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Venturi Introduces Solar- or Wind-Charged Electric Vehicle
3 October 2006
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| The Venturi Eclectic. Click to enlarge. |
Venturi, the French manufacturers of the Fetish electric sports car, have introduced a low-speed electric vehicle that can be recharged via roof-mounted solar panels or with a personal wind turbine.
The Venturi Eclectic seats three, and features a 16 kW electric motor that develops 50 Nm (37 lb-ft) of torque. Top speed is 50 kph (31 mph) and it has a range of 50 km (31 miles) on its NiMH batteries.
The 7 kWh battery pack is liquid-cooled, weighs 108 kg and has a projected life span of 2,500 cycles.
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| Venturi Eclectic with wind turbine. Click to enlarge. |
There are four sources of charging for the Eclectic: regenerative braking; grid charge (5 hours with an onboard charger using a standard 16A plug); photovoltaic cells on the roof; or a personal wind turbine.
The Eclectic has 2.5 m2 of photovoltaic cells (yield 14%). The share of solar recharging is approximately 7 km per day of exposure. The optional wind turbine, which can be mounted on the roof or on a standalone mast, can contribute 15 km/day.
Venturi has begun the production of 20 pre-series vehicles has commenced. A limited version of 200 vehicles with specific equipment will be launched in June 2007 at a price of €24,000 (US$30,500) plus VAT, excluding State subsidies of €2,000 (US$2,500). A single-seater version will also be produced.
The company may increase production in 2009 and offer a lower base price of €15,000 (US$19,000) plus VAT (excluding subsidies).
October 3, 2006 in Electric (Battery), Solar, Wind | Permalink | Comments (33) | TrackBack (0)
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Comments
Now that looks like fun. I hope this golf cart on steroids finds a niche market. Looks like it could use about double the torque if its going to take three people up a hill. The turbine and solar panel are cute. Could be used to take kids to school/lessons/sports and do local shopping. Not exactly a Tesla but then the price is under 100k.
Posted by: Neil | Oct 3, 2006 11:05:18 AM
Doesn't really make sense to power it directly on the vehicle. Better to have a stationary source and power from there.
Posted by: i | Oct 3, 2006 11:05:48 AM
I wonder if it would power it up extra quick if you drove around town with the "personal wind turbine" on the roof :P
Posted by: Brad | Oct 3, 2006 11:40:42 AM
One would be better off with a bicycle.
Posted by: t | Oct 3, 2006 11:50:24 AM
Bicycle would be better for personal transport except when you have small children or a pregnant female (then again walking would be best in those two cases unless the distance is excessive...and excessive changes for each person).
Posted by: Patrick | Oct 3, 2006 11:57:56 AM
OK, but why hasn't anybody mentioned to aerodynamics of a brick on an environmentally friendly product? Looks great though. I believe the wind turbine looks like a 600w capacity. They mentioned you could mount on the car or polemounted why not both for +30km/day with solar to 37km Martha's Vineyard or some island setup. If you could afford a house there this would be perfect. Bring your own renewable source with you! While your busy sleeping it's busy recharging. Now put that on an enhanced range Prius PHEV :-)
Posted by: Andy | Oct 3, 2006 1:01:46 PM
At least this runs on self renewed energy. A bicycle would be tougher to run as you have to propel it yourself and you can't carry as much stuff or people. This would be introduced as a NEV if anything. Good job.
Posted by: Richard | Oct 3, 2006 1:05:52 PM
Andy,
Good aerodynamics are not too important at 31mph.
Posted by: Patrick | Oct 3, 2006 1:10:47 PM
This has got to be the ugliest vehicle I've ever seen.
Posted by: Bob | Oct 3, 2006 1:14:15 PM
i find this a total cool 'car' perfect to go to work. 50 km is a lot faster than a bike and i stay dry.
that there is a solar on the roof is good because you can charge on the road or anywhere otherwise you realy have to stop and charge for 5 hours.
anyway i have to make an outlet in my parkinglot and save a lot of mony. or wait till 2009
Posted by: tibi | Oct 3, 2006 1:23:37 PM
I think it kinda cute. Looks like a robot in one of my kids' movies.
Posted by: Neil | Oct 3, 2006 2:04:27 PM
A bit wacky. Better just to leave out the turbine (or mount it up high at home or in work - or use it as a plug in. You won;t stay dry at 30mph however, and any wind might be inclined to pick it up a bit.
A bike, while slower and able to carry 1 person only, is much smaller and can go lots of places where a 4 wheeler can't - like between lanes of traffic and up curbs.
It is a pity solar cells are so inefficient, as you could build a nice vehicle of they were.
I think the key thing is to develop a market for these neighbourhood area vehicles - as they would be good for bringing the kids to school, shopping, short range things.
The trick is to build a vehicle which people are proud to use and which does not look like some poor loser's car. The technology is there (as this car shows) - the marketing has yet to come.
Posted by: mahonj | Oct 3, 2006 2:45:17 PM
It looks almost as good as a doorless Pontiac Aztec.
The roof could be made much smaller with 4- direction roll out solar panels, doubling the PV area or more while in the outside parking place.
Eventually, with a roll out solar panel covering the normal parking space (about 20 M2) you should be able to get enough free power for the return trip home (up to 40 Km on sunny days).
Posted by: Harvey D. | Oct 3, 2006 4:00:37 PM
The style reminds me oddly of the early electric cars from 100 years ago, like the Detroit Electric or the Waverly. I guess it fills a similar purpose as a NEV. But at least the cars 100 years ago had doors and enclosed cabins.
Posted by: Tony Belding | Oct 3, 2006 4:36:27 PM
Am I the only one bothered by the idea of spending $30,000 on a golf cart? Why not add your own solarcells to a golf cart and save a few grand.
$30k for a car with no; doors, seat belts, windshield wipers, radio... a top speed of 31 mph and a max range of 30 mi.
Which is a better deal?
$30k for a golf cart that can go < 5 mi per day off of "free" solar power. If that is 5 mi you do not drive your car you might be saving (5 mi/25 mpg) = .2 gallons of gasoline. (6 gal per month)
or $30,000 worth of solar pannels for your house
that could offset 100+ lbs of coal being burned at a power plant.
http://store.sundancesolar.com/spsulhoposy1.html
http://store.sundancesolar.com/spsenco160so.html
1kw system expanded with 6 additional 160watt pannels, assume 5 hr of light per day at rated capacity 30 days per month
(1000 + (160 *6)watts)(5 hr)/1000 * 30 days = 294 Kwh
= 1003128 btu = .04384801 metric tons = ~ 100 lbs of coal
http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/science/energy_calculator.html#eleccalc
Posted by: rj | Oct 3, 2006 4:54:36 PM
If you want to do solar, solar water heating is a much better bet than photovoltaic, so just buy the golf cart, install the water heater and pocket the remainder. Add a wind turbine if you really want to generate your own power - PV is a "dinner party" green token.
+ a bike will keep you fit(ter) than a 4 wheeler.
Posted by: mahonj | Oct 3, 2006 5:11:45 PM
Ideal for a yacht.
Posted by: Andrey | Oct 3, 2006 5:33:48 PM
A bike is in a whole other categetory than an NEV. I can't pack my 81 year old mother-in-law arround on a bycicle. (as much as I would like to try). 30k does sound like rather a lot concidering my E-motorscooter can carry two people 200km at 50kph for 6K (Canadian). This thing should cost half their listed price.
Posted by: Neil | Oct 3, 2006 5:56:02 PM
Hey guys this vehicle looks cute. Looks like a nice choice if you have a huge garden or staying in a small town.
Wait, the tiny little wind turbine generates twice the range of 2.5 m2 of solar roof?
Posted by: rexis | Oct 3, 2006 6:14:12 PM
yeah, definitely lose the solar panel and wind turbine. they are gimmicks at best and just increase the price without improving performance significantly.
and what is up with using NiMh batteries for 7.5 kWh? may as well use lead acids.
with these modifications, you could sell it for half the current price without changing the performance.
Posted by: shaun mann | Oct 3, 2006 11:27:31 PM
I can imagine to drive a solar powered car one day. Hope that day is sooner than later. This concept, however, needs to be refined.
Posted by: ChavezIsADictator | Oct 4, 2006 12:18:50 AM
7 km from solar and 15 km from wind, 22 km per day is well within the commuting distance for a lot of people.
Posted by: clett | Oct 4, 2006 1:50:41 AM
Peter Perkins has converted a Bedford to electric in the UK which can use solar and wind to charge, he's had good success with it;
http://www.solarvan.co.uk
specs;
http://www.austinev.org/evalbum/413
Posted by: Shaun Williams | Oct 4, 2006 3:10:56 AM
Mahonj, it looks like AirX or MarimeX turbines. So yes a yacht, exactly. It is the perfect environment to test these devices the harsh weather and salt air are wear and corrosion nightmares.
Posted by: Andy | Oct 4, 2006 9:18:53 AM
I was very impressed untill I got to the $30,000 price. I would not be suprised if the free market could do that job for one fourth the price with some mass production.
Posted by: Freedom_First | Oct 4, 2006 9:31:38 PM
If GM will be producing serial phev, the Volt, powered by small ICE to recharge its battery to move its wheels by electricity, how about installing instead, in place of its ICE, a small wind turbine on board with its shaft rotated by air induction through airducts as the vehicle slaps the wind at high speed on a freeway to produce the same electricity to recharge its battery? Such a vehicle would be 0% emission and 0% use of any fuel. Can this be possible?
Posted by: Marlowe | Jan 19, 2007 12:27:45 PM
Well that's exactly what I was wondering, when I found this blog by googling "green car wind turbine"... sure they'd be small but there could be several of them and they would get alot of wind, without much tubulence? Totally out of my depth, just popped into my head.
Posted by: Angela | May 10, 2007 11:48:28 PM
Now whats realy funny to me, is that a car like the Tesla or any other electric car companys don't build their cars to benefit from Wind turbines.It seems to me if you design the car with the wind turbine in the place where we would traditionaly have the radiator,or say you added air scoops, or both see if i care. After you reached a certain speed the car would be able to create it's own power using the wind to recharge the batteries thus giving the car an unlimited range. I think that this is how we should be pushing the technology. Battery technology and intresting ways of recharging them will lead the way to much financial success and usher in a cleaner more responsible world.
Posted by: Byron | Jun 30, 2007 10:47:26 AM
A Good Start! For millions of <7k commuters, no fuel needed. Its a benchmark and a welcome call to do better, on aesthetics, price, range and/or speed.
Posted by: Roger | Jul 30, 2007 6:29:53 AM
Its the best idea i have seen till date,if applied on conventional cars,the trubine can be mounted under the hood and open to wind velocity,coils can be included in the wheel rims to further help produce electricity to charge batteries,this can enhance battery charge life.
Posted by: | Jun 8, 2008 9:58:38 PM
Its the best idea i have seen till date,if applied on conventional cars,the trubine can be mounted under the hood and open to wind velocity,coils can be included in the wheel rims to further help produce electricity to charge batteries,this can enhance battery charge life.
Posted by: amar multani | Jun 8, 2008 9:59:19 PM
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a student in mechanical engineering of Tehran Technical University, and interested
To get technical information of products and new projects of your company, please
Forward the request anytime.
With respect
Ommani Mohammad
Posted by: mohammad | Nov 25, 2008 12:14:27 PM
To Whom It May Concern,
I am a student in mechanical engineering of Tehran Technical University, and interested
To get technical information of products and new projects of your company, please
Forward the request anytime.
With respect
Ommani Mohammad
Posted by: mohammad | Nov 25, 2008 12:20:16 PM
