GM Voltec
If GM’s direction has not been very clear in the past when it comes to the electricdrive, we now know the company is going to invest in making electric motors themselves.
The gist is that all car manufacturers talk about the electrification of vehicles but it means little if you do not actually build, and eventually innovate with what is currently available. If in the past we could lament that car makers were in charge of everything, from engines to chassis, and horror of all horror, body design, the electricdrive has wrestled away this form their greedy paws. Not for long however, as more and more are turning to inhouse manufacturing.
In-House Versus Outsourcing. Here goes the old debate as to whether building in-house makes more sense than outsourcing. The obvious answer is simple; it depends. On a purely financial basis, building in-house makes sense but the past few decades have also shown that it can be carried away to the point of extinction.
GM Makes A Stand. Now fresh out of bankruptcy and with public money in its pocket, it is high time for the company to commit to a direction, and building electric motors is what it wants to add to its arsenal. According to AutomotiveNews, the motors will be 25% smaller with 20% greater output than the current generation.
We welcome the direction from GM and can only hope the design will help enrich what is out there and not be used, as in the past to hold back competition.
If you want a real winner, here is my prototype/production…long term solution to the carbon burning and EV debate. An Aluminum skate board design for the battery storage and drive controls in the rear of the frame. Each wheel should have is’t own motor for traction control and two/four wheel drive modes. Propane or Nat gas motor in the front end with generator attached. Flat mini wide screen for all driver gauges and feedback,,, Charge state, Fuel level, Speedometer/odometer, radio..ect even touch screen to change screens or coded maitenance modes. Basicly everything looking similair to gauge setup people are used to looking at but in a GUI interface… completely software driven and programable so mabye some custom “look” options are available. Regen braking and rear hydrulic drums in the rear for parking and redundancy for stopping and stopped mode. When the Lithium ion or whatever deemed most efficent batteries charge is below 1/3, engage charging off of the Gas (Nat. or Propane). The body should be hinged in the front so axcess to all batteries and electronic inverters are easy to work on by an unlatch mechinism in the rear for a huge amount of room when a normal hood or truck axcess isn’t practical. All the technology is currently off the shelf and the skate board design allows for easy body configuration changes. No charging cords, just center mounted pressure tanks in the center of the vehicle, no drive shaft, to balance & distribute the wheel wieght distribution with a low CG or somewhat raised for 4×4 applications. We know how clean propane and Nat. gas is and between regen braking recharging batteries via GAS powered motor charging can be electronically controlled for max. battery life as well as plenty of power in reserve should battery falure occur. Send my check to 824 Mapleway Lane, Greensboro, NC 27455. A few million after taxes please; And if your engineers cannot do it cheap enough I am sure I can steer them in the right direction with specifics in parts and concept and prototyping and production. Body styles can flutuate according to buyers taste and max sales. I know a assembly line could push many units out at a lower per unit cost that anything your doing now, and with the flexibility of the one or two chassis selections it will accomodate most all passenger and 1500 size truck applications. Short and long drive shafts to each motor, depending on the ground clearance and independant suspension required. A top speed of 100mph will be plenty because the programmable axcel rate can be programmed to set the drivers ears back, for “high perforamance” models…and passing axcel modes can be dialed back and forth for sedans and trucks at various speeds and loads.
Comment by John J. Moran — June 22, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
This sounds good John, let us know if you go ahead with this project. The electricnick.com team
Comment by Nick — July 19, 2010 @ 11:44 am