Photovoltaic Powered Electric Vehicle Update
J.Durand 11/7/09
General Comments:
A lot has been happening since our last update. Many apologies for the long silence. I have to say that this year’s team is working really hard and a lot has been accomplished. All the groups have completed their designs, and I am now ordering all the equipment. Congratulations to all. Here is a summary of how things look as we approach Thanksgiving.
• The Honda is running. It moves, but barely. All the auxiliary systems work. Our main problem now is that the drive axles we got at a junkyard are no good and will have to be replaced with new ones. Once we put in new axles, and fix the suspension, we hope to be able to drive our machine.
• The photovoltaic (PV) system is now up on the Geilker garage roof (see pictures). Our next step is to wire the PV up to our power panel and start putting power onto the grid.
• Our research this year is centered around using less expensive motors and controllers, and eliminating the transmission. To try out our ideas we decided to convert a small golf cart (brand name EZ-GO) that we found abandoned on campus. It looks a little like a small Gator, so we call it the Gator Jr. (see pictures). We will be going with two AC induction motors coupled with 10:1 gear reductions to each wheel. Each motor will have its own controller. It should be most interesting to see how this turns out.
• The Ranger is just about stripped of all that nasty IC engine stuff, and is ready for its green makeover EV conversion. We will be using a 20hp DC series wound motor, with 24 – 6V deep cycle lead acid golf cart batteries. This motor is used by many for Ranger conversions.
• We applied for a $50,000 grant over a 2 year period from the Jefferson Trust a UVa group that provides funding for a wide range of groups across the university.
• We were not successful in our large proposal for $3.2 Million of DOE stimulus funds.
An observation: With gas at $2.60 a gallon, and no stimulus money going out, things are fairly quiet on the surface of alternative energy and electric vehicles, but in fact, there continues to be a lot going on under the surface. For example, there was more wind power installed last year than any other source. Wind accounted for over 40% of the electrical generating capacity installed, more than coal, nuclear, or natural gas. Installed costs for a large wind turbine are reported to be in the $1/Watt range. Also, First Solar, says they will sell conventional silicon based solar cells (PV) for less than $1/Watt (if you buy in MW amounts). We are purchasing our 1 kW of PV for about $2/Watt. There are also significant advances in energy storage. A company just received $5 million in stimulus funds for a battery they say has ten times the energy storage density of a Lithium Ion battery for one third the cost. Of course these batteries are under development. Similar claims are being made by EESTOR, a company making ultracapacitors, only EESTOR claims their ultracapacitors are ready for use and Zenn Motors, a Canadian based EV manufacturer, claims they will start selling ultracapacitor powered EVs next year.
Upcoming:
• Get last years PV on the grid
• Get our parts in and get ready to build
• Continue to work to get the new PV system on campus
• Get the Honda on the road
