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MIRA Introduces Plug-in Hybrid Retrofit System with Removable Li-ion Pack
25 April 2008
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| The H4V on the test track. |
MIRA (Motor Industry Research Association), a UK-based automotive design, development and certification consultancy, has unveiled a plug-in hybrid retrofit system with the potential to reduce fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions by 39%, and applied it in a demonstrator vehicle.
The ‘H4V’ (Hybrid 4 wheel drive Vehicle) features a novel removable lithium-ion phosphate battery pack. MIRA built the technology demonstrator around a Skoda Fabia with funding from the Energy Saving Trust’s Low Carbon R&D program.
With this project we’ve removed the primary limitation of the “plug-in hybrid” concept by allowing the battery pack to come to the mains, rather than having to park right next to a socket ... which is more than a little difficult if you live in a terraced house or flat.
—Derek Charters, MIRA’s Advanced Powertrain Manager
The hybrid derives power jointly from the Fabia’s 60 kW (80 hp) gasoline engine and two 35 kW inboard motors powering the front-wheel drive car’s rear wheels though MIRA’s ‘e-differential’. The control system provides for pure electric driving in the city, moving to series hybrid operation ‘in the suburbs’ and parallel hybrid operation in cruising conditions.
MIRA plans to apply the lessons learned in the development of this concept demonstrator to other, more commercially-oriented hybrid projects which will lead to new hybrid models in the next year or two.
Overall, the H4V returns 4.4 L/100km (64 mpg UK, 53 mpg US), as measured on the EU drive cycle, a 39% reduction compared to the standard gasoline model’s 7.24 L/100km. Top speed and acceleration are similar to the standard gasoline model. The Skoda Fabia 70hp 1.4-liter diesel version does a combined cycle 4.8 L/100km, while the 1.4-liter Fabia Greenline version achieves nearly 4.1 L/100km, better than the H4V prototype.
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| The removable cassettes. Click to enlarge. |
The H4V’s battery pack is built from portable cassettes, each with 1.5 kWh capacity. MIRA designed and made the battery packs, using Li-Ion Phosphate cells “sourced from an American supplier.” They take about 30 minutes to take a full charge, and in combination can power the H4V in electric-only mode for up to about 15 miles. The pack’s 22 kg weight (for a double cassette pack) is expected to reduce when readied for series production.
The battery units could also power external devices, which could include camping equipment, or to power electric jet skis or quad bikes.
MIRA retuned the engine and created a custom calibration that works in harmony with the electrically driven axle to deliver additional synergies beyond the simple fuel savings possible via ‘torque-neutral' hybridization schemes.
The MIRA hybrid uses regenerative braking, which can deliver enough energy recovery potential to outweigh its mass penalty. An aerodynamics pack reduces drag by 8% to achieve a Cd of 0.299.
April 25, 2008 in Batteries, Plug-ins | Permalink | Comments (31) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: Herm | May 05, 2008 at 07:13 AM
I forgot this:
9. trucks are made to handle the extra weight of the batteries.. the rear leaf suspension is self adjusting.
Another thing I would like to see available for these electric retrofits is a replacement for the starter.. with a couple of differences. The starter is always engaged with the engine.. sometimes it acts like a starter and the rest of the time it acts like a high power generator.. it must not be a permanent magnet design so that the computer can adjust how much power it generates from the gas engine. Obviusly it must fit in the available space.. why not a belt driven alternator and leave the starter alone?.. belts are in-efficient and prone to breaking at a 20-50kw power level that I am envisioning (whatever can fit in the allowable space).
Since the engine must be idling all the time to drive the AC, power steering, power brakes etc you may as well use the generator/starter to load the engine to the optimum point.. the computer is adjusting idle and power generation all the time. It is also possible for the generator to provide added power during hard acceleration, optimizing the engine's power output like toyota does with the mg1/mg2 motor/generators in the Prius.. in other words like an electric infinetely variable transmission.
Again the people in the trades would appreciate the portable power generation..The Army would appreciate it, emergency relief workers would appreciate it and so on..
Posted by: Herm | May 05, 2008 at 07:37 AM
The starter motor idea came from a misunderstanding that I had about the Silverado configuration. GM actually replaced the flywheel, I thought that they just replaced the starter motor.
It is not a bad idea, but the ring gear on the flywheel is not designed for continuous service. The heat generated by the pinion at continuous high speeds would require a circulating oil supply, much like they have on engines and turbochargers. The bell housing is not designed for this and it would wreck havoc on the clutch, flywheel and torque converter.
Posted by: SJC | May 05, 2008 at 08:52 AM
that ruins that idea..could it handle 20kw?.. it is a pretty large and beefy gear.. the pinion would be on the starter/generator and thus changed. Maybe forced air cooling?
Posted by: Herm | May 05, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I think some good mechanical engineers could come up with a way, I am not one of those however. I think the idea really has merit and if it could be done there would be a real chance of powerful retrofits.
Also, look at the new BAS Plus that GM has announced to be available in two years. It has more power than the present unit and can provide better economy. You can search it on Google and get a bit of a vague description.
Posted by: SJC | May 05, 2008 at 10:18 AM
NO ONE CARES ABOUT EMISSIONS
Posted by: Mike | June 02, 2008 at 04:45 AM
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Put $1 in (Susan B Anthony coin) and plug in your vehicle while you do your shopping..
The low hanging fruit is the billion or so of standard Ford F150 (and Chevy) pickups with RWD that are being driven now.. for several reasons:
1. front wheel hub motors, easy to install.. no need to drop the engine or transmission, plus a servo motor to replace the throttle.. there may be one already installed.
2. the motors in the front are optimal for low speed traction and brake energy recovery
3. plus your truck is now 4WD Yehah!
4. lots of room for batteries along the frame rails under the bed.. plus it improves the weight distribution for the pickup.. wich is usually lousy.
5. these trucks usually get lousy mileage in-city driving, so much better benefits than converting a Honda Civic. Usual mileage is around 14mpg I think.
6. added benefit of having field power (very important for service people or those in the trades) with the addition of an inverter.
7. this simple conversion could almost be done with an universal kit, just a couple of different bolt patterns to handle different wheels.
8. when and if gas gets to $4.50, payback could be as soon as one year.. asuming 10mpg, $4.50 a gallon, 40 miles a day and kit cost under $10k.. batteries would reach 3000 cycles in 8 years.. well within the range of A123 tech.