Goal
Background - Ideology
So what do I envisiage? Well, firstly I decided that an electric car would be the ideal replacement for the petrol driven car.
Jedlik's Electric car - 1828
Initially I was keen on the idea of Hydrogen power. Combine hydrogen and oxygen in a fuel cell and you get electricity (power) and water. Sounds good, right? There are however significant obstacles on the Hydrogen route. Hydrogen storage, getting 'green' hydrogen in the first place to name but two. Ultimately I see hydrogen as being an ideal candidate as a portable fuel source. However as yet, we are nowhere near the point where it is viable altenative. What about battery powered vehicles? We have the Tesla Roadster as an example of how good a battery powered electric car can be. However the Tesla is not attainable by the masses (high cost) and also there is currently no large 'green' source of energy with which to supply these cars. One of the problems that we have with our existing technology and indeed, the same problem is evident with the Tesla, is that most of the energy that is used by the motor is used to overcome the mass of the vehicle itself. The weight of the passenger (often single) is inconsequential in relation to the vehicle weight. No amount of efficiency increases in either the internal combustion engine or the electric car are going to actually reduce our energy consumption as much as if were to reduce the weight of vehicles significantly. The increase in efficiency is crucial if we are looking for a sustainable system. In a hundred years time perhaps a large portion of this continent (Australia) will be harvesting solar energy and providing an abundance of cheap power, however if we have any lesson to learn from from our current predicament then it is that to build a system that is not sustainable NOW is fraught with danger. So, what about the other end of the weight scale? - the bicycle. Human powered - sustainable, non-polluting, efficient, maintainable. But the humble bicycle falls well short in the areas of comfort and speed in comparison to the modern car. So my next thought was - what about an electric bicycle - this addresses (to me) the single biggest problem with the bicycle namely that the motor is underpowered ;) especially noticeable when going up hills. It seems to the poor rider that 90% of his time is taken up fighting hills and headwinds. A simple addition of an electric motor and a battery can help with this. A single solar photovoltaic cell would be sufficient to recharge the batteries and should provide a sustainable source of power for battery recharge. But having been on some longish bike rides, I have come to the conclusion that bicycles are still far too uncomfortable. Discomfort is largely due to riding position. Uncomfortable seats, too much weight on wrists, no upper body support all lead to tiredness and dissatisfaction. One design called a recumbent addresses some of these issues. I have decided at a recumbent cycle such as the Gizmo or KMX a more suitable starting point for the evolution of an electric vehicle project.
Below is an example of what we are looking at as a starting point. This is a modified KMX recumbent. Note the small electric motor near the pedals.
Other similar pictures
As of Dec 2009 I have my own prototype/test/demo up and running - See "The Trike"
Why not develop a full blown electric car like the Tesla, or similar? As alluded to above I see some difficulties in going straight to an end product such as the Tesla that meets all the objectives. An evolutionary path seems logical. I have witnessed the power of the open source model in the development of the Linux operating system. If you are unfamiliar with the story.. Linux started with one person ( Linus Torvalds ) who wanted his own Unix like operating system, and so decided to write his own. The clever thing Linus did was to not keep it to himself but asked others to use and collaborate in its development. Today we see computers all around the world from the most powerful to tiny embedded devices running Linux. This process is what I would like to see with this project.. for at least the plans, drawings, technical data etc needed for actual production.
Initially, most components will be 'off the shelf' but hopefully comply with whatever relevant formal or non-formal standards that exist. If no standard exists then we will need to specify one. The eventual goal is to fully specify all components such as electric motors etc in sufficient detail that they can be manufactured by a 'local' manufacturer. The idea here is that geographically close groups, can arrange their own manufacture. Local manufacture is an important aspect of a sustainable system.
The 'off the shelf components' will be have specifications and data available (links to Manufactures websites sufficient)
Tools
Specifications
2nd Draft
General:Frame:
Brakes:
Carrying capacity:
Max weight of vehicle:
Range:
Cruising speed:
Size:
Batteries:
Geartrain:
Accessories:
Motor:
Controller:
Suspension:
Steering:
Bodywork: