It’s half the size of your average passenger car, corners like it’s on rails, and is capable of being folded to fit into a parking spot. Meet the future for the urban electric car, if Ohio State University (OSU) researchers have anything to say about it.
A team led by Junmin Wang, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and director of the Vehicle Systems and Control Laboratory at OSU, has been working on a new design for an electric vehicle -- created by repurposing a gasoline-engine utility vehicle -- since 2009, Wang told Design News.
The key to the vehicle’s design is that each of its wheels turn independently, courtesy of dedicated, battery-operated motors that allow the car more capability and maneuverability than the electric cars on the market. Those vehicles depend on one motor to provide torque to all the wheels, he told us.
An experimental electric car designed by researchers at Ohio State University features improved motion control from wheels that have their own individual motors, giving them more stability and capabilities. OSU Professor Junmin Wang, who is leading the project, said the design is well-suited for an urban environment. (Source: Ohio State University)
“They have more freedom in terms of control,” Wang said of the wheels on OSU’s experimental vehicle. “In a typical electrical vehicle, the torque transmitting from the wheels cannot be arbitrarily assigned. For this one, we can do this because they are not mechanically coupled.”
This makes the car more nimble in terms of turning and performing lateral and yaw motions. It also makes the car safer when it turns sharp corners and stops suddenly, given its more stable and precise movements.
Researchers performed tests with the vehicle at the Transportation Research Center in East Liberty, Ohio, in which the car was able to follow a driver’s desired path within four inches. They also tested its maneuverability on slippery road conditions in a university parking lot on a snowy day. In that test, the car’s accuracy of movement was up to eight inches, and it did not fishtail on the slippery surface, thanks to independent control of each side of the car.
Wang said the vehicle -- which weighs 800 kilograms (about 1750 pounds), or about half the weight of the average passenger car -- could be the ideal electric car for urban environments because of its maneuverability, and another feature that makes it handy, especially in cities with limited parking spots: “It is architecturally flexible, so it could be folded to fit into a smaller parking space,” he said. “Because it’s small and compact, it’s promising in urban areas to use for commuting and driving. I think it’s a promising future platform.”
The original project that spawned the car -- which called for OSU researchers to improve the motion control and stability of electric car designs -- stemmed from a grant from the Office of Naval Research. Last year, OSU received funding from the National Science Foundation to continue the work for another five years, Wang said.
Researchers will aim to improve the operational energy efficiency of the vehicle in the next phase of their work by studying how the vehicle carries loads. Data collected will then be incorporated into the vehicle’s driving- and energy-management strategies.
Looks just like an old dune buggy, made to make driving on sand easier, instead of impossible, and it sounds like a similar design, as far as how it drives.
Ann - then all you need to do is enclose it, add some heat and you can use it in a Wisconsin snowstorm! Actually, ignoring the "open concept" I wonder how something like that performs in less than ideal road conditions.
Cool -- great story, Liz. The idea of foldable cars is gaining momentum. I saw a video of one in japan and another that was created by MIT's Media Lab. See link:
Thanks, Chuck! Yes, I thought this was pretty cool. Can you imagine bending a car to fit into a parking spot? I remember many a time when I lived in San Francisco when this concept would have been not just appealing but also saved me hours of looking around for parking, not to mention incredible frustration. Thanks also for the link, I will take a look.
Problems like those you mention in San Francisco are also commonplace in Japan, Liz. I don't think it's any coincidence that Japanese car manufacturers are looking at the foldable car concept.
Yes, as they say, Chuck, necessity is the mother of invention. Although perhaps maybe instead of inventing folding cars, people should just walk, bike or use public transportation more! But they would certainly come in handy in big cities where there is limited parking space...and perhaps they also could be more fuel efficient and economical as well.
A more exciting use of a folding car would be for the camping community. If the vehicle would fit on the back of a 6.5' pickup truck bed, (gate up), this vehicle could be used in campgrounds. Golf Carts are too large for the truck bed.
It would be great if this research could lead to motor assemblies that could clutch out or tolerate overspeed. Multi-wheel driving is primarly for traction contol at low speeds and poor surfaces. If small motors could be added to the trailing axles to help the rig in starting and manuvering, and disengage at highway speed, it would really help drivers.
Does the electical drive have an VFD equivilant of a differential?
It is an interesting concept, but the car would never make it to market unless a lot of the crash safety rules are changed. Not to be discouraging, but those safety rules get in the way of a lot of good ideas these days. I do like the concept of four wheel drive only at low speeds, though. Consider that you never ever get stuch at 45 MPH. Getting stuck is a slow speed thing, and so either electric drive for the "other two" wheels, or possibly a hydraulic motor to drive them, could be of great value in not staying stuck. OF course the two extra driving wheels would need to have the over-running clutch arrangement to avoid overspeeding. That same type of arrangement would also be good for the stop-start engine car, since it would allow coasting up to red lights and stopped traffic.
The selective application of variable torque to all 4 wheels does seem like it could be of some value in poor traction conditions, but it would undoubtedly be of most value to those very unskilled and inexperienced drivers, much more than to those drivers who are able to handle poor conditions. So here uis a question to consider: Is it worthwhile to develop a system that only benefits the worst ten percent of all drivers? Especially when it will cost everybody a fair amount more?
The car that will be able to solve the parking problems is the one that will be able to right-angle park within the standard parking lanes. That car, folding or not, will be the problem solving game changer.
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
3 
