I don't remember speaking of efficiency. But electric drive efficiency is pretty high; there's not much margin between today's numbers and 100%. The area for improvement is in batteries; the problem there is that it's not clear how.
As for control, what's the problem? For starters, each wheel wants to have torque delivered to it. Then you can look at traction control (anti-skid) which of course is inherently a per-wheel activity; conventional cars have to approximate that because they have centralized drive, and per-wheel drive makes it much easier.
If you're not doing traction control, the whole thing is trivial. Consider that electric trains (the motor car style) have had per-wheel drive for close to a century.
Pkoning, am first time hearing about vehicle with motor on wheels and I don’t know how centralized control is possible for all independent motors. Any idea? Why you are telling that efficiency is not going to change-any particular reason.
NOT a novel design approach...not even close!!! About 115 - 128 years off.
The first electric car hub motor was patented in 1884. In 1897 Ferdinand Porsche had an electric wheel hub motor "race car" that had a top speed over 65mph! There were over 300 of these fast electrics built and they were all sold to wealthy customers. The only novel approach I can see with this new electric car is that it is using a new type of plastic for the bobbin.
Below are some pretty interesting info:
In 1914 a Detroit Electric went 241 miles on a single charge setting a new record!
In the 1900's there were over 300 electric car companies with more than 30,000 electric cars on the road.
The first powered taxis in New York were all electric,.
The fastest race cars in the late 1890's were electric.
Unfortunately when it comes to putting things together on the shop floor or getting things from an outsourced location a whole lot of things can go wrong. Military aircraft and smaller aircraft built around composites are entirely different from commercial aircraft carrying a large number of passengers. Boeing's Dreamliner had its share of manufacturing problems significantly related to composite glitches and although most of them were dispositioned by the Liaison Engineers there are (inevitably) those which are still lurking in the aircraft...that's also a fact. Aluminum structure problems are generally self evident....composite problems are subtle but still there. My associates and I like composites....in their place...but there are things that do go wrong which don't cause grief in aluminum structures....just ask any stressman.
In Quebec and Ontario they are regarded as power assisted bicycles limited to a maximum speed of 20mph and must have the pedals attached. The rider must wear a DOT approved helmet but there is no requirement for a vehicle licence, driver's licence or insurance. Since they are regarded as bicycles they can be driven anywhere a bicycle can be driven. Recharging a 48VDC system takes 11 cents of hydro and depending on use may take place every third day. They are ideal for shopping and general tootling around town.
Interesting, ScotCan. Are these vehicles legal on the road? On bike paths? I would think these would be ruled by state regulations, each of which would be different. I'll bet there is very little energy consumption with these vehicles.
Carbon composites have been used in aircraft for decades, beginning with the military, and anything going into the construction of commercial aircraft has very strict specifications and requirements, including extensive testing on the ground and in the air. That's all fact. So is the conductivity of metals such as copper and aluminum. Carbon composites can be, and are being, designed with specific electrical properties to handle lightning strikes. Clearly, whether conductivity is a problem or not depends on how the materials and components are designed.
J-Allen, when I was a kid there was still a variety of materials in cars. I remember the wood-paneled station wagons that were popular with surfers -- called woodys.
For 3D printing to make the jump from rapid prototyping to manufacturing, engineers will need to find easier ways to move products from their CAD screens to their printers.
Gigabit and PoE are two networking technologies moving ahead in tandem as industrial users power remote Ethernet devices such as IP security cameras at 1,000 Mbps over existing CAT5 cable.
New versions of BASF's Ecovio line are both compostable and designed for either injection molding or thermoforming. These combinations are becoming more common for the single-use bioplastics used in food service and food packaging applications, but are still not widely available.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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 ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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