ENFICA-FC

Electric vehicles - land, sea, air Europe 2011 awards

The judges noted very innovative and impressive features with real benefits for electric vehicles.

New developments with electric aircraft

There was extensive coverage of manned and unmanned electric aircraft at the recent "Electric Vehicles Land Sea Air" in Stuttgart Germany with considerable questioning by a fascinated audience.

Airliners become electric vehicles

Aircraft are becoming more electric even to the extent of having electric traction just like an electric car. Curiously this is starting at the light and heavy end, with medium sized feeder aircraft adopting electrification later.

Boxster E prototypes

The Boxster E, with one electric motor apiece on front and rear axle, runs on purely electric power with four-wheel drive and is equivalent to a Boxster S in terms of driving dynamics. Together with two other Boxster Es, in which an electric motor drives the rear wheels, the prototype is being used to explore the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles and how they are used, especially in terms of driving and battery charging. What the researchers are after is an understanding of the requirements facing future products, where to go next with Porsche Intelligent Performance and how to integrate electric vehicles into the infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia's largest solar parking project

Belectric and Sun & Life are building the largest solar power plant of Saudi Arabia in Dhahran. The 10 Megawatts Photovoltaic Carport System is situated at the recently built North Park offices of Saudi Aramco in Dhahran and will cover all of the 4,500 parking spaces.

Two devices will replace lead acid traction batteries

It is like waiting for a bus. You wait and wait then two come at the same time. Alternatives to short lived, toxic lead acid traction batteries, with their indifferent performance, have been sought for over 100 years. Now both lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors are near to replacing lead acid traction batteries in the many traction applications where they are still used.

Global benchmarking for e-mobility at last

Best practice in e-mobility first occurs in very different countries and with very different vehicles. The most useful events on the subject therefore need an international speaker lineup.

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles - second vs third generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.

Electromobility has a new key enabling technology

Foreign manufacturers of electric cars in China can own only minority shares and they must surrender intellectual property on at least one of what the government considers to be the three key enabling technologies for e-mobility. These are batteries, motors and control electronics. In exchange, foreigners gain access to a market they hope will be large enough to create cash flow that can be repatriated if the dominant partner approves.

Volkswagen steps up its use of plug-in hybrid technology

At the 32nd International Vienna Motor Symposium, the Chairman of the Volkswagen Group, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, announced that the Volkswagen Group will be going into production with a range of important models with plug-in hybrid technology starting in 2013/14.

Next generation motoring with Hyundai's Blue Drive range

Hyundai's Blue Drive range is the company's spring board into next generation motoring. In addition to improving fuel consumption and reducing emissions in conventional combustion engine powered cars, the company is also experimenting with new technologies including alternative drive-trains and hydrogen fuel cells.

More pressure for aircraft electrification

Small pure electric aircraft take off, fly and land almost silently and now the Polytechnic University of Turin is figuring out how large feeder aircraft can at least land silently in all electric mode without waking local residents at night.

First international flight for solar powered plane

In the framework of its European solar flight campaign, Solar Impulse, under the patronage of the European Commission, has selected Brussels as its first international destination.

Energy harvesting for electric vehicles

Energy harvesting is the production of electricity from ambient energy. Usually the objective in electric vehicles is to increase range and safety. Range is increased in two ways. Either a very powerful form of energy harvesting such as shock absorbers or regenerative braking adds significant amounts of energy to the traction battery or wireless sensors and actuators improving safety also save many kilograms of wiring this also increasing range significantly.

Global benchmarking for e-mobility at last

Best practice in e-mobility first occurs in very different countries and with very different vehicles. The most useful events on the subject therefore need an international speaker lineup. Indeed, they must cover much more than on-road vehicles and the rather narrow electromobility programs of governments that tend to focus on cars, with some effort on other on-road vehicles and little else.

More on 2nd vs 3rd Generation Range Extenders

There is no doubt that hybrid electric vehicles by land sea and air are transitioning from having small traction batteries and near useless all electric range of about 15 miles to something nearer to market needs. In prospect is all-electric plug-in range as good or better than today's affordable pure electric land, sea and air vehicles at 100 miles or so (162 km) and use of on-board range extenders that give a total plug-in powered plus on-board energy range that even exceeds that of most of today's conventional vehicles.

Radical new light aircraft design

Aki Suokas in Finland has a radical new light aircraft design that weighs less than 70 kilos.

New GS Yuasa traction battery orders

GS Yuasa Corp has just announced that it has reached a broad agreement to supply lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles now under joint development by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles -2nd vs. 3rd generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.