My idea today is about cars and they way they should head into.
Cars have always been a passion of mine and driving is one of my top favourite things to do with my free time. This might be seen as a contradiction but I love fast sport cars and the new eco-friendly electric ones. In my weekly live I travel around 60km a day (about 38mi) and I try to separate the pleasure of a weekend sports car and the vehicle I need for my mobility.
So, my idea today is about the "vehicle" I need for my day-to-day mobility.
For some months now, we've seen some interesting hybrid and electric cars pushing technology and minds forward with their awesomeness, but I still think things could be somehow different.
Car industry (as many others also are) is based on standards and many different car models share the same platform on which they can have different configurations and looks. My idea is that this platform standardization and modularization should be taken to another level.
So, a car manufacturer for a given car segment should have a platform capable of the following:
Different looks
Not everyone likes the same looks in a car (this already exists today).
Different Interior Equipment
Besides the basic equipment the "extras" should be easy for the client to choose from and for the manufacturer to produce, as requested by the client (this also exists today)
Different and Efficient Drivetrains
The drive should be as efficient as it can be. As options, FWD (Front Wheel Drive), RWD (Rear Wheel Drive) or AWD (All Wheel Drive) which can be found in some manufacturers today.
Efficient Drive Motors
What really pushes the car forward should be the peak of efficiency and as for today, I don't know a more efficient kind of motor as the electric motor. Today there are electric motors that achieve efficiencies of 96% and higher. So, for me, the motor that drives the car should be electric and for no more losses on the system, they should be placed on the wheels itself. In the examples of drivetrains above, one car could have 2 or 4 electric motors. For me this has the following benefits:
- Don't use interior space. If you consider the interior space as payload, you will increase the payload by transferring the motors to the "outside" of the car.
- Low center of gravity. The motors being on the wheels are very close to the ground and contribute to put the center of gravity low helping handling.
- 1 moving part per motor. Everyone talks about the electric motor having just 1 moving part, but if the motor isn't on the wheel, you'll end up with some moving parts as the drivetrain and such which can be responsible for losses around 15% of the energy consumption of the car. So, no transmission, no gearbox, no flywheel...just a motor in a wheel.
- Reduce losses on regenerative braking. The same as the previous but for harvesting mechanical energy from the moving wheels. Additionally, this reduces the usage of the "physical" disk brakes, thus potentially reducing maintenance costs.
In the car platform it should be an area where different batteries with different capacities and energy densities can be installed and it should be the client to choose the supplier and the battery specifications that meet his needs. This should be modular and easily replaceable, allowing the client to opt on buying or leasing a battery pack as he wishes. This also allows that if I make about 60km a day I can have a light battery for driving about 80km and that recharges overnight in 6 or 8 hrs and may rent a larger, fast recharging one that allows for 300 to 500km and has a 75% recharge time of 15 minutes to a weekend trip or some point in time situation that occurs. If not all the space is being occupied by the battery (for example, when you have installed a small one), this space could be used for storing luggage or whatever the driver needs.
Energy Generator and Storage
As for today and I guess it will take several years, petrol and other kinds of fuels will have better energy densities compared to battery technologies. The car platform should also have another area for an optional energy generator (electrical generator that recharges very efficiently the battery pack) and for its energy storage. As I imagine it, it might be a very small, very efficient 250cc petrol engine or whatever the client wants it to be (as the example above for the batteries, this engine could be owned by the client or rented as needed and could be bigger or smaller or could simply be removed if not needed) that kicks in when the battery reaches a level that has been set by the driver. For its "tank" its the same principle, allowing for a bigger or smaller or event to be removed if not needed. This engine / energy generator is meant to increase the range of the car when the client needs it.
When there is no need to have this energy generator installed it should be easily removed and the area could be used for storage.
This is my idea!
If you agree and have something to add to it or if you don't, please send me your comments and own ideas!
Cars have always been a passion of mine and driving is one of my top favourite things to do with my free time. This might be seen as a contradiction but I love fast sport cars and the new eco-friendly electric ones. In my weekly live I travel around 60km a day (about 38mi) and I try to separate the pleasure of a weekend sports car and the vehicle I need for my mobility.
So, my idea today is about the "vehicle" I need for my day-to-day mobility.
For some months now, we've seen some interesting hybrid and electric cars pushing technology and minds forward with their awesomeness, but I still think things could be somehow different.
Car industry (as many others also are) is based on standards and many different car models share the same platform on which they can have different configurations and looks. My idea is that this platform standardization and modularization should be taken to another level.
So, a car manufacturer for a given car segment should have a platform capable of the following:
Different looks
Not everyone likes the same looks in a car (this already exists today).
Different Interior Equipment
Besides the basic equipment the "extras" should be easy for the client to choose from and for the manufacturer to produce, as requested by the client (this also exists today)
Different and Efficient Drivetrains
The drive should be as efficient as it can be. As options, FWD (Front Wheel Drive), RWD (Rear Wheel Drive) or AWD (All Wheel Drive) which can be found in some manufacturers today.
Efficient Drive Motors
What really pushes the car forward should be the peak of efficiency and as for today, I don't know a more efficient kind of motor as the electric motor. Today there are electric motors that achieve efficiencies of 96% and higher. So, for me, the motor that drives the car should be electric and for no more losses on the system, they should be placed on the wheels itself. In the examples of drivetrains above, one car could have 2 or 4 electric motors. For me this has the following benefits:
- Don't use interior space. If you consider the interior space as payload, you will increase the payload by transferring the motors to the "outside" of the car.
- Low center of gravity. The motors being on the wheels are very close to the ground and contribute to put the center of gravity low helping handling.
- 1 moving part per motor. Everyone talks about the electric motor having just 1 moving part, but if the motor isn't on the wheel, you'll end up with some moving parts as the drivetrain and such which can be responsible for losses around 15% of the energy consumption of the car. So, no transmission, no gearbox, no flywheel...just a motor in a wheel.
- Reduce losses on regenerative braking. The same as the previous but for harvesting mechanical energy from the moving wheels. Additionally, this reduces the usage of the "physical" disk brakes, thus potentially reducing maintenance costs.
Drive Motors Energy Storage
This is kind of a complementary feature necessary for the previous one. If we have electric motors, well..electrons it have to come from somewhere...the battery pack should be an industry standard and not proprietary to the car manufacturer. The car platform must not only work with different batteries but it also should have a charging system capable of dealing with different battery manufacturers. In the car platform it should be an area where different batteries with different capacities and energy densities can be installed and it should be the client to choose the supplier and the battery specifications that meet his needs. This should be modular and easily replaceable, allowing the client to opt on buying or leasing a battery pack as he wishes. This also allows that if I make about 60km a day I can have a light battery for driving about 80km and that recharges overnight in 6 or 8 hrs and may rent a larger, fast recharging one that allows for 300 to 500km and has a 75% recharge time of 15 minutes to a weekend trip or some point in time situation that occurs. If not all the space is being occupied by the battery (for example, when you have installed a small one), this space could be used for storing luggage or whatever the driver needs.
Energy Generator and Storage
As for today and I guess it will take several years, petrol and other kinds of fuels will have better energy densities compared to battery technologies. The car platform should also have another area for an optional energy generator (electrical generator that recharges very efficiently the battery pack) and for its energy storage. As I imagine it, it might be a very small, very efficient 250cc petrol engine or whatever the client wants it to be (as the example above for the batteries, this engine could be owned by the client or rented as needed and could be bigger or smaller or could simply be removed if not needed) that kicks in when the battery reaches a level that has been set by the driver. For its "tank" its the same principle, allowing for a bigger or smaller or event to be removed if not needed. This engine / energy generator is meant to increase the range of the car when the client needs it.
When there is no need to have this energy generator installed it should be easily removed and the area could be used for storage.
This is my idea!
If you agree and have something to add to it or if you don't, please send me your comments and own ideas!
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