Dr Automotive Design and Tools

Remember that time Top Gear gave the Tesla Roadster such a thrashing it broke, except it really didn't break? Tesla does, and it's now filed suit against the BBC and Top Gear accusing the Beeb of defamation.

The test from the episode aired in December, 2008 involved a race between the Tesla Roadster and the gas-powered Lotus Elise it's based on. The show featured Jeremy Clarkson saying the Tesla ran out of charge at 55 miles, with footage of it being pushed around a garage, ending with Clarkson saying "It's just a shame that in the real world it doesn't seem to work."

Shortly after it aired, Tesla said the Roadster never lost its charge, never needed to be pushed and asked Top Gear for some kind of retraction. After some sparring, the BBC admitted the footage of the push-powered Roadster was meant to show what could happen, saying the show fairly represented how the Tesla performed during tests.

With that episode still playing in repeats, available on DVD and now on Netflix streaming in the United States, Tesla says it was forced to act: "The BBC's conduct has given us no choice but to sue them and clear up their lies."

A BBC spokesman said: ‘We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC.’


Mail Online

Red Bull are thought to have a mini-Kers system they use only at the race start. This allows them to defend their position at the start without some of the disadvantages of a full KERS system.

A fully optimised KERS provides an average performance boost of 0.3 seconds a lap by harvesting energy that would have been wasted during braking, storing it in batteries and then reapplying it during acceleration.

But the system's power is limited by the regulations and the heavy batteries and other parts create packaging and weight distribution problems. Equally, as the system relies on the rear wheels to provide its charge, it can increase tyre wear in races because it unsettles the handling of the car.

That is a potentially key advantage in a year when the new Pirelli tyres have been designed to degrade more quickly than the Bridgestones F1 used in the last few years.

Because of this, some teams believe a car can be made to perform faster without Kers.
Rivals teams believe Red Bull have built a Kers system with a smaller battery which is charged before the race, discharged only once at the start and not used again. The system would still need a fairly large battery to deliver the high current needed but weight could be saved because the parts needed to charge the battery during the race would not be required.

What is not clear is whether this was Red Bull's design from the start or whether they were forced to go down this route because they could not get the full system reliable enough for a race. In theory, taking this approach means the car can be made faster over one lap while ensuring they are not easily passed by those of Kers-equipped rivals close behind. Red Bull would then rely on the inherent pace of their car to keep them clear of the threat of being passed in the race.

However, there is a major risk with Red Bull's approach. If they do find themselves under threat from a Kers-equipped car in a race, Vettel and team-mate Mark Webber would be virtually defenceless.

Team principal Christian Horner would not confirm or deny the presence of the system.
But he said: "All I will tell you is our system is not the same as others' but it's at its most beneficial at the start." Vettel said after qualifying that he had not been using his Kers during the session. Webber added: "We didn't run it today for reasons we will keep in the team."

Rivals were stunned by the pace of the Red Bulls in Australia after pre-season testing had appeared to suggest that they and Ferrari would be evenly matched. Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso, who qualified fifth, said he believed the Italian team had failed to extract the full potential of their car on Saturday.

A leading engineer from another team said he thought it "very likely" that Red Bull had such a system as his team were working on a similar idea themselves.

UPDATE: Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed after Sebastian Vettel's season-opening victory in Melbourne that the team did not have KERS on its RB7s from Saturday onwards. "We haven't had KERS on at all this weekend," said Horner.

"We didn't want to tell anybody, but looking at the start ... It didn't look like we needed it. We were a bit nervous about telling everybody before the race. We ran it on Friday and we weren't happy with the reliability, we felt it was a potential risk, so we took it off both cars and didn't race it at all this weekend."

Robert Llewellyn takes an exclusive first ride in the Delta E4 coupe electric car with technical director Nick Carpenter

The Chevy Volt is completely at home barreling down a race track - in EV mode. The track is Laguna Seca.

The Elektra One EV aircraft performed the first flight on 19 Mar. 2011 at the Augsburg Airport in Germany. Jon Karkow, an well known test pilot and aircraft engineer performed the first flight. Flight characteristics and engne parameter were tested.

The ultra lightweight aircraft weighs just 220 pounds, plus an additional 220 pound battery pack. With a 660 pound weight capacity, there is ample room for a more than just the pilot.

The test pilot was very satisfied with the results. Three flights were performed. The climbing rate was 400 ft/min. A new 30 min. flight was performed on 23 Mar. Only about 3kW from the total on board of 6kWh energy was used.

Over the next two weeks a new variable pitch propeller and retractable landing gear will be installed for further testing.

Ford’s forthcoming electric Focus will be sold in the same way as a conventional car, meaning its battery pack will be included as standard.

Ford’s UK managing director Nigel Sharp said the company would not consider leasing the Focus’s lithium-ion battery pack separately to sale: “We’re waiting to see how the market reacts to other electric cars, but we are sure leasing batteries is not the way to go, even if it would bring the initial price down," he said. "The Focus must be sold as a conventional car would be."

The electric Focus is the flagship of its five-strong fleet of alternatively fuelled cars and a significant all-electric rival to the Nissan Leaf, which also has the battery pack included in its purchase price.

The Focus’s electric motor is powered by a 28kWh lithium ion battery, giving a top speed of 84mph. A standard full recharge from a 240V outlet will take three to four hours — half the time of the Nissan Leaf — and Ford is targeting a range of 100 miles.

Ford Motor Company and Azure Dynamics announce that Norwegian Post becomes the first European customer of the Ford Transit Connect Electric with order of 20 units

The all-electric, zero-emission Ford Transit Connect Electric van has a targeted range of up to 130km (80 miles) per full charge, and is ideal for fleet owners with well-defined routes

Transit Connect Electric is the first of five new electrified vehicles Ford is bringing to market in Europe by 2013, including the Ford Focus Electric debuting next year

Ford and Azure Dynamics Corporation have confirmed their first European customer for the zero-emission Ford Transit Connect Electric van. Norwegian Post today signed a contract to purchase 20 Transit Connect Electric vehicles, with an option to order more vehicles in the future. Norwegian Post is the largest provider of mail and logistics servicesand the biggest employer in Norway.

"The Norwegian Post will be an environmental leader in the mail and logistics industry by taking advantage of the latest technology available," said Dag Mejdell, CEO, Norwegian Post. "In signing a contract for delivery of the new Ford Transit Connect Electric, the Norwegian Post is taking an important step towards its goal of reducing 150.000 tonnes of CO2 annually."

Ford and Azure are introducing the Transit Connect Electric in summer 2011, as increasing numbers of fleet operators are demanding the benefits of efficient, clean alternative power for their vehicles.

With 28kWh of power to call on, Transit Connect Electric has a top speed of 120km/h (75mph) and a range of up to 130 km (80 miles) on a full charge.

"Transit Connect Electric was designed and engineered with customers like Norwegian Post in mind," said Scott Harrison, Azure CEO. "The ForceDrive(TM) powertrain excels under the types of urban driving conditions that the Transit Connect Electric is likely to encounter during postal delivery routes. We're honoured to have Norwegian Post as our inaugural customer in Europe and are eager to help them achieve theenvironmental, operational and performance goals that they seek."

Ford's Global Electric vehicle plan

The Ford Transit Connect Electric - Ford's first all-electric vehicle in Europe - is the first of five electrified vehicles that Ford plans to launch in Europe by 2013. Next comes the Ford Focus Electric in 2012, followed by the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, as well as another hybrid electric model in 2013.

"By providing a variety of electrified vehicles, we are making it easier for our customers to embrace this fuel-saving technology," said Thormod Skofsrud, managing director, Ford Norway. "This strategy is true to our heritage of making innovative technology available to as many people as possible and to our vision of developing great products."

Practical and affordable

Transit Connect Electric will offer European operators the opportunity to eliminate petrol bills in their small vans and help to lower overall maintenance and running costs.

Ford's Transit Connect commercial platform is an ideal choice for battery electric power thanks to its unique combination of car-like driving dynamics, generous cargo capacity, easy accessibility and low operation costs.

With a cargo volume 3.8 m3 and a payload of 500 kg, Transit Connect Electric will particularly appeal to operators who travel predictable, short-range routes with frequent stop and go driving. Transit Connect Electric can be recharged using standard European 220/240-volt outlets in approximately eight hours. Commercial van users generally return to a central location at the end of a driving cycle perfect for recharging over night.

Zero emissions

The Transit Connect Electric is a pure electric-powered version of the award-winning, long-wheelbase Transit Connect light commercial vehicle. Azure's proprietary Force Drive(TM) powertrain uses an advanced lithium ion battery pack designed by Johnson Controls-Saft to power the vehicle that produces zero tailpipe emissions.

Azure's ForceDrive(TM) powertrain has previously been deployed in more than 40 vehicle integrations and has more than 35 million miles of on-the-road experience.

Tried and tested

The Transit Connect Electric goes on sale in European markets this summer following its successful launch in North America in December 2010.

'Glider' units - complete vehicles except for the powertrain - are shipped from the Ford Otosan manufacturing facility in Kocaeli, Turkey, directly to an Azure-contracted up-fitter for final assembly. The completed Transit Connect Electric vehicles are then sold by Azure Dynamics through a specially-created network of dealerships. The European Transit Connect Electric will be badged with both the Ford Blue Oval and Azure's Force Drive logo.

Transit Connect Electric builds on an existing relationship between Ford and Azure and battery supplier Johnson Controls-Saft.

"Transit Connect Electric exemplifies how we are leveraging our relationships as well as our hybrid and advanced powertrain programs to bring energy-efficient technologies from the laboratory to the street," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford group vice president, Global Product Development. "Not only is this an ideal vehicle for eco-conscious fleet operators, it is an important part of Ford's future."

Transit Connect Electric Technical data

Body

'Glider' assembly at Ford Otosan plant in Kocaeli, Turkey

Final assembly by Azure Dynamics Corporation

Propulsion architecture

Siemens AC induction motor, Azure Dynamics inverter

Borg-Warner transaxle, Johnson Controls-Saft battery pack

System voltage range 260V - 380V

Electric drive system

Motor Siemens model 135, 3-phase AC induction motor, 300V nominal, liquid-cooled

Torque 158 Nm (continuous) / 235 Nm (peak)

Transmission Borg-Warner 31-03, single-speed

Gear ratio 8.28:1

IEC 62196 type 1

Battery

Johnson Controls-Saft lithium-ion pack

Capacity 28 kWh, 16 modules / (192 cells)

Voltage range 215V - 390V / charger - 3.3 kW

Weights and capacities

Maximum payload 500 kg

Curb weight 1791 kg (est.)

Cargo volume 3.8 m3

Performance

Driving range up to 130 km (80 miles) per full charge

Charge time of around 8 hours for full cycle using 230 V

Top speed 120 km/h (75 mph)

Acceleration 0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 12 seconds (based on kerb weight)

0-100 km/h (0-60 mph) in 15 seconds (based on gross vehicle weight rating)

For the latest episode of GigaOM TV’s Green Overdrive Show Katie Fehrenbacher takes a look behind the scenes of the Alpha program for Tesla’s next-generation all-electric car the Model S.

Tesla has built 20 Alpha (prototype) Model S’s that it’s using to test out various features like safety, durability, electronics and steering capability.

Katie a look at some of the Model S design features and interview Tesla Model S Program Director Jerome Guillen, who has been driving the Model S Alphas to and from work.

The first electric vehicle to launch under the new BMW i sub-brand was once again spied during cold weather testing. BMW i3 will make its official debut in 2013, but a concept version is expected to be unveiled later this year.

At launch, Megacity will be offered in a two-door, four-seat configuration. The car will measure around 157 inches. In the future, the MCV sub-brand will include two additional models.
First one due in 2015 and dubbed ICV, short Intracity Vehicle, will be a two-door, two-seat car. In 2017, UCV – Urban Commuter Vehicle -will extend the length of the initial MCV and has four doors while hosting five people.

BMW Megacity is powered by a lithium-ion battery with 35 kWh of capacity placed below the vehicle’s floor. Rear-wheels approach remains in BMW’s philosophy and the power is sent to the rear wheels through a rear-mounted 150-hp electric motor. Driving range is expected to top at 100 miles and top speed at 95 mph.

The price of the i3 is not yet decided, but BMW sources mentioned in the past that the i3 will be above 40,000 euros in Europe.

BMW also said is looking at different channels to put these cars on the street, one of them is the Zipcar-like approach, a car sharing process more and more popular around the world.

Mark Webber explains the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) and Drag Reductions System (adjustable rear wing) that will be used in F1 this year.

The Tango EV has been around for a few years now but this is the first time we’ve seen an in-depth review of the car. Automotive technology website, Translogic, has just provided a full review of the car including insightful interviews with its creator, Rick Woodbury.

Unlike the G-Wizz, another small and very skinny electric vehicle, the Tango provides ample power with more-than-adequate acceleration. In fact, the Tango EV is able to achieve 0-100km/h in just four seconds (3.8 seconds for 0-60mph/97kph) and has previously run a quarter mile of 12.8 seconds – similar to a Tesla Roadster.

Take a look at the video above for more interesting details on how the Tango was developed, and a quick road test.

Robert Llewellyn drives the new Lexus CT200h, the first compact hybrid car from Lexus.

Ben Short isn’t complaining about the rising price of gasoline. In fact, the Chevrolet Volt owner from Rochester, N.Y., doesn’t pay attention to the rising prices since he’s only used about a half a tank of gas in the last three weeks.

Short is an early Volt purchaser whose idea of an electric car with extended range is that it is an electric car first and foremost. Like the typical Volt driver, Short counts on the Volt’s 16 kWh lithium-ion battery to take him about 35 miles between charges. Interviewed recently by WHAM-TV, Short said he remembered gas was “floating just above $3 a gallon” when he last bought it.

If he gets really good at going without gas, Short will find his Volt telling him the engine generator needs to start every so often, while the Volt’s specially engineered fuel tank makes sure the gas inside stays fresh.

“Gasoline readily evaporates at normal ambient temperatures and it also degrades over time from oxygenation and condensation, “said Jon Stec, fuel system integration engineer for the Volt. In order to ensure that the gasoline in the tank doesn’t hurt the Volt’s performance or emissions when it is needed, engineers pressure sealed the 9.3 gallon steel fuel tank to contain the gasoline vapors.

“Using a sealed tank limits this evaporation when the engine is off,” Stec said.

For the last several decades, new vehicles have been equipped with charcoal canisters to trap evaporating gasoline and then feed it back to the engine. Since the Volt’s engine may not fire up for extended periods, hydrocarbons potentially could build up in the canister, so the sealed tank contains the vapor. The extra pressure meant that a lightweight steel tank had to replace the lightweight plastic tanks used in most modern vehicles.

Volt engineers and supplier Spectra Premium Inc. developed the tank from 1.4 millimeter thick hot-dip tin-zinc coated steel to resist corrosion from both inside and outside. Despite the strength of the tank, it has a mechanical pressure relief valve that begins opening at 3.5 psi and a vacuum relief that opens at -2.3 psi, levels that are rarely exceeded.

Even with a tank that resists fuel vapors escaping or humidity getting in, the gas inside still needs to be used up and replenished periodically. That’s where the Volt’s “maintenance mode” comes in. If the engine hasn’t started after six weeks, the powertrain controller sends a message to the driver telling him the engine needs to run for maintenance.

Volt drivers can defer the engine maintenance mode for up to 24 hours, after which the engine will run for a while on its own to use up some of the gas and keep the internals lubricated and ready for use. If a driver manages to go a full year between fill-ups, the fuel maintenance mode will run the engine until the old gas is used up or the driver adds fresh fuel.

“For the driver who starts the year with a full tank of 9.3 gallons and runs 15,000 miles on electricity, the maintenance mode will use just enough gas to average a very respectable 1,613 miles per gallon,” Stec said.

Robert Llewellyn films a frantic day at the Geneva Motor show, more electric cars than you can poke a stick at.

The Rupert Murdoch owned Wall Street Journal off shoot Barron's recently assigned female reporter Naureen Malik to test drive the Nissan Leaf with a brief to go for maximum tabloid sensationalism.

Despite the in-car systems verbally nagging this woman for 20 miles to either drive slower (i.e not as filmed in the left lane driving at 65 mph) or charge the vehicle, this inept reporter just continued to drive until the over dramatic grand standing finale of a flat bed truck needing to be called to remove the all-electric Leaf from the middle of the road, hood up, hazards flashing.

This feat was achieved in the very district that gave birth to the era of electricity with Thomas Edison's Pearl Street Station, where the density of electrical power outlets per square mile would possibly out rank any other area on earth.

According to this reporter, it was all Google's fault (a dig at a regular Murdoch adversary) as Google maps allegedly underestimated the length of the trip and failed to list 'about a dozen' potential charging stations en-route.

This is the sort of quality 'journalism' we have come to expect from any 'news' source owned by the king of the tabloids, News Ltd.

The Wind Explorer, a 200kg hub motor powered Quadricycle, arrived in Sydney after travelling more than 5000km across Australia from Perth, via Adelaide and Melbourne, at a cost of just $16.

The car is a prototype built by Dirk Gion and Stefan Simmerer over about six months in Germany and is powered by an 8 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is charged overnight through a mobile wind turbine.

"We wanted to prove how good the technology is," Mr Gion said in Sydney.

"There are a lot of sceptical people and we wanted to show them how efficient you can make it."

The carbon emissions-free Wind Explorer is a very compact, low to the ground pod-shaped car that would be dwarfed in size by any ordinary car.

It's also extremely light - free of passengers it weighs about 200kg, against the average car which weights about a tonne.

During their journey across Australia, which took about three weeks, Mr Gion and Mr Simmerer attracted many curious onlookers.

"Once we explained the technology behind the car and people had a look inside for themselves, everybody liked the idea," said Mr Gion.

"People are ready for this technology. They want to have it and use it." The prototype Wind Explorer has only been seriously tested in Australia so far. But Mr Gion is confident that a "wind powered" car will one day be offered to the public.

"I think in 20 years down the road, it will be completely different," he said.

"There will be so many electric cars in the cities that we will walk through the cities with no noise and no pollution and I think that is good."

The 'car' is fitted with a single 1 kw hub motor powering one rear wheel. It is constructed using carbon fiber sandwich technology, uses low friction tires and is design for minimal aero drag. The chassis without battery pack weighs in at just 90kg. The battery pack itself also weighs 90kg.

Average power consumption was just 2.0 KW/h for 100 km which equals 20 wh/km or 32 wh/mile. For reference a Chevy Volt consumes approx 250 wh/mi in EV mode.

The new 200 MPH E5 bullet train goes into service in Japan today.

Test runs of the E5 Shinkansen bullet train begin in July 2009 ahead of its debut. The 10-car train will be initially operated at a top speed of 300 kph, and will be raised to 320 kph by the end of March 2013. The company plans to produce 59 of the E5 trains by the end of fiscal 2015.

The E5 runs the same distributed electric motor layout as used in all Bullet trains to date, where each carriage has between three and four 300kw traction motors giving the train up to 10 Megawatts of total traction power. This allows a Bullet train to accelerate from standstill to 300km in less than two minutes.

The video above is of the first "in service" run of an E5 set seen running through Oyama on Sendai to Tokyo service "Hayabusa 2"

Nicolas Prost becomes the new champion of the Trophee Andros Electrique at final round of season in Lans en Vercors.

Stephane Ortelli won the 4th race of the meeting, in front of Franck Lagorce and Prost. This was enough to seal his second crown in the category.

The Prius minivan hybrid due later this year will be the first standard hybrid from Toyota Motor Corp. equipped with a lithium-ion battery.

But the advanced, lightweight power pack will appear only in the Japanese version of the car, a person familiar with the plan said Friday. The U.S. version will stick with the heavier nickel-metal hydride batteries used in the current Prius hatchback and Toyota's other gasoline-electric vehicles.

Toyota is using lithium in the Japan-spec Prius minivan to open up more interior room and allow for three rows of seats, as preferred by Japanese customers, the source said. The Prius V minivan shown at this year's Detroit auto show had only two rows of seats, while the Prius + variant shown this week in Geneva has three rows.

Using a bulkier nickel-metal battery requires the battery to consume space in a console between the driver's and passenger's seat.

"We are doing it only for cabin configuration considerations," the source said.

Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said the company couldn't comment on future product plans.

Japan's Nikkei business daily reported separately that the minivan version of the Prius would go on sale in Japan next month and start at 3 million yen ($36,590), when equipped with a lithium ion battery. A lower-grade version with a nickel-metal hydride battery will also be offered, starting at 2.35 million yen ($28,660).

The self-driving car that Google revealed to the world last October made an appearance at TED on Thursday, with Sebastian Thrun, one of the developers of the project, speaking to the audience and then taking attendees for a test drive.

The folks at Mashable got the opportunity to ride along as the car whipped around a test track set up outside the conference. Riding at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, the vehicle maneuvered its way between dozens of test cones that had been set up, making a combination of hard stops, tight turns and quick accelerations.

Not a single cone was hit, and I can verify that the driver did not touch the wheel until the very end to drop myself and two other passengers off (this was planned).

The car itself traveled from San Francisco to Long Beach, California, for the conference as part of Google’s ongoing tests. While Thrun tells me he thinks we’ll see self-driving cars in the hands of consumers within our lifetimes, he notes that at this time, “It’s really just a science project … pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. It’s clearly not something that’s going to make us money any time soon.”

Limitations of the vehicle currently include dealing with weather, as well as capturing the imagery and data necessary to allow the car to do things such as stop at red lights and observe speed limits (most of this work has been limited to the Bay Area for now).

Nonetheless, one can’t help be impressed by what Google has accomplished thus far, with its test drive clearly set up to show off just how far along the technology is.