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CONCEPT CARS * USA - Students' "Gen Y" one
* South Caroline - Engineering students create Gen Y concept
(Photo by Larry Edsall / Special to The Detroit News: The hybrid concept car’s framework is made from folded aluminum with a gasoline engine in front and an electric powertrain in the rear) Greenville,SC,USA -The Detroit News, by Larry Edsall -April 18, 2013: -- A couple of years ago, Mazda offered a homework project to the graduate students at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research: Create a concept vehicle... What sort of vehicle? One those engineering students would want to buy after they graduated from Clemson and had jobs in the auto industry... The hope was that the students would create a vehicle that was technologically innovative and socially responsible, yet would be viable in the marketplace and practical to build in significant numbers, going on sale in a 2020 timeframe for $25,000-$30,000... But the most intriguing aspect of the car — at least for automotive engineers — is its structure. The car's framework is made not from stamped or tubular metal but from folded aluminum... Another of the sponsoring companies is called Industrial Origami, which has developed a technology for folding metal and attaching folded-metal sections with special rivets and adhesives. The idea is to eliminate long lead time and costs involved in creating dies and stamping presses while producing a chassis that is strong and light...
* Smack torque: Protean Electric launches new in-wheel drive system
(Photo: The system can be retrofitted to existing vehicle platforms or easily adapted to fit newer offerings)-Gizmag, by Angus MacKenzie -April 17, 2013: -- When it comes to hybrid drive-train innovations, the electric wheel motor has perhaps been under-appreciated. Protean Electric's new and improved electric wheel motor system might change that, thanks to the copious amounts of torque it affords... Unveiled at the 2013 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, Protean’s new production in-wheel motor is a designed to be paired with a gas engine as part of a hybrid system, as well as used in all-electric vehicles. Unlike traditional gas or hybrid drive-trains where power is transmitted via drive shafts that rely on various transmission and differential configurations, electric wheel motors have the ability to respond individually and instantaneously. Motors can produce power exactly when and where needed, as determined by an assortment of wheel sensors, performance settings, throttle inputs, transmission setup and road conditions...
Mercedes' new all-electric SLS is the latest example of how this technology can provide an array of driver modes, with variable inputs for power, wheel slip, wheel braking and traction capabilities... Protean’s new motors provide a 25-percent increase in peak torque compared with the company’s previous generation, as seen in the EDAG concept vehicle... Residing in the space behind the wheel, each motor weighs in at only 31 kg (68 lb). The power gained by the addition of 124 kg (i.e. 4,000 lb.ft of torque overall) relative to the power-weight-ratio of a normal gas engine is indeed an argument of significant proportions. Not only are heaps and gobs of torque now available, but Protean also promises an increase in fuel economy of 30 percent, all dependent on battery size, driver input and driving conditions that determine an EV’s mileage. On the braking front, Protean’s new motors regenerative abilities are enhanced to the point where up to 85 percent of kinetic energy can now be recovered...
Labels: cars technonews
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