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EVPlus - December 2016 News

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Sydney Airport Launch new Electric Bus Fleet for 2017

Added by admin 28/12/16

Posted: 23 Dec 2016 02:36 PM PST

EV News was recently invited to preview the largest fleet of electric buses in Australia. Built by airport bus operator Carbridge in partnership with Gemiland coachworks and BYD, the new fleet of six battery powered buses are owned by Sydney Airport Corporation Limited as part of a $5 million investment in environmentally friendly ground transportation technology.

With a carrying capacity of 70 passengers, each bus has a range of 500 kilometres, making up to 100 transfer journeys on a single charge. The fleet will provide transportation for over two million travellers, visitors and airport workers who use the Blu Emu shuttle service every year.

The Electric Blu Toro buses, manufactured by a joint venture between BYD & Carbridge, feature custom Gemiland bus-bodies fabricated from aero-grade aluminium for significant weight reduction. The BYD chassis comprises a ZF front axle and a ZF clone rear axle featuring dual 90 kW / 350 Nm water cooled permanent magnet wheel-hub traction motors. A maximum motor shaft speed of 7,500 rpm coupled to the rear wheels via a two stage 17.7 to 1 planetary gear hub provides surprisingly rapid acceleration and a top speed of 70 km/h.

Energy storage is via a 324 kWh BYD iron phosphate battery with the pack split between the forward roof and rear engine compartment zones connected in parallel for a bus voltage of 400 vdc. Dual BYD 40 kW Mennekes AC chargers provide 80 kW fast charging via the dual traction inverters.

The new electric blu buses will replace the airport’s existing diesel bus fleet servicing the 7 km shuttle route between the T2/T3 terminal precinct and the Blu Emu Car Park.

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                                                   Story and image courtesyElectric Vehicle News
                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

Lucid finally offers first look at upcoming electric sedan

Added by admin 21/12/16

Posted: Scott Collie - December 15th, 2016

It seems like electric mobility startups are a dime a dozen at the moment, with everyone from Faraday Future to LeEco planning to revolutionize battery-powered cars with longer range, prettier design and a more engaging drive. Having announced plans to build a high-performance, self-driving electric vehicle earlier this year, Lucid Motors has now taken the next step toward production, whipping the covers off the Air at an event in California yesterday.
On paper, the Air certainly has the specs to take on Tesla. With up to 1,000 hp (745 kW) on tap, the car will sprint to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds, matching the time set by the latest Tesla Model S with Ludicrous Mode engaged. Claimed range is around 400 miles (644 km) and the company says its battery design, which has been in development for the past 10 years, is more tolerant of fast charging than conventional designs.
Rather than turning to an external company for its batteries, Lucid says it has developed its entire powertrain in house. Before announcing plans to get into the electric car game the company was called Atieva, and focused on developing battery and electric drivetrain tech. It also built the giant battery packs used in Chinese buses, although that has taken a back seat since the decision to take on Tesla was announced.
The new Lucid Air is expected to go into production in 2018

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                                                   Story and image courtesy New Atlas
                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

The Chevy Bolt EV requires ZERO maintenance

Added by admin 13/12/16

Posted: 12 Dec 2016 07:02 AM PST

Not only do electric vehicles cost literally cents per kilometre to drive, but they also revolutionise car servicing. The maintenance schedule for Chevrolet's soon to be launched Bolt electric hatchback comprises tire rotation every 12,000 km (7,500 miles) and that's about it until a coolant system flush @ 240,000 km (150,000 miles). If every set of new tires fitted includes an accurate wheel alignment then rotation can be skipped which means the Bolt requires practically zero maintenance.

And that's only the tip of the iceberg. What goes unsaid is that in EV applications electric motors practically last forever. The international standard for rating motor insulation is based on a half life of 20,000 hours. For every 10c increase in insulation rating life expectancy doubles. For example, the insulation systems of a class H (180c) motor that runs at 150c would lose half it's mechanical strength after 160,000 hours. Power electronics components such as those found in motor inverters are typically rated at up to 100,000 hours.

To put that into context, with average annual motoring of 15,000 km @ an average speed of 60 km/h, a typical EV motor will comfortably cover a minimum 1.2 million kilometres, or 80 years of maintenance free reliable motoring. No wonder dealerships hate selling EVs!

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                                                   Story and image courtesy:   Electric Vehicle News
                                                  
                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                               

 

   
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