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Just saw this:
From the article:
"The next time you change a bike tire, think about upgrading your power as well. Scientists at MIT are testing a new power generation, storage and propulsion system known as the GreenWheel that will turn any pedal bicycle into an electric hog.
"Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine," said Ryan Chin, one of the GreenWheel designers. "The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel."
From the outside, the GreenWheel has the radius of a small dinner plate and is about 2 inches thick. Inside the aluminum frame sits the three major GreenWheel components: an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor."
Nothing really new about this, except for MIT's encapsulation of both motor/generator and the batteries, plus addition of a wireless throttle.
There is another company (or two or three...) that make "hub motors" which can go on each corner of a car. Again, nothing new.
Here's my idea, addressed to our little Festiva world of home mechanics:
Take a Festiva or Aspire rear axle assembly. Remove one brake assembly. Adapt a hub motor with regen capability to attach to car axle. This motor should be capable of around 15 to 25 hp. No gearing is necessary.
The rear brake on that side will disappear, but the parking brake will remain on the unmodded side. May have to disconnect the hydraulic brake line if it doesn't work right with only one side, I'm not sure. Someone else can answer that question.
This car ain't designed for high speed cross country runs. It's a "city car," where hard braking at higher speeds won't be likely. (I drove my old Chevette with bad rear brakes for years with no problems, so this shouldn't really be a big deal if you're careful.)
The battery pack will be in the car, not in the hubs or on the axle. Any flavor of batteries will work. Lead acid is cheapest.
Install a plug in on car charger for a 110 volt outlet and remember, you also have regen braking for some recharge capability.
Here's the deal:
The "electric wheel" is primarily for starting from a stop or accelerating from lower speeds. It won't drive the whole car on it's own for awhile (though it would work as a back up if your engine failed or you ran out of gas). This would help increase city fuel economy by reducing engine acceleration loads. Your battery pack would not be very large. Maybe four to eight standard car batteries?
You'd mainly use it to accelerate to about 20 to 30 mph, tops. You'd have an additional 15 to 25 hp with instant torque to get going. This would save wear and tear on your clutch, too!
The controls would be SIMPLE. I'd probably just mount mine on the dash near the steering wheel. It would be a pushbutton. Push it and the electric motor kicks in to provide a set acceleration mode up to a certain RPM preset. Then it turns off. Your acceleration is adjusted by how much gas you give it with the ICE (internal combustion engine).
Don't want the assist? Don't push the button.
Want more than one type of assist? Install more than one button! Each button would have more or less "time on."
One more thing:
Attached to your brake pedal is a shut off, for when you brake for any reason during the electric motor's preset acceleration curve.
It could be more complicated from here (ex., tying in a potentiometer to the gas pedal for "foot powered" electric assist), but you get the idea.
You'd save gas from not having to "ICE" so much on acceleration.
I'm guessing the following:
1. Most of the cost will be getting the hub motors in the appropriate size and hp, and then adapting a bracket and four bolt wheel hub to fit them to a Festiva rear axle and attach a Festiva or Aspire wheel.
2. Install won't require removing the rear axle. Take off one side and install the hub motor component. Install the batteries you will use inside the car. Install the pushbutton on your dash or steering wheel and the brake cut off. Install any other electronic controls. Hook up the electronics. Fab up parking brake control for the remaining rear brake.
This would rock as a DIY kit!
I'd call it the Festiva CAHybrid. ("CA" for "cheapass.") Priuses have "Hybrid Drive" on their trunks. We'd have something cruder.
Even the score between our cars and Priuses in the city.
Comments?
Karl
From the article:
"The next time you change a bike tire, think about upgrading your power as well. Scientists at MIT are testing a new power generation, storage and propulsion system known as the GreenWheel that will turn any pedal bicycle into an electric hog.
"Just take the wheel off, put a GreenWheel equipped wheel on in its place, plug it in and it should work just fine," said Ryan Chin, one of the GreenWheel designers. "The whole thing has been designed so all the parts except the throttle are enclosed in the wheel."
From the outside, the GreenWheel has the radius of a small dinner plate and is about 2 inches thick. Inside the aluminum frame sits the three major GreenWheel components: an electric generator, batteries and an electric motor."
Nothing really new about this, except for MIT's encapsulation of both motor/generator and the batteries, plus addition of a wireless throttle.
There is another company (or two or three...) that make "hub motors" which can go on each corner of a car. Again, nothing new.
Here's my idea, addressed to our little Festiva world of home mechanics:
Take a Festiva or Aspire rear axle assembly. Remove one brake assembly. Adapt a hub motor with regen capability to attach to car axle. This motor should be capable of around 15 to 25 hp. No gearing is necessary.
The rear brake on that side will disappear, but the parking brake will remain on the unmodded side. May have to disconnect the hydraulic brake line if it doesn't work right with only one side, I'm not sure. Someone else can answer that question.
This car ain't designed for high speed cross country runs. It's a "city car," where hard braking at higher speeds won't be likely. (I drove my old Chevette with bad rear brakes for years with no problems, so this shouldn't really be a big deal if you're careful.)
The battery pack will be in the car, not in the hubs or on the axle. Any flavor of batteries will work. Lead acid is cheapest.
Install a plug in on car charger for a 110 volt outlet and remember, you also have regen braking for some recharge capability.
Here's the deal:
The "electric wheel" is primarily for starting from a stop or accelerating from lower speeds. It won't drive the whole car on it's own for awhile (though it would work as a back up if your engine failed or you ran out of gas). This would help increase city fuel economy by reducing engine acceleration loads. Your battery pack would not be very large. Maybe four to eight standard car batteries?
You'd mainly use it to accelerate to about 20 to 30 mph, tops. You'd have an additional 15 to 25 hp with instant torque to get going. This would save wear and tear on your clutch, too!
The controls would be SIMPLE. I'd probably just mount mine on the dash near the steering wheel. It would be a pushbutton. Push it and the electric motor kicks in to provide a set acceleration mode up to a certain RPM preset. Then it turns off. Your acceleration is adjusted by how much gas you give it with the ICE (internal combustion engine).
Don't want the assist? Don't push the button.
Want more than one type of assist? Install more than one button! Each button would have more or less "time on."
One more thing:
Attached to your brake pedal is a shut off, for when you brake for any reason during the electric motor's preset acceleration curve.
It could be more complicated from here (ex., tying in a potentiometer to the gas pedal for "foot powered" electric assist), but you get the idea.
You'd save gas from not having to "ICE" so much on acceleration.
I'm guessing the following:
1. Most of the cost will be getting the hub motors in the appropriate size and hp, and then adapting a bracket and four bolt wheel hub to fit them to a Festiva rear axle and attach a Festiva or Aspire wheel.
2. Install won't require removing the rear axle. Take off one side and install the hub motor component. Install the batteries you will use inside the car. Install the pushbutton on your dash or steering wheel and the brake cut off. Install any other electronic controls. Hook up the electronics. Fab up parking brake control for the remaining rear brake.
This would rock as a DIY kit!
I'd call it the Festiva CAHybrid. ("CA" for "cheapass.") Priuses have "Hybrid Drive" on their trunks. We'd have something cruder.
Even the score between our cars and Priuses in the city.
Comments?
Karl
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