The 640hp, 80+mpg BMW Mini- 0-60 in 4.5!!!!!!!

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Someone has finally built my ultimate commuter car. It's a MINI with a 160hp electric motor at each wheel and a small internal combustion engine that comes on when it's needed to charge the batteries. It has electromagnetic brakes ( no hydraulics or brake pads!!!) too, which is another thing I was waiting to see. 0-60 is in 4.5 seconds and top speed is 150mph. Here's the link to the story on this incredible little car:

http://www.worldcarfans.com/2060724.006/pml-builds-640hp-electric-mini

Not sure about the yellow, but some spray paint would cure that.

 

[Peter]

this thing seems so nasty, good looks, smart economics, i like it a lot

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

maybe THIS is the future for cars? seems VERY logical

 

[78mali350]

i wonder how long till the oil companies buy this one. great car though.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I read a bit further on this, and someone has bought the technology, or at least partnered with the company that built it. That would be Volvo. They too have built a prototype with this technology. The only thing that would make it more perfect is if you could use CIGSS solar technology and paint the outside shell with it to make the body a huge solar panel. CIGSS is currently being used as part of some office building windows in order to run HVAC systems in green buildings, why not use it to add another layer of efficiency to an electric car? It is transparent like window tint film in windows, so theoretically, you could have 100% of the car's exterior used to collect solar energy while the car is parked to recharge the battery pack. If you only drive short distances, you would not even need to plug it in at night to recharge it, thus making it essentially "free" to run for short commutes.

What frustrates me about this car is it uses all of the concepts I have been thinking about for the last few years. I wish I could have been part of developing this technology instead of wasting my life delivering pizza. By the time I finish my degree, most of the fun early research will be complete.

 

[Geesie]

Motor-on-wheel? Doesn't that make a really poor ride/handling vehicle with all that unsprung weight?

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Supposedly these motors are very light weight, but it is the only problem I ran into when I was thinking about it. My idea was to have the motors inboard of the car towards the center and have them driven by conventional drive axles to eliminate the issue. It all really depends on what they weigh and how much of the mass is rotational vs static. If they weigh little more than conventional brake calipers, rotors and stub axles it won't make an appreciable difference. Also, the closer to the center that the rotating mass is the less gyroscopic effect it would have. This could also be offset with a very light weight wheel, maybe made of carbon fiber like a 1974 Citroen SM had optionally. Then again, some wheel manufacturers like Volk make very light wheels which would shave several pounds of rotating mass of the car. These are popular with Honda people as an added efficiency as compared to standard cast aluminum wheels in much the same way as a lightened flywheel makes a big difference on a lightweight car with a high revving engine.