Tonight on the national interest, ABC Radio National 6pm, there is a discussion on electric vehicles.
Of interest is the head of the manufacturer in Norway. Richard Canny, Australian expatriate and CEO of Norwegian car company TH!NK. Might be worth tuning in.
If you were in Melbourne you just missed him. There was a free seminar on Wed night last.
http://www.climateandinnovation.com.au/program-09/a-local-car-for-the-silent-highway
Bushpilot
Member
Not a full electric, but today I drove the new Toyota Prius III; amazing bundle of technologies:
* hybrid system using about 3.5l / 100kms and 10.5 secs 0 - 100km/hr
* Battery weight is 20% of prev. model and 8 year guarantee and $2000 to replace
* Servicing at fixed cost of $160 per service until 60,000ks
* Solar cooling when parked
* Self parking - take hands off the wheel and it parks itself
* Key-less operation; just carry key in your pocket and car senses it is there
* Huge navigation screen / reversing camera
* Head-up speedo (reflects in windscreen)
* LED headlights and taillights
* Radar control of cruise control - matches speed of car in front
* etc etc.
A real showcase of Toyota technologies. Feels a bit like driving a simulator on a PC, yet it very effective.. (And, no, I dont work for Toyota!)
Link to the ABC story and download here.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/nationalinterest/stories/2009/2635789.htm
The site also links to the new Australian Ultrabattery invented by the CSIRO. Why aren't we pumping money into our own technology?
Greenozi
Member
I heard about person that build his own electric motorcycle from bits and pieces. He managed to register his vehicle for road use. I wish to bring electric motorcycle from overseas but I don't know if is possible/ how difficult could be registration. Vehicle is above 200W Australian limit for bikes, but is looks and feels like real motorcycle with 3kW motor and lithium iron battery, max speed >70km/h. Anybody have experience with registration process? Where to start?
Good article on the Vectrix electric scooter here. Good looking and road registerable in Australia. Even has reverse gear for parking.
http://bikes.drive.com.au/Editorial/ArticleDetail.aspx?ArticleID=56711
Greenozi - start with the Australian Design Rules (ADRs). The requirements for all sorts of vehicles are listed in the ADRs and as far as I know, you need to meet all the ADRs for your class of vehicle before it can be registered. Generally the requirements for motorbikes are more lenient/less restrictive than those for four wheeled vehicles. Check the RTA or equivalent in your state.
While obvious advertising like the now deleted post about batteries may be a bit blatant - the performance information included may well have been useful for members who understand all that electric stuff.
High performance energy storage systems are going to become a key component in getting green options to mass market usefullness, and I'm not sure that just because a post is an advert it should be automatically canned.
(As opposed to the irrelevant post a couple of weeks ago about sports shoes)
Bushpilot
Member
Geenozi - My company did the compliance for the Vectrix electric scooter - and other electric vehicles. It is a specialist exercise because of the many different considerations from petrol vehicles. Our company offers a complete service - product evaluation, compliance processing, importation logistics, assembly and pre-delivery, distribution. You can see us at: http://www.evotivegroup.com.au
Hi Bushpilot. Can i ask what you see as the major hurdles that need to be overcome to register one-off electric vehicles? I am following trevipedia and the compliance requirements seems to have a major impact in the design development. To make matters more complicated there appears to be some variation in the interpretation or applicability of ADRs so it isn't easy to know if a design complies or not. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
Greenozi
Member
E-charging station is coming.
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/2009/09/28/n_e-charging_stations.cnnmoney/
What would you do in 10-20min when battery is charging?
Now we have two options. One is bad; one is good for your future.
1) Sit down and drink Latte/ Cappuccino and eat cake, read newspaper
2) Offset your energy bill by utilizing provided on E-charging station bike-like dynamo.
By pedaling for 10 minutes you produce electricity that is then feed back to the grid/or vehicle. Applied Feed-in tariff is set at 100 x actual electricity price to make your effort worthwhile.
This methodology will improve heath of individual and whole society lowering medical bills.
Greenozi
Member
...slight improvement to described above pedaling feed-in scheme.
Instead of drawing instant $2 cash for 10 min dynamo pedaling, each participant could choose E-lottery ticket.
Each E-lottery ticket is drawn immediately and winner rewarded with $10.000 instant cash.
For every 5.000 tickets produced in nationwide network one is an instant winner.
For the city like Melbourne there will be many winners every day, leaving E-Charge station with pockets full of cash.
Cost you nothing to participate.
Passangers in vehicle are welcome to join pedaling scheme.
I forgot to mention. The $2 is added to any E-charge client bill anyway.
Greenozi
Member
Do you consider ban of 4WDs from shopping centers and school pick-up zones as proposed in Queensland step in right direction?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/motoring/news/article.cfm?c_id=9&objectid=10601902
I like this idea.
At this stage unsolvable problem when building efficient EV is providing passive safety for occupants. Projecting EV utilizing newest carbon composites can cut possibly net weight of vehicle by half. Lighter vehicle according to law of physics should be also safer when crash (E=mV2/2) because energy dispersed proportionally lower.
This is true as long as both vehicles involved are comparable weight or just one is involved. I cannot find anything else but advocating railroads for freight but definitely so called "Turak tracks" are avoidable in metro area. Bicyles are also winners in such proposal.
G-O,
Unfortunately the processes for making carbon fibre emit far more carbon dioxide than the end fibres contain so it is a net producer of emissions rather than a simple carbon sink.
Considering the impact of lightweight composites on reduced energy requirements through the life of the product is a whole different question though and one where I think the answer is more likely to come out in favour of increased use of lightweight composites.
Greenozi
Member
As for today carbon nano tubes are mostly produced in highly inefficient technology- arc discharge. Advances in catalysis and continuous growth processes (Chemical vapor deposition) are making Carbon nano tubes more commercially viable and promise dramatic drop in energy usage. Analogy to solar PV economy is obvious. I have my all sporting equipment made of carbon already, airplanes next to come, time for EV.
Greenozi
Member
I want one now ...
http://dvice.com/archives/2009/10/nissan-land-gli.php
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/07/tokyo-2009-preview-nissan-unveils-land-glider-concept-w-video/
I am sure that rail platform could be designed to accommodate this micro vehicles to skip long distance at high speed. How many we can fit on 2-3 levels rail wagon?
Buzzman
Member
I read recently that Vectrix has gone bust in the US.
Did anyone see the enclosed recumbent electric bike on The INventors a week ago? Still in "development" mode, but it had dual circuit, so could be limited to 200W (for "on-road" certificaton as bicycle) but was capable of 80km/hr and had a reasonable range.
Again, battery capacity and weight of batteries is the limiting factor, but I'd buy one if it could do 100km/h for an hour or so.
I live regional, and nearby major town is 45mins away. I do have family there, so could maybe get away with one way capacity and recharge in the middle, but would be better if I could go there and back without having to recharge.
The current ADRs for motorcycles can't be too bad, as there can't be any need for sid-intrusion protection like cars, but somehow trikes get registered and can be driven as Class 1 - meaning helmnet not essential and no need for rider licence???
Has to be some loophole in there somewhere that a an electric trike could slip thru?
Bushpilot, got any clues?
Electric bike setting world distance record in Qld using windpower. Interesting trip.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-25/man-rides-from-coast-to-outback/2854598
Bullwitter
Member
If you live in the ACT or nearby then you are in luck if you wanna see some electric vehicles. The Canberra International Electric Vehicle Festival is on Sunday 25 Sep 2011 10:00am to 4:00pm - near Old Parliament House - and it is free.
You can see commercially available production electric cars, including Tesla Roadster, Blade Electron and Mitsubishi i-MiEV Electric vehicle infrastructure and renewable energy suppliers. Commercially available production hybrid cars from major manufacturers. A Mitsubishi Fuso hybrid commercial truck. Vintage electric cars. New electric scooters, motorbikes and bicycles. Electric vehicle conversion specialists. Owner-converted electric vehicles. Specialist production electric vehicles. Electric vehicle components and the latest research in electric transport. http://www.canberraev.info
Buzzman
Member
Another entrant into the EV market?
http://www.caradvice.com.au/132049/ktm-e3w-plastic-three-wheeler-concept-unveiled/
GBD
Member
Buzzman Said
"Another entrant into the EV market?
http://www.caradvice.com.au/132049/ktm-e3w-plastic-three-wheeler-concept-unveiled/"
Nice 
I agree. The aerodynamics look poor and just the aesthetics themselves seem really unappealing. Sureley they could have slung it a little lower and made it a bit more rakish? Why do some manufacturers forget that their product actually has to appeal to consumers?
Buzzman
Member
Well, I think its cute. And I want one. So there. Thththththththththththth.
:)
But seriously, according to what I've been able to read about it (and info is limited, especially on batteries) the short nose helps with parking by reducing the overall length of the vehicle.
And as it is designed as a 'city car', this means it is NOT designed to do speeds greater than 60-80km/h, and in reality would probably spend most of it's time (based on urban average speeds) at less than 60km/h.
At which speeds wind resistance has very limited effect.
And as a further thought on the shape, who saw the Richard Hammond doco on the 'blunt-nosed' design of the space shuttle? The blunt nose, based on the spherical cannonball, 'blasts' the air aside, rather than 'pushing' it aside, which at the speeds the SS was travelling was more desirable.
So maybe a blunt nose is not such a bad thing after all?
As opposed to the 'brick-wall-front' of a cab-over semi-trailer truck! Let's keep everything in perspective....
New electric vehicles now running at London's Heathrow airport.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/blog/20110922-the-futurist-heathrows-personal-transit-pods
Electric pods at Heathrow.
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