Mindset introduces partners for EV project; production targeted to begin in November 2011
05 December 2010
Mindset Holding AG (formerly Spirit Avert AG) recently introduced its primary industrial partners for the mindset EV project (earlier post): Brusa, Xenatec Group, Benteler Engineering and swissauto Wenko. The company envisions three models of the mindset: two versions of pure battery-electric vehicle (front-wheel and all-wheel drive) and a range-extended electric vehicle.
BRUSA Elektronik AG will provide the power electronics and electric machines. Mindset said that safety was one of the crucial aspects for choosing Brusa components (including the electric engine, battery, battery management system, inverter and battery charger).
swissauto Wenko AG, founded in 1987 by Urs Wenger and Beat Kohler, was commissioned by mindset to create the range-extender engine. The single-cylinder, 0.3-liter, 26 kW engine, assuming a tank capacity of 50 liters, is sufficient to extend to the range to more than 1,500 km (932 miles). swissauto began development of a single-cylinder 250 cc engine for various applications such as Karts, ATVs and boats in 2006 and began production in 2008.
German car body manufacturer Xenatec Group was created in 2009 following the acquisition of ThyssenKrupp Drauz Nothelfer. With the approval of Daimler, Xenatec developed and produced a coupé based on the Maybach 57S (Xenatec Coupé). Leon Hustinx, director of Mindset Holding AG, is a stakeholder of Xenatec, which will be responsible for the production of the first mindset series of 1,500 vehicles. The production will begin in Germany in November 2011.
Benteler Engineering Services will be responsible for the homologation and testing validation.
(A hat-tip to sc!)
Over ten years ago, ACPropulsion demonstrated a range extend vehicle, the TZERO, with a small engine in a special trailer.
The proposed engine is large enough for the highest motorway speeds. It should be first tested in a Th!nk vehicle. Smaller range extenders are perfectly useful for most automobile uses, and no electric motored automobile should be produced without some kind of fuel powered range extender because they save greatly on battery costs for the average use. Such range extenders can be as small as one to three kilowatts or perhaps even smaller. The RCV rotating cylinder valve engine made for model aircraft is an interesting option as is the engine generator extracted from the HONDA EU1000i portable generator. Induction or switched reluctance generators can be built at very low cost for such engines and are highly reliable. The OPOC engine was demonstrated as a removeable range extender. Multiple small range extenders could be fit into a single vehicle for different power levels and reliability and better use of space. They are all electrically startable from an auxiliary battery or a nearly depleted main battery. High power semiconductors are now very cheap for this use.
The manufacturers of all automobiles should test each of their models to find out and publish how much power each vehicle requires on a level motorway at 20 miles per hour with no wind. Most drivers would be surprised at how little power is required. People who paid for high horsepower engines would be dismayed to have a big horsepower indicator visible at all times and to all passengers that showed the actual horsepower ( not kW) being used at the wheels at any moment. The power required at other speeds should also be published. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 05 December 2010 at 08:50 AM
Many good points Henry. I doubt that a light weight, well designed, small, PHEV would need a genset much larger then 25 Kw to travel at speed limits. Something as small as 15 Kw may do the job in most cases unless you live in a very hilly country and/or have a very large family. Tata could certainly come out with a common sense very low cost 15-25 Kw genset equipped PHEV in the near future.
A small combo supercap + advanced lithium battery pack could supply e-power storage for years.
Isn't the Maybach 57S a rather heavy large car?
Posted by: HarveyD | 05 December 2010 at 10:09 AM
Just think of it as the German engineers cast iron version of the TESLA. But the Volt with three pistons and many gears?? Artemis proved that even with the standard engine a real production automobile can be converted to a far more efficient hydraulic hybrid with no big batteries required and no lithium except in the grease. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 05 December 2010 at 10:20 AM
It would take a heck of a car or high speeds to need 25 kW continuous. I took a car and cargo trailer loaded to over 3 tons through mountains at highway speed (55 or 65 MPH, whatever the speed limit was) and averaged less than 50 HP (37 kW) based on fuel consumption.
The 3.3 l/100 km fuel consumption is about 70 MPG, roughly twice as good as the Volt. Chevrolet has some catching up to do; I suggest downsizing to 2 cylinders, using the Atkinson cycle, and turbocharging and intercooling to get the specific power up there again.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 05 December 2010 at 07:52 PM
With more advanced higher power batteries and/or super caps + higher peak e-power motors for acceleration and hill climbing, a 15 Kw genset capable of short time peaks of 20 to 25 Kw could probably do a good job. Liquid cooled units could be smaller and sustain peak power for longer periods.
However, since the majority still love larger, heavier vehicles with sport car like accelerations, we may not see anything with much less than 100 Kw.
Posted by: HarveyD | 06 December 2010 at 08:19 AM