Electric vehicles - land, sea, air Europe 2011 awards

At Electric Vehicles Land, Sea & Air Europe 2011 held in Stuttgart last week the following awards were presented at the Gala Awards Dinner.

 

 

 

The judges noted that the Schneider Electric EVlink is unusually comprehensive as a charging system and a real success on the market. EVlink is a comprehensive and complete range of infrastructure and services for all applications from individual housing, collective housing, shopping center parking, private parking, public parking in and off street, fleets parking to gas stations.

 

EVlink solutions embed slow, standard, accelerated and quick charge, from 0 to 50kW. There is no compromise with safety and reliability. EVlink solutions allow energy optimization during charging operations and data management via the web.

 

Launched during the Paris Motorshow in 2010, EVlink solutions have already been implemented in several countries and in different applications. Examples include Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, UK, France and USA, and in applications such as parking, fleet, housing, gas station and car dealers.The EVlink solution's availability on the market is a key lever for the deployment of electric cars. EVlink is not only an infrastructure but also embedded energy management and data management which is key to managing e-mobility with limited stress on the grid.

 

 

 

The judges believe that the Model S will be a real competitor to gasoline based sedans and will widely penetrate into the sedan market. By technological innovation, it eliminates range anxiety and offers high performance with the environmental credentials of a pure EV.

 

The Model S is a premium sedan, engineered from the ground up as an electric car. With seating for five adults and two children, as well as unprecedented storage space, the Model S pushes the boundaries of functionality, style, and efficiency.

 

Tesla will begin delivering the Model S in 2012 and will produce about 20,000 units annually at full production. Tesla will mass-produce the Model S at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. Tesla has taken more than 4,600 reservations for the Model S in North America and Europe.

 

Tesla has historic partnerships with Daimler, the inventor of the internal combustion engine, and Toyota, world's largest automaker. Tesla has built the battery packs and chargers already on board electric versions of Daimler Smart urban vehicles and the A-Class hatchback. Tesla is also building the entire powertrain of the electric version of the popular RAV4 SUV, which Toyota debuted in November.

 

The Model S has a floor-mounted powertrain, which results in unparalleled cargo room and versatility, as the volume under the front hood becomes a second trunk. Combining that with a four-bar linkage hatchback rear trunk and flat folding rear seats, the packaging efficiency gives the Model S more trunk space than any other sedan on the market. Unveiled in March 2009, it includes a 17-inch touch-screen in the dashboard with wireless Internet access and remote-programming abilities. It does 0-60 mph in less than 6 seconds. The Model S has three options for battery packs, allowing customers to select from 160, 230 or 300 miles per charge. The Model S can be recharged using conventional outlets.

 

for the Model S sedan, the first of which will be delivered in 2012.

 

 

 

The judges noted very innovative and impressive features with real benefits from this design specifically optimised for electric vehicles. Antonov has developed a powershift dual-clutch multispeed transmission with high mechanical and hydraulic efficiency, which has been designed specifically for electric vehicle applications. This innovative gearbox is optimised for maximum efficiency and minimum packaging, offers seamless high quality fully automatic gear shifting, and has significant power saving features in the control system.

 

The majority of electric vehicles currently use a single speed reduction gearbox, but this compromises driver acceptability of the vehicle in terms of launch performance and range, especially for high performance vehicles and commercial load carriers such as delivery trucks and buses. Moreover, a single reduction set of gears often dictates a high torque motor, requiring considerable space for packaging as well as significant weight and cost implications for the motor and power electronics. And while two ratios can improve acceleration and top speed, the necessary large step between two ratios and the insufficient overlap can seriously impair shift quality and clutch durability without really benefiting overall vehicle performance.

 

The main benefit of an Antonov multispeed transmission, with a minimum of three speeds or more, is that an electric motor can be maintained within its peak efficiency speed range for most of the time. The electric motor operates almost continuously at better than 90 per cent efficiency, rather than spending prolonged periods operating at 60-70 per cent efficiency particularly at low vehicle speeds. And the gear ratios can be optimised for economy, performance and durability.

 

The result is that vehicle range can be extended or a smaller motor or battery employed. A smaller motor also permits lower cost power electronics to be used. Vehicle performance - notably acceleration from rest and top cruising speed - is also improved. When coupled with advanced telematics the transmission can also help deliver maximum regenerative energy from braking and intelligent energy management generally based on real world drive cycles.

 

 

 

 

An all-electric General Aviation two seater airplane was realized within the ENFICA-FC program (ENvironmentally Friendly Inter City Aircraft powered by Fuel Cells - European Commission funded project coordinated by Prof. Giulio Romeo). The airplane works on hydrogen, taking advantage of the fuel cell technology at present available, to create an aircraft that is able to connect cities through flights while totally eliminating the environmental impact (zero CO2).

 

An electric-motor-driven two-seat airplane powered by fuel cells was developed and validated by flight-test in May 2010. Six test flights were successfully carried out by POLITO. The all-electrical power system was successfully tested during the experimental flights. Take-off and climbing was obtained at power of 35 kW. Level flight was attained at 135 km/h by mean of only a fuel cell power setting. A new speed world record of 135 km/h and an endurance of 39 minuteswas established during several flights conducted for the FAI Sporting Code Category C (airplane).

 

The previous record was established by the Boeing Research & Technology Centre (Madrid) in their first hydrogen flight (120 km/h for 20 minutes, but for a motor-glider, Class D, FAI Sporting Code).

 

The main success of the Project is the contribution and cost-efficiency in reducing carbon emissions. 2.5 hours of effective flight were obtained during these 6 tests for a total path of 237 km. Among the advantages of an aircraft of this type, mention can be made of its remarkable silence: a characteristic that can greatly improve the quality of life around city airports.Furthermore, an electric airplane powered by fuel cells can exhibit much greater flight endurance than the pure electric airplanes available today.