It is entirely possible the company involved "massaged" their numbers. They were called Unique Mobility back in the mid-80s, but are long gone, swallowed up by a much larger shark. Nonetheless, the technology was interesting - the vehicles were powered entirely by electric motors they designed (8 lbs, 40 HP) which were mounted in the whe…
It is entirely possible the company involved "massaged" their numbers. They were called Unique Mobility back in the mid-80s, but are long gone, swallowed up by a much larger shark. Nonetheless, the technology was interesting - the vehicles were powered entirely by electric motors they designed (8 lbs, 40 HP) which were mounted in the wheels. Power for the motors came from a very small IC engine (probably a diesel) which was tuned to run most efficiently at a certain speed and load range. Its sole job was to run the alternators that powered the motors and charged the reserve battery (much smaller than the batteries in most EVs) - there was no direct mechanical connection between the IC engine and the drive train. Regenerative braking also recharged the batteries. With more modern computerized control systems, a scheme like this could be viable as a way to design vehicles to use much less fossil fuel until we develop a new technology that will be better. It is true that the 'acromegaly' affecting our cars and pickups is not helping. As you know, a major problem with trying to solve climate change is that the worst effects are likely more in the future (though recently, the pace of destruction makes this view questionable), so the politicians figure it will be someone else's problem.....
It is entirely possible the company involved "massaged" their numbers. They were called Unique Mobility back in the mid-80s, but are long gone, swallowed up by a much larger shark. Nonetheless, the technology was interesting - the vehicles were powered entirely by electric motors they designed (8 lbs, 40 HP) which were mounted in the wheels. Power for the motors came from a very small IC engine (probably a diesel) which was tuned to run most efficiently at a certain speed and load range. Its sole job was to run the alternators that powered the motors and charged the reserve battery (much smaller than the batteries in most EVs) - there was no direct mechanical connection between the IC engine and the drive train. Regenerative braking also recharged the batteries. With more modern computerized control systems, a scheme like this could be viable as a way to design vehicles to use much less fossil fuel until we develop a new technology that will be better. It is true that the 'acromegaly' affecting our cars and pickups is not helping. As you know, a major problem with trying to solve climate change is that the worst effects are likely more in the future (though recently, the pace of destruction makes this view questionable), so the politicians figure it will be someone else's problem.....