Hey all,
Here is what I have for interviews with David Herron, Steve Atlas, Brian Wismann, Prof. Pat Wheeler, and Azhar Hussain.
Archive for the ‘Tech’ Category
Audio from race day’s interviews
Posted: October 21, 2012 in Blah, blah, blah, Manufacturers, People of the Press, Podcast, Riders, Series, Teams, Tech, Tracks0
Tesla created quite the stir about a week ago with the unveiling of their new Supercharger stations. I shared a link on this site’s Facebook page and almost immediately was asked what if we hooked up an Empulse to one. My response was, “fire.” 90kW would be a 9c charge rate, or 6 minute and 40 second charge. But in all seriousness any level 2 charger has enough power behind it to fill an Empulse to 80% full in an hour, or a half hour even. Why 80%, you may ask. Well, for battery life really. Stuffing a whole lot into the batteries at a 1c or 2c rate is pretty doable with modern batteries (although Brammo isn’t willing to risk it yet for obvious reasons). But for the last 20% or so you want the charger to gently “top off” the batter to help it last and not overheat. The current recharge times are not the fault of the batteries or charger stations in many cases, but the limits of the onboard chargers. In my interview with Brammo’s Brian Wismann this spring, we learned the Empulse probably will come with a 3kW charger. Why only 3kW, you may ask? Well in general terms it gives the batteries a 1/3C charge rate meaning little to no stress is put on them, mitigating the risk for Brammo, and the darn chargers are just big and heavy. A 3kW is about all they could fit. For comparison, a bone stock Tesla Model S come with a 10kW charger on board. You can pay for a second charger to be added, and the Supercharger bypasses the on board charger(s), and I suspect is like a CHAdeMO where the charger is built into the station and dumps regulated power straight into the batteries. The charger is probably so big it cannot be fit into a production car. Well, easily anyway. See, level 2 chargers are not chargers. They are just outlets with a fancy plug and some extra protection built in. If they were actual chargers that Brammo could make their bikes compatible with, then we could get our Empulses charged in an hour or faster, too.
But the SAE is rejecting CHAdeMO, and Elon Musk decided a while ago that all the charger standards are too far behind the designs of his cars, and is doing his own thing. Really, I feel off board chargers (for lack of a better term) are the way to go for road trips on a motorcycle. But the charger has to be completely compatible and able to correctly and reliably talk to your BMS so as to not ruin your batteries, or burn your bike to the ground. And if the previously mentioned can’t get along now, I see something like that a long way off. Especially where money could be made. Mind you, I think the same bike should be equipped with at least a 3kW charger as well to handle charging at home or around town if needed. Now if someone could just make a 10kW charger that is the same size, weight, and cost. Sigh.
Must hear Interview with Micheal Czysz over at Hell for Leather
Posted: September 19, 2012 in Blah, blah, blah, Manufacturers, TechHFL just updated their post of an interview with Micheal Czysz, with a 40 minute audio recording of the full interview. It is a must listen. I have to say I am jealous as it is a much better interview than I feel I could have done.
Main points I took away:
They will be back to the Isle of Man for 2013.
They will be going to a central control unit that sounds very much like Mike Edwards idea using his Superbike electronics as the main brain for his elmoto racer. I am not saying Czysz is copying Edwards. I am saying that I think these two very clever men seem to think a fair bit alike, and this may be a direction we see controller technology going. Watch for it.
Two of the faster elmotos out there have MotoCzysz DNA.
Up to Ramsey (about 2/3) Rutter was running a 120mph lap.
Press Release: Barracuda Networks and Lightning Motorcycles Join Forces to Race the World’s First Solar-Powered SuperBike
Posted: July 26, 2012 in Events, Manufacturers, Series, Teams, Tech, Tracks
Now this is cool!
Barracuda Networks and Lightning Motorcycles Join Forces to Race the World’s First Solar-Powered SuperBike
Partnership Brings Speed, Innovation and Technology with a Zero Carbon Footprint
Campbell, Calif. (PRWEB) July 24, 2012 — Barracuda Networks Inc. today announced a partnership with Lightning Motorcycles that would power the nine-lap FIM E-Power & TTX Championships race at the Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix with electricity harnessed from the sun, making this the first motorcycle to complete the MotoGP race with a zero carbon footprint.
Through this partnership, Barracuda Networks has provided a mobile solar charging unit that will fuel the lithium ion battery pack onboard the Lightning SuperBike. The 20kwh solar charging unit will provide enough electricity to power the SuperBike’s 100-mile range, effectively making the SuperBike 100 percent pollution free for the race. (more…)
A few minutes with Philippe Bouchard of EOS Energy Storage
Posted: June 18, 2012 in Blah, blah, blah, TechWell, today I had a great conversation with Mr. Philippe Bouchard of EOS Energy Storage. They make a new Zinc-Air battery. And it is a technology that I have been very excited about. But my excitement has been tempered a bit.
Today I got to confirm a few things. First off is their make up. The US has one of the largest amounts of Zinc of anywhere in the world. So economic advantage and national security, check. There are no heavy metals, and the electrolyte is almost a saline solution. So, your 2-yr old won’t die if some how they managed to take your car apart and started gnawing on it. They also won’t catch on fire if over-charged, over-discharged, crashed, or punctured. So they are safe, check. Next, they are designed to last 10,000 cycles. Long lasting check. They cost $160/kWh, which is about 1/3 of what an A123 will cost you. They are affordable, check. They are capable of 620Wh/L vesrus Lithiums 230Wh/L. So over 2.5 times the energy density, check. The BMS is way simpler than Lithium batteries require to keep from bursting into flames. Simpler and cheaper BMS, check.
So they have 2.5 times the power density, cost 1/3 as much, will not burst into flames, will not harm the environment or yourself in anyway, and strengthens the US economy! Is this a miracle battery!? (more…)
I got this press release via MotoMatters. I have been sitting on it trying to get some confirmation on the tech. Didn’t get my of a reply from my source other than, “No real feedback there is a huge chasm from patent to commercialization.” It sounds as promising as any other technology, only they seem to think they can bring it to production in a bout a year. I am anti-lithium, but I don’t think it’s the final option either. But this seems like a really simple way to triple the effectiveness of lipo batteries without the mass killing of millions of bacteria. 
5/23/2012
WSU Researchers Develop Super Lithium-Ion Battery (more…)
2012 Brammo Empulse “R” specs released. “I’ll see your 114 miles, and raise you 7!”
Posted: April 19, 2012 in Blah, blah, blah, Manufacturers, TechSo I got the e-mail today! Go here to see it for yourself. My email said that there is be an Empulse and an Empulse R. Also, there will be a video interview with Craig Bramscher posted here tomorrow. Here’s the spec page copy and pasted:
2012 Brammo Empulse R Specifications Empulse Motor Motor Type: Permanent Magnet AC (PMAC) – Water Cooled Motor Controller: Sevcon Gen 4 Peak Motor Power: 40kW, @ 8,200 rpm (54 hp) Peak Continuous Current: 270 amps Final Drive: Direct Chain Drive (14/48) 520 O-ring chain Transmission: IET 6 speed gearbox with multi-plate, hydraulic activated wet clutch Max Motor Torque: 63Nm (46.5 foot pounds) Battery Pack Battery Type Brammo Power™ BPM15/90 Lithium-Ion ( NCM Chemistry) Battery Pack Capacity: 9.31 kWh (nominal), 10.2 kWh (max) Battery Pack Voltage: 103.6 V (nominal) Battery Life: 1,500 cycles to 80% capacity (100% DOD) Recharge Time: Level I maximum charging time: 8 Hours. (0 – 99% SOC, no cell imbalances)
Level II maximum charging time: 3.5 Hours. (0 – 99% SOC, no cell imbalances)Every 10 minutes of Level II charging adds up to 5 miles of rangeEmpulse R Performance Empulse R Performance: 100 + mph (160 + km/h) Driving Range: City: 121 miles* (195 km)
Highway: 56 miles** (90 km)
Combined: 77 miles*** (124 km)*SAE City Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (variable speed, 19 mph / 30km/h average)
**SAE Highway / Constant Speed Riding Range Test Procedure for Electric Motorcycles (70 mph / 113 km/h sustained)
*** SAE Highway Commuting Cycle (.5 City weighting, .5 Highway weighting)Operating Modes: 2 Operating Modes selectable through the handlebar switch:
1. “Normal” – limits acceleration by reducing maximum current delivered to the motor through the motor controller in order to maximize driving range.
2. “Sport” – provides maximum performance in both acceleration and top speed.Regenerative Braking: Under deceleration, energy is returned to the battery system to both extend driving range and provide familiar rider feedback. Operating Cost: Assuming 13 cents /kWh for electricity:1 cent per mile around town
2 cents per mile on the highwayData Collection: Brammo DDC™ (Dynamic Data Collection) records key motorcycle parameters at 1Hz (1 sample/second) for analysis and service support. (more…)
Ted Rich Blog post: “Riding Lightning – What’s it like?”
Posted: March 27, 2012 in Manufacturers, Riders, Teams, TechHe posted it up on my Facebook page, so I am making the assumption he is trying to spread the word on his latest blog post.
Here it is, enjoy:
Riding Lightning – What’s it like?
I am often asked, “What is it like to ride an Electric Superbike?” The closest comparison I can give is to that of riding a gas bike. Well, sort of. The same throttle twist makes the bike go, just as a brake squeeze makes it stop. You chop the throttle and there is engine braking (regenerative of course) just like its gas counterpart. However, there is no transmission, only a 10,000 RMP power band that is butter smooth and incredibly easy to modulate.
The most noticeable feature of the Electric Superbike is the clean lack of sound. A smoothly silent acceleration seems to defy both logic and physics. This alone has altered my adrenaline paradigm, as all my life the rule of all things fun was that ‘if it was fast it made a lot of noise.’ Not so, with this sleek piece of machinery. The Electric Superbike slices silently through the night. The only thing you hear is a slight wine from the drive chain and the wind whistling by your helmet. (more…)
This news is a bit old, so my apologies, but this is some news. The comapny who makes the controller that is in Bramo’s RR, Enertia+, and probably the Empulse, and combining forces with the company that is building the Enertia+. Hmmmm.
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. and SINGAPORE, March 8, 2012 —
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. and SINGAPORE, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Sevcon, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEV), a global manufacturer of microprocessor based controls for electric and hybrid vehicles, and Flextronics Automotive, a business of Flextronics (NASDAQ: FLEX), a leading global Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) provider, today announced that they have entered into a cooperation agreement to provide hybrid and electric vehicle drivetrain systems to automotive OEM customers in Germany and other central European countries. Flextronics Automotive provides fully integrated lighting solutions, connectivity modules and power electronic applications for automotive manufacturers around the world. (more…)
EOS Energy (and not the solar panel company in the UK) is the only one I am aware of working on this technology. Here’s the gist. These batteries have a density of 400Wh/L for EV use, they are seriously safe (as in zinc and an electrolyte that has more in common with tooth paste than anything), they are so resistant to bursting into flames that they need nothing but a very very basic BMS, and they can be run to zero %. But, while with a 100kWh pack they can support a 175hp compact car, when you shrink things to motorcycle level and power needs, I think you will find that a 20kWh pack (double that of the proposed Empulse) would only support 35hp. This is where hobbyists found themselves only a few years ago with LiFePo4. The discharge rates just weren’t high enough to support a competitive street bike.
Now that last statement needs some explaining. If you run with the Tesla belief that EV need to be better than their gas counter parts to be successful then Zinc-Air isn’t the solution. But, if you believe in the Zero philosophy that EVs (at least elmotos) will develop on their own path, then these batteries would be a gold mine. Imagine an 18kWh 2011 Zero S. I say 2011 because I think the 2012 would be too powerful for the pack. Or a 16kWh Brammo Enertia would be perfect for this type of battery. But unfortunately, other than base model commuter motorcycles, these batteries don’t seem to have the oomph needed to help elmotos compete head to head with ICE bikes.
The rest of the story is that EOS has a lead acid battery technology that may be combined with the Zinc-Air for those high power demand moments. I suspect this may also be an area super capacitors could help out in.
Some very interesting articles I got my info from:
http://www.eosenergystorage.com/documents/EOS-Website-Presentation_1-5-12.pdf
