Hybrid-electric off-road car powered by EVO Axial Flux technology first electric-drive vehicle to complete Dakar Rally
29 February 2012
A vehicle powered by EVO Electric Ltd.’s advanced Axial Flux motor and generator technology completed the Dakar Rally, held this year in South America. The EVO-powered OSCar eO, designed, built and operated by the Latvian company OSC, is the first electric-drive car to complete the rally. (Earlier post.)
Only 78 out of 161 starting cars were able to complete the 8400 km (5,220 mile) Dakar Rally journey in the car category. The OSCar eO reported no significant mechanical or electrical problems.
The OSCar eO is powered by a high-torque EVO AF240 traction motor, producing 440 N·m (295 lb-ft) nominal torque (800 N·m, 590 lb-ft peak) and 150 kW (201 hp) nominal power (335 kW, 449 hp peak), through a six speed gear box. All the electrical power used during the rally was supplied by a 60 kW on-board range extender featuring an EVO AF140 generator.
The award-winning Axial Flux design underpinning both the traction motor and generator was developed by Dr. Michael Lamperth, CTO and founder of EVO Electric, and previously Lecturer at Imperial College London.
EVO is backed by Imperial Innovations Group plc and by GKN, a leading supplier of automotive driveline components and systems.
From diesel-electric locomotives to Dakar rally cars. It looks like there's no longer any argument that electric drive vehicles can't go the distance.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 29 February 2012 at 07:28 PM
This is a really good demonstration of their motor/alternator, I hope they get some design wins from this.
Posted by: SJC | 01 March 2012 at 08:37 AM
I like how they have dubbed this thing as an "electric-drive" vehicle.
I would think that as the existence of an onboard battery fails to gain mention and it appears that power is drawn solely from its Range Extender then wouldn't this be more accurately described as a series hybrid ?
Personally, I would like to think that it had an electric transmission like the VOLT and Prius but it seems that the axial flux technology used by this traction motor has such a poor powerband that it needs the addition of a 6-speed gearbox. HUH ?
Nothing to see here that any decent induction motor with a single reducer could not have done better.
BTW The allowable ratio of peak to nominal torque for axial flux is only 2 : 1 here ?
In contrast a copper rotored induction machine can expect to yield close to a 4 : 1 ratio although in practice most would prefer to stay away from the onset of breakdown torque, even so a 3 : 1 ratio remains eminently useable, just saying.
Posted by: T2 | 01 March 2012 at 11:11 PM
whatever..
Posted by: SJC | 02 March 2012 at 07:17 AM