View Full Version : Electric MiniCooper with 150+ mile range
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7762840.stm
Mini E designer Patrick Fuller demonstrates the car that engineers say can travel 150 miles before its battery needs to be recharged.
BMW is setting up a pilot project in the US which will be extended to Europe.
looks like a big jump forward to usable electric cars tbh
tbh prius is pretty cool, used to go around with someone having one on lease, loved sneaking behind pedestrians on electric motor... It's like a shark only like 50000 times uglier. But an electric mini is pure win!
Yeah! It's modern tech with a nice body :p
Really not a fan of the Prius tbh
I don't really like it either, but it has that jaws effect, you just drive it around the parking lot on electricity, then sneak behind someone with it and ram on the claxon when being like 20 inches from them.
MkVenner
17-04-2009, 19:17
Just not a fan of electric cars full stop
Try imagining an electric Ferrari, Lambourgini or Aston? It just wouldn't work...You push a button and they go, no revving, no engine sounds, no jolt of power as you shift...
Indeed, Petrol is the required ingredient.
You could rev, electromagnetic clutch.
it would sound like veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,veeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
electric motors have lots of torque, so they reach peak RPM almost instantly.
You couldnt do cool shit like turbocharge it.
No bov :(
ptsshh.
MkVenner
19-04-2009, 00:18
You could rev, electromagnetic clutch.
it would sound like veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee,veeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
electric motors have lots of torque, so they reach peak RPM almost instantly.
You couldnt do cool shit like turbocharge it.
No bov :(
ptsshh.
Well technically, they have infinite torque, but when you cross over from internal combustion to electric torque's not quite the same thing.
Which reminds me, this is the Internal Combustion forum, electric cars gtfo plz :D
I dont know shit about electric.
But wouldnt torque be limited by total voltage or how much you can energize the magnets in the motors?
MkVenner
19-04-2009, 00:22
I don't really understand it much, but it's something to do with a soon as the circuit is complete, all the power the battery/capacitor is capable of providing is there instantly...
Or summink...
That sounds more like instant peak torque.
Gas engines normally have to rev up to half of their redline to provide peak torque and depending on the displacement of the engine that can take awhile.
I think electric engines provide peak torque all the time, letting you take advantage of some seriously tall gearboxes.
Depends how motor is wired internally, but DC serial motor gives peak torque when halted, and torque decreases as load decreases. So it's a win-win, this config is used in locos since last 100 yrs. It's of course finite, however limited only by imperfections, as motor does try to drain infinite current and deliver infinite torque.
Electronically driven synchronious AC motors have power and torque completly unrelated to speed, so they're even better - as long as you can build high power (or low loss) electronics.
But, could you install a blowout valve and an external wastegate?
MkVenner
21-04-2009, 20:08
On an electric car? No...
Because there's nothing to get rid of, no air, no exhaust gases...it's just electricity turning a motor, which is just magnets pretty much...
But, could you install a blowout valve and an external wastegate?
oO
What kind of question is that?
MkVenner
22-04-2009, 23:19
Well there are those fake dump-valves you can fit to anything, lot's of chavs have them on their corsas and civics and fiestas...pretty much just a giant loud-speaker, but I don't think even that would work because they key into your gearbox/clutch to determine when to "dump", and most of the electric cars I know only have 2 gears + reverse...
So instead of vroooom psch vrooooooom psch vroooooooom psch vrooooooooom psch
It'd just be wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee psch wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
oO
What kind of question is that?
What do you mean what kind of question is that?
What kind of question is this!?
...I need to get my hands on one of these blowout valve speaker things you speak of.
What do you mean what kind of question is that?
There seemed to be some confusion or some doubts, if the question was rethoric ;)
Ironically, thanks to this thread about e-cars, I've read and learned a bit more about turbo charging this morning, like the blowoff valve and wastegate stuff. Have also found some answers to some important (!) questions that I've been asking myself several times in the past, like if a carburetor turbo setup presses compressed fresh air and blows it into the carburetor or if the turbo sucks in air-fuel-mix from the carburetor and blows it into the engine, because both seemed problematic to me. ( I'm not a mechanic, it doesn't apply to my car, but it was an interesting question ... lol )
About e-cars: I'd drive one, at least one of those that have enough power and some range. 150+ miles range might be enough. Maybe have a 2nd car for longer distances / traveling and use the e-car to drive to work.
http://www.saber-edv.com/
Ahahahahaha
http://www.saber-edv.com/
Ahahahahaha
Maybe they meant dumb valve ...
Actually, a dump gate is a workaround for poor (lagging) turbo design : )
but why?
Godgirls link was to a simulator that just tries to make a noise, as if your car had a turbo loader with dump valve. So it's just a loadspeaker with some noise generator to simulate a valve ?
I found the idea to put a speaker into your car for that a bit dumb and then there was even a blonde presenting that thing in the advert. ;)
It's "cool" for some people, just like undercar led kits and cheap ass audio systems that sound crap and plastic non-aerodynamic additions to their car.
always gotta spend a lot on the sound system...
ahaha yeah what was it you had again, alpine or audiobahn, i forgot.
MkVenner
23-04-2009, 14:19
A decent soundsystem is always a must for me, it's usually what I spend the most on. Except for the Granada, which I easily spent the most on the engine/gearbox etc, any car I've owned I dumped the most into the ICE...
MTX Jackhammer ftw :D
EDIT: Oh and the aston, not touched the soundsystem in that, but the stock one is seriously good anyway, they're like a 14 grand sound sytem anyway lol
haha you got a mtx jackhammer?
MkVenner
23-04-2009, 14:43
Yeah, had one in my old L200 warrior I had a few years back as well as a fuck tonne of other subs, used to use it as like a mobile PA system when we go down to the coast with the jet-skis and camp out. Got a similar set-up in my Land rover atm
ahaha yeah what was it you had again, alpine or audiobahn, i forgot.
Alpine DVD unit, 2x JL amps, 1x Alpine amp, 2x6" subs under the driver/passenger seat, 1x10" in the back, 2x 6x9s in the back, 4x 5x7s in front+middle, with tweeters in the c-pillar
haha funny how you still recall it to exact specs.
I cared mostly about car audio and spend some money there, when I was an apprentice, since it was also part of my job.
I also build my own bandpass subwoofer for my car by some formulas ... sound was good, but it didn't stay too long in my car, because it was clumsy and used too much space. Now I'd prefer something that sounds decent, but integrates well.
( For my room, I built an exponential folded horn subwoofer. Was even more clumsy. )
haha funny how you still recall it to exact specs.
Hardly exact specs, I can't remember the models of any of it, I still have the two small subs though
MkVenner
24-04-2009, 00:13
haha funny how you still recall it to exact specs.
I can remember the exact specs for every sound system I've had lol, pretty much at least...
Gunna rip the decent sound sytem I have in the Merc and put it in the Grananda at some point soon, don't wanna sell it with the car.
I stole my sound system from a condemned car.
@ Sledge.
I think with a carburated engine the turbo would compress the air before the carburator instead of compressing the air with the fuel at the same time since liquids compress differently than gasses, I dont actually know for sure though.
@ quinn, A dump gate helps prevent compressor surge and stops your turbine from cavitating during gear changes or engine unloading. A wastegate helps to prevent your engine from blowing up from boost spikes and such.
Blow out valves are a cheap way to make your turbo better and I do think they add a noticible effect to how fast the engine picks up after a gear shift, even with smaller fast spooling turbos.
yeah the air is force fed to the carb, get a Renault 5 GT Turbo for a cheap laugh.
hahaha 3 cyl.
3 cylinders are pure luxury. My first training car had only 2 cylinders ... Was this model:
http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/833/fendtf1719572.jpg
( Was too little to push the clutch petal, when I started, but that's another story.^^)
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