electric ranger?

[David85]

I'm a little late, but I am impressed with the discussion. I'm slowly building a saturn EV conversion at the moment and I am an electric car nut.

Some numbers to throw at you:

The average PEAK net efficiency of a gasoline vehicle is about 22-25%
Diesel or hybrid could push closer to 30%.

Real world averages are lower.

50% efficiency is what you get from the 3 story high 2 stroke diesel container ship engines that redline below 1000 RPM. And thats at the crank shaft, not the propeller.

Electric motors can vary in efficiency depending on the type and build quality.

Brushed motors are usually at around 90% efficiency, but it gets lower the more you load them and torque bleeds off at higher RPM. On average, 80% is not unreasonable even for the better motors like ADC and netgain (most popular for EV conversions).

Brushless motors are a different animal. If designed right, their efficiency and torque holds higher much more steady across the operating range. 96% peak efficiency is possible and average above 90%. Their power is only limited by heat.

A well designed electric vehicle with a brushless motor and lithium battery can get close to 90% peak efficiency if you can get the better tech in it. Cost is the problem.

If you are using lead acid batteries and a brushed motor, 50% efficiency can happen simply because of the horrible voltage sag from the batteries (driving with a light foot helps). Its still twice as efficient as a gas car though.

 

[2004ranger]

oh im not arguing the fact that electric motors are more efficient then all ICE's because that's easy to see. Im just saying Gasoline from what i remember has one of the highest energy density on earth 1st is diesel then jet fuel then gas. which is around 120,000-125,000 BTU's per Gallon depending on the ethanol content. so if we could make 40% or 50% (which i think the highest is 30% correct me if im wrong) efficient ICE's then that's a lot of power which will then cause us to use less fuel for the same power which will make hybrid technology more efficient and so on. Now i can see electric cars for running to the store and back and running to do errands but for distance i can see the market is gonna be hybrids for that aspect and electric for most daily commuting. The whole problem is initial start up costs which will go down eventually when they become mass produced. Brush less motors are so much better then brushed motors. but like you stated its so expensive. To wrap it up we are never gonna be a completely non fossil-fuel using society so why not upgrade the ICE's that are being mass produced to more efficient motors? everyone here knows all the technology is already out there!!!

 

[David85]

If there was a way to get 80% efficiency out of a diesel engine, then I would not bother with electric cars, but I don't see that happening. I'm trying to source a DC brushless motor right now and considering the cost and performance, it wouldn't be very expensive compared to a new 4cyl engine. BLDC motors are actually simpler to make than series wound brushed motors. Its the controller that is more complex.

Whats nice about electric motors is that they can power the wheels directly if designed for that, so you eliminate static losses in the transmission and differential. Mine will still keep the tranny though

Hybrids help in urban driving cycles but there is no real MPG gains on the highway once you are up to a steady speed.

There are batteries out there that could probably give an electric car 500 miles of range, but it takes time to get them in production.

You are absolutely right about fossil fuels being here for a long time to come. Electric cars can suppliment our transportation and compliment it, but cannot yet replace our gas and diesel engines. At least not yet.

 

[rurouni20xx]

nothing personal i like science research and the like, but in the words of charleton heston regarding guns, youll have to take my Internal Combustion Engine from my cold dead hands.

 

[David85]

nothing personal i like science research and the like, but in the words of charleton heston regarding guns, youll have to take my Internal Combustion Engine from my cold dead hands.

No offence taken. I have some ICE powered vehicles that I feel the same way about. A diesel ranger among them (actually, that one is my sister's but since I build the engine, we have fun together with it).

I happen to like electric cars if they are fast and fun, but I admit they are not for everyone. I hate the EPA as much as the next guy. Just look at what they did to diesels.

 

[rurouni20xx]

no kidding. ive rode in e-vehicles besides golf carts and i admit they are fun, just one of those oddities id pull out of the shed on occasion tho (if i had a shed...) now if they can make one that will smoke a gt40 for a hell of a lot less money id get one, but i dont see that one happening in the near future. so far the 18v power wheels w/ ducktape on the wheels will have to do as far as electric power is concerned currently.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

if you want to have fun with electric power "vehicles", try riding a belt sander...

i too will always own a good ol fossil fueled vehicle. theres just someting to be said about the noise of a gas engine...and the way the vehicle just feels likes its living and breathing while your driving it. electric vehicles are glass smooth and whisper quite; great for daily commuting...but on the weekends i want to make some noise and get my ass-kicked by my trucks stiff suspension while exploring overgrown logging roads.

im just very into unusual forms of energy/motivation. things like batteries, motors, interesting engines that use odd cycles, special parts, special fuels, fuel delivery systems, induction systems, flywheels, gyros, external combustion.....anything outside the box just makes my eyes sparkle. the fact that most of it also helps the user save money is just an added perk.

if i had my way, id convert my blue escort into a plug-in electric hybrid, converting the 1.9 HO into a 1.9 HE (high efficiency), using an atkinson cycle, boiled fuel, and maybe a few other little secrets for better efficiency.

i also have a few ideas for engine designs floating around the ol noggin id like to see if they are worth a damn some day (im no engine designer by any means).

 

[rurouni20xx]

thats exactly how i feel about the whole thing, i have a few things i wouldnt mind trying either, but the funds and tooling are not available to me. if somebody let me loose in a machine shop and said have at it omg id scare you w/ the stuff id do...

 

[powerwagon]

hello i would like to chime in...i went to welding class at stanly community college in north carolina and thay made a 90s model ranger completly run of batterys thay had a masive! electric motor under the hood adapted to the bell housing. the bead had like 3o cells in it. it would run up to 80 mph. but it was very hy teck! like custom softwear and hard wear to run this thing. im trying to find pics... but see if you can find some http://www.stanly.edu/

 

[2004ranger]

this is def an interesting thread though. I have ridden in a 800hp EV Nissan Sentra. The guy barely tapped the "gas" pedal and he roasted the tires. The whole car was encased in smoke. Ill try to find a video to post up for all of yall!