EVPlus - December 2016
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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.
More ...
Story and image courtesy: Electric
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
More ...
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!
More ...
Story and image courtesy:
Electric Vehicle News
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