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Extraordinary claims - extraordinary proof. 51% efficiency?
1. No turbine I've heard of has more than around 30% efficiency, and that's with recuperators which are not seen here.
2. Extraordinarily high temperatures and no NOx?
3. No emissions other than CO2, period?
4. Company website has no useful information.
5. If these turbines were truly able to be this disruptive to the field of microturbines, why are they being used for remote charging, instead of a hundred vastly more important applications where microturbines are used?
My expectation is that this well-intended but possibly poorly due-diligenced money will disappear into "further research" and never be seen again.
IPG to demo Flameless Ceramic Turbine for clean, off-grid power in EV charging
Intelligent Power Generation (IPG) will demonstrate the impact of Flameless Ceramic Turbine technology in UK electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, following a £1-million contract from Highways England. IPG secured the £1 million as part of the Highways England (HE) and Innovate UK’s £2...
The motors: Yasa P400 (https://www.yasa.com/yasa-p400/)
The batteries: not certain, but seems likely to be Kokam Ultra High Power (20C) (http://kokam.com/data/2019_Kokam_Cell_ver_4.2.pdf)
Ford, RTR introduce Mustang Mach-E 1400 performance prototype; 1400 hp, 7 motors
Ford has introduced the Mustang Mach-E 1400, a performance prototype based on the Mustang Mach-E EV. Developed in collaboration with RTR and built off a Mustang Mach-E GT body-in-white, the prototype targets 1,400 peak horsepower. The chassis and powertrain work together for a multitude of setu...
Brett, thanks for the reference pages. Still, I could not get enough info to compare apples-to-apples. The buses are about the same size and hold about the same number of passengers, but the rest of the info is too variable or not present. About the most you can say is that the BYD has wheel-motors that don't seem especially powerful and 324KWH of battery, and the Proterra has a single motor that doesn't seem especially powerful and up to 770 pounds of battery, which might be around 35KWH, so the BYD can go a lot further (which may or may not matter, depending upon route and charging speed).
Proterra Catalyst electric bus sets records at Altoona in efficiency, gradeability, weight and acceleration
Proterra has completed the structural testing program at the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center with its new Catalyst battery-electric bus (earlier post), in the process setting records for efficiency, gradeability, weight and acceleration. The full public Altoona report is available here....
It seems that the electric bus space is primarily occupied by Proterra and BYD. Subsidies aside, is there a site that has a spec comparison between the two? I'd think that the key comparisons would be the following:
1. Cost
2. Range
3. Recharge time
4. Passenger number
5. Acceleration
It would also be nice to know expected battery life, but that might be speculative.
Proterra Catalyst electric bus sets records at Altoona in efficiency, gradeability, weight and acceleration
Proterra has completed the structural testing program at the Altoona Bus Research and Testing Center with its new Catalyst battery-electric bus (earlier post), in the process setting records for efficiency, gradeability, weight and acceleration. The full public Altoona report is available here....
JCESR | Joint Center for Energy Storage Research
www.jcesr.org/
New promising solid-state electrolyte for rechargeable Li-metal batteries
The new solid-state electrolyte shows electrochemical stability up to 10 V vs Li/Li+. Credit: ACS, Rangasamy et al. Click to enlarge. A team led by researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed a promising solid-state electrolyte for use in advanced rechargeable batteri...
Whenever discussing supercharged engines, displacement no longer matters, as it is effectively supplanted by boost pressure. The meaningful metric is power density (i.e., weight) and general fuel economy. They don't mention weight in the article, but Audi's 2.0 liter is now making about 1KW per 1KG, and I would expect this engine to have at least as good a ratio. In comparison, the other engines mentioned are probably also pretty close to that mark but not quite as good. As to fuel economy, well, I don't think any of these engines are built with that in mind, and so they may all pretty much suck.
On a related subject, for those who are curious about such things, I was trying to determine the current production engine with the highest cylinder pressure. The Alfa 4C's 1.7 liter engine has 9.25 compression and 21.7 pounds of boost, and the Cadillac ATS's 2.0 liter engine has 9.50 compression and 20 pounds of boost. These were the highest combinations I could find.
Audi power-dense 2.5L TFSI engine with electric biturbo delivers 591 hp from 2,480 cc; 48V subsystem for the turbo
At the Wörthersee festival, Audi is showcasing the Audi TT clubsport turbo technology concept equipped with a new 2.5 TFSI gasoline engine with an electric biturbo (earlier post) that delivers 441 kW (591 hp) and 650 N·m (479.4 lb-ft), with acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.6 seco...
Over the past several years we have had numerous lab reports of the excellent energy storage, life-span, and efficiency of graphene-based lithium or sulfur or lithium-sulfur batteries, using graphene for structural integrity. Now, it is time for this problem to be taken out of the realm of a lab chemists and put into the hands of applied-science engineers for mass manufacture -- what are the big players in this space waiting for?
UC Berkeley/Berkeley Lab teams develops high-rate, long-life Li-S battery with Li2S-graphene cathode
Li2S/GO@C Nanosphere. Credit: ACS, Hwa et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers with appointments at both UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a high-rate and long-life Li-sulfur battery cell. The cathode material is a core–shell nanostructure comprising Li2S nano...
Our experience: we had a Leaf for a couple of years, and with its effective 80 mile range we were regularly looking at the range guessometer while traveling around the Bay Area. With our Toyota RAV4 EV with effective 125+ miles range (we have driven this several times, it is quite real), we simply don't look at the guessometer and the anxiety related to range became nonexistent. Now I'm looking forward to getting the 150 mile range Chevy Bolt: I like that Chevy seems genuinely interested in EVs, as opposed to Toyota's disdain for its own excellent product.
UC Berkeley/Berkeley Lab teams develops high-rate, long-life Li-S battery with Li2S-graphene cathode
Li2S/GO@C Nanosphere. Credit: ACS, Hwa et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers with appointments at both UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a high-rate and long-life Li-sulfur battery cell. The cathode material is a core–shell nanostructure comprising Li2S nano...
I'd like to be corrected if I'm wrong, but give or take a few percentage points this is my understanding of various engine efficiencies:
1. conventional gasoline internal combustion: 20%
2. variable value timing gasoline internal combustion: 25%
3. direct-injection turbocharged gasoline internal combustion: 30%
4. microturbines: 30%
5. diesel: 35%
6. high-pressure injection turbocharged diesel: 40%
7. various split-cycle internal combustion engine designs: 45%
8. Stirling engine: 50%
As it relates to engines for electric vehicle extended range generators, the larger the battery pack then the less the engine is used, and the less important its efficiency and the more important that it is light, small, and cheap.
Wrightspeed unveils new turbine range extender for medium- and heavy-duty electric powertrains; 30% more efficient than current microturbine generators
Wrightspeed Inc., a developer of range-extended electric vehicle powertrains for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (earlier post), has unveiled the Fulcrum, a new proprietary turbine generator for use in its Route family of electric powertrains (Route for Class 3-6, Route HD for Class 7-8). The n...
To return to the question: why does Chevy stick with the T-shape battery pack instead under-the-floor-and-rear-seat design?
First look at all-new Voltec propulsion system for 2G Volt; “the only thing in common is a shipping cap”
Cutaway of the new power electronics unit, which is much smaller than in gen 1, and which is now integrated into the drive unit housing. The power electronics and the motors use separate cooling: water for the PE and ol for the motor unit. Click to enlarge. The second-generation Volt, which ...
1. Good for GM to produce a technologically-sophisticated, good performing, great efficiency vehicle for not too much money. Perhaps it is not my idea of absolutely perfect, but there are a lot of people with a lot of ideas, and this seems a fine compromise.
2. I still don't get the T-shape battery pack instead of an under-the-floor-and-rear-seat pack: anyone want to opine as to why GM thinks this is better, despite that it takes out a middle rear passenger seat? Yes, the car is functionally a bit lower for it, but I don't see that this compromise is worth making.
3. While I would like GM (or anybody) to make a 150-mile EV for a reasonable price, I don't know that the Voltec platform is necessarily closer to enabling this than any other rolling chassis. Too bad.
First look at all-new Voltec propulsion system for 2G Volt; “the only thing in common is a shipping cap”
Cutaway of the new power electronics unit, which is much smaller than in gen 1, and which is now integrated into the drive unit housing. The power electronics and the motors use separate cooling: water for the PE and ol for the motor unit. Click to enlarge. The second-generation Volt, which ...
Here's what I don't understand about this range extender design: with 25KW produced by the engine -- resulting in perhaps 20KW at the motor -- the car could maintain highway speed on level ground. But what if you throw it a long uphill? It would need, say, 60KW to go uphill, but the range extender yields 20KW, and the battery reserve would probably be readily depleted. So, the driver is stuck putt-putting up at half the speed of highway traffic. This seems quite dangerous. (It also explains the Volt, which has a range extender engine that can provide full power to the motor when needed.)
BMW unveils the production i3 in New York, London and Beijing; efficiency, dynamics and a supporting ecosystem of services
The production version of the i3. Click to enlarge. In a simultaneous—and video linked—unveil in New York, London and Beijing, BMW introduced the production version of its i3 battery-electric vehicle on Monday. (Earlier post.) The i3 is the first series-production vehicle out of BMW’s i bran...
1. Ridiculously costly proposal. If there are 1000 spheres at $10,000,000 per (not to mention cost of specially-built ship, crew, chains, fuel, materials, etc.), the premise would cost $10,000,000,000.
2. Maintenance. 1000 spheres, each with pumps and valves, at a depth of over a 1000 feet? Good luck.
3. Pollution. Cement is, oh yeah, remarkably energy intensive. These are 1000 100foot spheres with 10foot think walls. The pollution caused through this solution is nuts.
Frankly, it's not even a great thought experiment.
I like the idea of renewable energy storage -- but not as much as I like true grid connectivity. Let's do the obvious first.
MIT researchers propose subsea version of pumped hydro for renewable energy storage
Researchers at MIT are proposing using a variation on pumped hydroelectric systems for storage of electricity produced by offshore wind farms. The key to this Ocean Renewable Energy Storage (ORES) system is the placement of 30-meter-diameter hollow concrete spheres on the seafloor under the win...
On a related note, I would think that the most logical place for a 2-liter direct injection turbo 4-cylinder (preferably with start/stop) would be in a minivan: it is often idling around town, it never needs ridiculously good performance -- 8-second 0-60 is fine, no need for 6-second 0-60 -- and it gets a lot of use and consequently mpg matters (especially to these owners). But, interestingly, only GM and Ford make these engines, and yet they are the only manufacturers that don't make minivans. I like my Grand Caravan, but I don't like dealing with the transverse V6. I don't even think Chrysler, Toyota, or Honda even have plans for a large DI turbo I4, and Nissan only has a 1.6. Surprising lack of connect between engine and target vehicle in this regard.
Ford unveils 1.5L EcoBoost engine in new Mondeo in China (corrected)
Ford unveiled the new, fifth-generation global Mondeo in China, the first Ford to be equipped with the new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine. The new 3 4-cylinder, 1.5L EcoBoost is the fifth and latest member to join Ford’s global family of EcoBoost engines, which includes a 1.0-liter three-cylinder, 1...
The article and linked post does not state whether this license is exclusive or nonexclusive. I hope for the later, as I would not want the technology to be tied up by one party. Further, I suspect the magic now is not in the product but in the manufacturing which appears to necessarily involve 'gas phase deposition that embeds nanoscale silicon particles into the graphene layers' (and there may be more than one way to skin that cat).
CalBattery licenses Argonne silicon-graphene material for high-energy Li-ion batteries; targeting commercial availability in 2014
The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and California Lithium Battery, Inc. (CalBattery) have signed a licensing agreement for an Argonne-developed, silicon-graphene composite anode material for high-energy lithium batteries. CalBattery says it plans to move forwa...
Wait, here's a possible answer to my own question: perhaps the clutch between the motor and the transmission is necessary to allow the motor to be put into action to start the engine (i.e., momentarily disengage the motor from the transmission so as to allow the motor to start the engine at the correct RPM, then reengage everything with both the motor and the engine at the correct RPM (using the motor to 'pick up the slack' in terms of the appropriate torque to get everything moving together harmoniously).
Update on Nissan’s new front-engine, front-wheel drive hybrid system
At the SAE 2013 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Symposium in Anaheim this week, Owen Thunes, Senior Project Engineer, Zero Emissions Research Group at Nissan, provided an updated overview of the company’s development efforts on the upcoming FF (Front-engine, Front-wheel drive) hybrid sys...
Perhaps someone can explain the need for a clutch between the CV and the motor: given that, through the controller, the motor can drive the CV, or act as a generator, or simply freewheel, why is there a need for this clutch?
Update on Nissan’s new front-engine, front-wheel drive hybrid system
At the SAE 2013 Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technology Symposium in Anaheim this week, Owen Thunes, Senior Project Engineer, Zero Emissions Research Group at Nissan, provided an updated overview of the company’s development efforts on the upcoming FF (Front-engine, Front-wheel drive) hybrid sys...
Comparing apples to apples, we are in this instance discussing a genset in a series hybrid used for the express purpose of replenishing the batteries with electricity. Therefore, it seems apt compare by using the highest efficiency mode, as it will only be operating in that generator mode. For such a purpose, it appears fair to use the 28% microturbine (with recuperator) figure (which comes from Capstone's own analysis) and then compare that to other maximum efficiencies, such as up to 40% for TDI diesel. However, that being said, it is also certainly worth noting that the microturbine is clean and multifuel-capable. And, the microturbine is potentially lighter than even a purpose-built TDI diesel generator, and so if it is not regularly used the tradeoff of lighter weight should be considered.
Velozzi Will Use Capstone Microturbines in Supercar and Crossover Extended Range Electric Vehicles
Velozzi, a Los Angeles-based car designer and manufacturer, will integrate Capstone Turbine’s C65 and C30 microturbines into its electric supercar and a crossover vehicle, respectively. Capstone said that these would be the first production automotive applications of its microturbines, which hav...
Rosen Motors -- the founding company of Capstone microturbines and Pentadyne flywheels -- created a lovely design in the mid-1990's with a microturbine, flywheel, and battery system. This is the same thing, with the flywheel being replaced by ultracaps. But much as I would delight in seeing their success, the same or similar impediments may exist: 1. each component -- motor, controlling electronics, batteries, ultracaps, and now carbon body -- is quite expensive; 2. limited efficiency microturbine (max 28%); 3. space limitations (if the microturbine is inclusive of a recuperator -- and without which efficiency falls even more); and 4. battery weight, if this is truly to travel 200 miles (!) on battery power alone. Even using Tesla-style high-power battery packs and pushing the definition of max distance, that's still probably a 40KWH battery pack @ approx. 800 lbs., 150 lb. motor and 50 lb. controller, and then perhaps 300 lbs. for microturbine, fuel system, generator, and recuperator and something for the ultracaps. (Frankly, with a battery pack that large, I don't know why you'd need ultracaps for power flow either in or out, as the batteries should be able to produce/absorb the needed electricity.) So, in total, over 1300 lbs. for the propulsion system -- and just to throw a price on there, even at some volume given the expense of microturbines and ultracaps the whole system has got to cost over $50K. Add the carbon body, and the balance of the car for top components, and the simple production costs have got to total at least $150K. (Then there's marketing, distribution, sales, service, cost of capital, overhead, etc.: perhaps Velozzi is a nonprofit corporation?) In any event, I love the concept, and I wish them the best of luck. Maybe they want to bite off a little less, and just focus on the big motor for best-in-class performance?
Velozzi Will Use Capstone Microturbines in Supercar and Crossover Extended Range Electric Vehicles
Velozzi, a Los Angeles-based car designer and manufacturer, will integrate Capstone Turbine’s C65 and C30 microturbines into its electric supercar and a crossover vehicle, respectively. Capstone said that these would be the first production automotive applications of its microturbines, which hav...
Aside from the gibberish extrapolations from bad or useless data, the other sin is abject failure to actually look at the source of profits: either very high volume, or very high content cars.
Let's make a blanket assertion: no one is going to be selling a tremendously high volume of cars in the foreseeable future. So no great profit stream there.
As to high content, while Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Toyota all make wonderful high mpg, high content, and doubtless very high profit cars, I can't think of even a single high content high mpg car in the pipeline at any American car company, let alone actually for sale. We have totally missed the boat on this, and it is a sad example of a fundamental misreading of the market to fail to recognize the importance of this segment -- American can makers still equate small high mpg cars with a 1980 Celica and just can't seem to shake that mental equivalence. So, no profit there.
I know: huge SUVs! Oh, wait...
University of Michigan Report Finds Focus on Fuel Economy Would Be Very Profitable for Detroit 3; Says Rapid, Wide-Reaching Change in Business Models Required for Turnaround
According to the study, higher fuel economy standards would benefit the Detroit 3 automakers the most. Source: McManus and Kleinbaum. Click to enlarge. A new report released by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) analyzes critical choices faced by automakers an...
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