrastructures.

V2G is an opportunity to look at vehicles beyond shaving miles per gallon. A team of experts in mechanical and power systems engineering, economics, and industrial ecology will examine every aspect of a PHEV and how it interacts with the electrical grid.

If PHEVs, which are anticipated to be on the market in 2010, fulfill their promise, millions could be on the road in the decades to come. This potentially will provide unprecedented shared battery storage to the grid and transportation infrastructures, thereby allowing these infrastructures to store renewable energy when available and use it when needed.

Aging electric plants are good at generating power, Stein said, but they face challenges in storing it, and lack ways to buffer against either big surges in demands, or interruptions in supply. Massive storage systems can be costly and problematic.

But, Stein said, think of all the “distributed” storage packed into millions of PHEVs on the road. He and his colleagues envision a world where the electric cars could double as mobile holding tanks for electricity, ready to serve in their down time.

“If we had lots of PHEVs all plugged into the grid, then what seems like an insignificant amount of energy storage becomes a large energy storage,” he said….

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172140.htm

Saw this article on the Autobloggreen blog this morning and thought you may be interested. The 3 wheel “leaning” concept is not new; as the article mentions, Piaggio has had it for quite a while. What fascinates me is the concept of having electric motors/alternators in each front wheel, which charge their battery only from regenerative braking. It has a conventional, but supercharged125cc ICE driving the rear wheel.  Two separate drive systems.  I’m also fascinated by the horizontal spring arrangement of the front suspension.  I’m reserving judgment on this concept, mainly because I wonder what effect it will have on handling when the inside wheel drops in a pothole in a turn and the other wheel makes a sudden move upward, with attendant loss of traction when it is needed most.  I foresee skids in turns as a result.  Back in the late sixties early seventies, a British firm (BMC I think it was) sold a car with “hydraulic suspension.”  It had antifreeze/water filled rubber bags at each wheel, all connected with water lines.  This had a disturbing action that when one wheel dropped in a pothole, it was felt at all four wheels, like all four wheels had hit potholes simultaneously.  It also was prone to total loss of traction when something, like a pothole, disturbed the balance.  In a curve on a wet road , they would “turn end for end” if the driver was a little too aggressive.

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/04/peugeot-unleashes-118-mpg-hymotion3-compressor-concept/

Peugeot unleashes 118 mpg HYmotion3 Compressor Concept

Posted Oct 4th 2008 at 8:03PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Hybrid, MPG, Peugeot, On Two Wheels, Paris Motor Show

We really dig Peugeot’s new HYmotion3 Compressor Concept. It’s got three wheels — two up front and one in back, our preferred arrangement — and a hybrid drivetrain. The two front wheels are independently powered by individual wheel-mounted hub motors and have no connection to the supercharged four-stroke 125cc engine that powers the rear wheel. Regenerative braking is all that provides power to the scooter’s battery pack. Like the Piaggio MP3, the HYmotion3 is a leaning machine. Besides that radical powertrain, the scooter features a full safety cage that encompasses both the driver and passenger. A real windshield sits at the front with a second large sunroof overhead.

The engine shuts down when it’s not needed and the electrically-driven front wheels are capable of powering the machine by themselves. The HYmotion3 is extremely fuel efficient, recording 118 miles per gallon. Could it see production? It’s not beyond the realm of possibility, as the supercharged engine is already sold in other Peugeot scooters and the aforementioned MP3 has proven that the design can be a success on the sales floor. In other words, stay tuned.

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/04/peugeot-unleashes-118-mpg-hymotion3-compressor-concept/

Saw this blog entry this morning and thought it made some interesting points. Check it out at http://gas2.org/2008/09/30/volt-over-tesla-series-and-plug-in-hybrids-more-likely-to-be-game-changers/. Especially scroll down and look at the comments others have already made.

Volt Beats Tesla: Series and Plug-In Hybrids More Likely to be Game Changers
Written by Andrew Gilbertson
Published on September 30th, 2008
9 Comments
Posted in Engines, Hybrid-electric EVs, Plug-in hybrid EVs

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Andrew Gilbertson who is a 2008 graduate of Vermont Law School.
A senior economist at the Argonne National Laboratory has come to an interesting conclusion: vehicles that rely on internal combustion engines are superior to electric vehicles in terms of what consumers would buy and what would save significant fuel.

Even though Tesla is delivering their cars to consumers several years before the Volt hits the show rooms, from the perspective of Dan Santini, you and I are more likely to get our hands on Volt-style vehicles first.

Some of the main obstacles that stand between us and pure EVs were identified at the 1st International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications, sponsored by the Argonne National Laboratory (where Dan Santini works).

First and foremost, the cost of the batteries boost vehicle prices too high for the average consumer. Recharging time, coupled with the lack of a national system of quick-charge stations, would make the vehicle unattractive to most consumers who want the freedom to travel across the country without long stops for recharging.

The Volt, with its series hybrid design, reduces the importance of these two concerns. By relying less on batteries, the cost of the batteries becomes less of a factor, while having a combustion engine that uses an established distribution system as a backup gives the owner the freedom to drive wherever they want.

It seems to me that more car makers should read the writing on the wall and go the series hybrid route (apparently, some are).

Even though series hybrids might not get better mileage right now, it should be obvious that at some point an energy storage technology will be developed that will be cheaper, denser, and cleaner than gas or diesel. When that time comes, the car makers that can simply replace the combustion generators with the new storage technology will be way ahead of the ones who haven’t yet developed a electric drive system.

Saw this interesting article on the autobloggreen blog this morning.  It’s an interesting concept; use solar panels to recharge a vehicle.  The one observation I would like to make is that this concept could not be applied to a daily runner, unless the vehicle driver worked second or third shift, without some kind of energy storage system.  Could this be an extension of the electric scooter project, Peter?

AltCar 2008: Prometheus’ solar-powered electric motorcycle

Posted Sep 29th 2008 at 8:44AM by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Solar, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Santa Monica Alt Car Expo, Green Daily

Jim Corning had an idea. Wouldn’t it be cool if you could put four solar panels on your house, and then be able to power a vehicle with the energy created with them? Corning, who founded Prometheus Solar LLC, didn’t have a vehicle he could powere with sunlight, but he did have a wife with a Ninja 250 that wasn’t getting much use.

Today, Corning has a proof-of-concept electric motorcycle. At the Santa Monica AltCar Expo, Corning was talking with curious visitors all weekend, but was happy to tell AutoblogGreen about the bike. The four panels behind Corning in the picture above offer 800 watts, enough to recharge the bike. During testing, he’s blown up the batteries twice, and those accidents helped him realize the benefits of a more aerodynamic bike. Inspired by Craig Vetter’s fuel efficiency contests of the 1980s, Corning designed the Prometheus research vehicle to be quite slippery (note the front wheel cover and the extended back end to give the air somewhere to go). He also wanted to keep the upright seating of a motorcycle, which influenced the desighn. Currently, the bike uses lithium-ion phosphate batteries from Thundersky that have a 4.6 kWh capacity connected to a 10 HP Perm PMG 132 motor. That means he can go up to 70 mph and has a range of about 50 miles. The bike is not for sale, but there has been no lack of interest, both at the show and on the street. Corning said he had to buy an open face helmet to talk to all of the people who chat him up at stop lights….

Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/09/29/altcar-2008-prometheus-solar-powered-electric-motorcycle/