Every gramme counts

... when it comes to fuel-saving driving. The company Elmoto shows how you can make even a scooter lighter and protect the environment. The 45 kg light electric scooter of the company holds an L1E approval allowing to travel "from A to B" at 45 km/h with a clear conscience. Here we go - for a price of € 4,498.

Click here for details: http://elmoto.com/en/

Do electric cars have to look like electric cars?

The magazine mobility2.0 reported on 17 March 2011 on page 2 that electric cars have to look different to be successful: For design professor Lutz Fügener of the Hochschule Pforzheim it is clear what makes electric cars attractive for buyers: "You have to see by passing by in the street: That is such an ecological thing."

Do you agree?



To download the German magazine go to:

http://www.leoni-electromobility.com/~mobility_week.pdf

Further information about the Renault Twizy:

http://www.renault.com/~twizy

Electric cars handmade

There are some companies concentrating wholeheartedly on drawing up electric cars. For example Mia-Electric: The Essen company, founded by pharma entrepreneur Edwin Kohl and the energy experts from Conenergy AG, perform magic with clever, electric car mobiles in the design of the former VW top designer Murat Günak. Costs: almost € 20,000.



Or the company e.Wolf based in Cologne: they launch quite a bunch of current-driven cars - among them a small car with lithium ceramics battery for € 36,900.

Whether the e-cars can gain ground at such prices, remains to be seen. But does that mean that the ambitious young entrepreneurs are only dreaming? Rather not because who would leave a safe position at groups such as BMW, Bosch or Microsoft if he is not sure of being successful.

Furthermore the start-ups with flexible structures, powerful networks and short decision-making channels react in a different way and can implement their ideas. "We do not see any competition within the automotive industry", says Klostermann in self-confidence. "Because their electronic-car studies are very much directed towards the conventional car."



http://www.mia-electric.com/en/home/

http://www.ewolf-car.com/

The first electric racing car

New at the Formula Student competition: electric mobility

The electric trend conquers curricula and competitions. One example: the Formula Student Competition 2010.


Image source: Formula Student Gallery

Formula Student Germany?
In a team students build a single seat formula racing car to participate in a worldwide competition. What is important is not speed but the overall package of construction, performance, financial planning and sales arguments.

The challenge of Formula Student is that in addition to their normal studies, students are to gain intensive experience in building and manufacturing as well as with the economic aspects of the automotive industry.


Image source: Formula Student Gallery

New discipline: electric mobility

24 teams intensively worked on solutions to an eco-friendly mobility. Finally eight of them managed to get into the final. Besides all other obstacles the teams have to overcome, scrutineering is hardest: "First of all, all electric drive elements have to be checked for safety. The complete high-voltage system is marked orange on the vehicle and every racing bolide is fitted with an e-stop," says Ulf Steinfurth, head of the scrutineering team.

"Team of TU Delft wins Formula Student Germany The winner of Formula Student Germany 2010 is the team of TU Delft. In the new electric vehicle discipline, Formula Student Electric, the greenteam of the Stuttgart University won the cup."


Image source: Formula Student Gallery

More information:
»»» http://www.formulastudentelectric.de/

Electricity wins

On 13 July 2010 the R8 e-tron won the first "Silvrettra E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010", this is the R8 based Audi e-tron technology platform. Development manager Michael Dick, board member of AUDI AG, division technical development and factory driver Lucas Luhr drove the Audi e-tron electric sports car as winner across the finish line after 167.5 kilometres.


Image source: AUDI AG

Michael Dick is happy: "On the demanding race track of the Silvretta E-Auto Rally we showed with our R8 based e-tron technology platform that we are on the way to series maturity with our electric drive."

The rally
In the "Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010" the 230 kW (313 hp) R8 e-tron technology platform had to demonstrate its ability. And that's what it did: The two seater won against 23 other electric cars and gained the victory with an advance of half a second in the overall standings.

Further information:

»»» http://www.egmcartech.com/~r8-e-tron-wins

First visible success

"Bosch increases speed for electromobility"

Bosch already has a programme for hybrid vehicles and electric drives. As first full hybrid vehicles with parallel technology of the Stuttgart-based company the new VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne have been launched. Bosch invests € 400 million per year in hybrid and electric vehicle technologies. At present the first series production of electric motors and powerful electronics is set up in Hildesheim and Reutlingen. The large series production of Li-ion batteries from the Samsung-Bosch joint venture, SB LiMotive, is scheduled to start in 2011.


Image source: Robert Bosch GmbH

Link (content only in German):
»»» http://www.bosch-kraftfahrzeugtechnik.de/~electrification

2000 passengers and a 600-member crew

The Aida Diva – so it is imperative for technology to be absolutely reliable.


Image source: Wikipedia

The same goes for the propulsion and control technology:

The AIDAdiva is equipped with a diesel-electrical machinery with four diesel generators as power station that supply the entire ship with electrical energy. All electrical system, the propulsion system and the monitoring equipment were developed and built by Siemens. To ensure highest possible operational reliability the machinery and propulsion systems are technically and spatially separated into two independent groups and equipped with extensive monitoring equipment (ship automation system "SISHIPCIS PAX").



Image source: Siemens AG

Propulsion

The AIDAdiva is equipped with a conventional propulsion system. The two propeller motors are 3-phase synchronisation machines of type Siemens 1DM5650-8DS06-Z transferring a capacity of 12,400 kW each (approx. 16,900 PS) to fixed 5-blade propellers via a shaft system. Each propeller has a diameter of 5.20 m and a mass of approx. 13.2 t. At a max. rpm of 130/min the ship reaches a max. speed of 21 knots.

For manoeuvring in ports and at low speeds two bow thruster motors with a capacity of 2,300 kW each (approx. 3,100 HP) and two stern thrust motors of 1,500 kW each (approx. 2,040 HP) are installed. Via a "dynamic positioning system" the ship can precisely keep to a predefined position.

Here some more information about the ship and the engines:

»»» http://www.ship-technology.com/projects/aidadiva/

A look back

MobiliTec - Premiere at HANNOVER MESSE 2010

One of the truly big themes of many sectors is electric mobility. Faced with mounting CO2 emissions and dwindling fossil fuel resources, the world will sooner or later have to embrace alternative mobility and drive technologies. Bringing about this paradigm shift necessitates ongoing multidisciplinary cooperation between automobile manufacturers, drive system and component manufacturers, energy companies, and experts from science and government.

HANNOVER MESSE has been profiling mobility technologies for many years, and from 2010 on will be consolidating these themes in an all-new flagship tradeshow named "MobiliTec." The new show will focus on mobility technologies such as hybrid and electric drive systems, mobile energy storage solutions and alternative fuels.

The new show's exhibition content will be supplemented by an international forum staged on site in the exhibition area. Visitors will also be able to test-drive innovative new electric vehicles on a dedicated test track.

»»» http://www.hannovermesse.de/mobilitec



Image source: Hanover Fair

What is a dragline excavator?

Dragline excavation systems are heavy equipment used in civil engineering and surface mining. In civil engineering the smaller types are used for road and port construction. The larger types are used in strip-mining operations to move overburden above coal, and for tar-sand mining. Draglines are amongst the largest mobile equipment (not water-borne), and weigh in the vicinity of 2000 metric tonnes, though specimens weighing up to 13,000 metric tonnes have also been constructed.

A dragline bucket system consists of a large bucket which is suspended from a boom (a large truss-like structure) with wire ropes. The bucket is manoeuvred by means of a number of ropes and chains. The hoist rope, powered by large diesel or electric motors, supports the bucket and hoist-coupler assembly from the boom. The dragrope is used to draw the bucket assembly horizontally. By skillful manoeuvre of the hoist and the dragropes the bucket is controlled for various operations.

»»» Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragline_excavator

Looks like I was a bit hasty...

For a better understanding: Lego Mindstorms is the name of a product series by the toy manufacturer Lego, containing a programmable Lego brick (RCX = Robotics Command system, or NXT) as well as electric motors, sensors and Lego Technic components (toothed wheels, axes, hole beams, pneumatic parts, etc.) to design and program robots and other autonomous and interactive systems.

Ok, though I'm not a child anymore:


Image source: www.educatec.ch


... well, ok, this is not mine...

but this is what it could look like :)

... not at all childish, don't you think?

Elektor’s DIY self-balancing vehicle

I found an interesting magazine: ELEKTOR



Everyone agrees; the internal combustion engine is coming to the end of its life cycle. However you don’t need to go to the expense of a Prius or Tesla to experience the future of transportation devices. If you would prefer something more personal (and don’t mind turning a few heads) why not build the astonishing ElektorWheelie? First take two electric motors, two rechargeable batteries and two sensors, now add two microcontrollers and the ElektorWheelie is ready to transport you in style to your destination.

»»» www.elektor.com/projects