Hypercar Pollution Prevention Michelle Bates. What is a Hypercar? Ultralight, Low-Drag, Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (HEV) 2 Sources of energy: –Fuel cells,

Hypercar

Pollution Prevention

Michelle Bates

What is a Hypercar?

• Ultralight, Low-Drag, Hybrid-Electric Vehicle (HEV)

• 2 Sources of energy:– Fuel cells, gas turbines, diesels, lean burn gasoline

engines

– Flywheels, batteries, ultracapacitors

• 2 Drive trains– Internal Combustion Engine- gas or alt. fuels

– Battery driven electric

Drivesystems

• Conventional – Internal combustion engine coupled to wheels

through the transmission, driveshaft, etc.

• Hybrid-Electric – Engine (or other power source) generates

electricity from fuel, which then powers electric motors that turn the wheels

Six Main Sources of Energy Loss in a Conventional Car:

Hypercar Strategies to Reduce Energy Losses

• Ultralight– 1994 Average U.S. Passenger car 1439 kg– 2000-2005 Hypercar (4-5 seat) 521 kg

• Low Aerodynamic Drag

• Hybrid-Electric Drivesystem

• Efficient Accessories

Ultralight

• Composites– Embed strong reinforcing fibers in a supporting

"matrix" of polymer

• Advanced Composites – Long or continuous reinforcing fibers such as carbon

or aramid (kevlar) in addition to glass

Advanced Composite Materials

• Advantages- 50-65% reduction in

weight

- Crashworthy

- Design Flexibility

- Durability

- Manufacturing

• Disadvantages- $

GM’s 1991 Ultralite Concept Car

Mass Decompounding

Low-Drag Aerodynamic Design

• Smooth underbody

• Low-angle windshields

• Tapered rear end

• Minimized body seams

• Aerodynamically designed air intakes, suspension, and wheel wells

• Result: 40-50% decrease in drag

Rolling Resistance

• 1/3 engine output lost • Solution

– lightweight car

– tire improvements

– improved wheel bearing and brake design

• Reduction in rolling resistance by 50-80%

Hybrid-Electric Drive

• Series– Engine with generator

to supply electricity for battery pack and electric motor

– No mechanical connection

– Power transferred electrically to wheel motor

• Parallel– Direct mechanical

connection between hybrid power unit and wheels

– Electric motor drives the wheels

– Example

Hybrid-Electric DriveSeries

Parallel

Hybrid-Electric Drive

• Generate electricity from the fuel, powers wheel motors

• Electric motors can recover part of the braking energy

Wheel Motor

Hybrid-Electric Drive

• Large decrease in engine size– reduces weight, cost, fuel consumption

• Drive system efficiency doubled

Efficient Accessories

• Avoid heat buildup by using:– Insulation, special heat-reflecting glass, solar-

powered vent fans

– Innovative cooling and dehumidification systems

– Improved headlights and taillights

• More efficient electronics and interior lighting systems

Hypercar

Whole Systems Approach

• Optimizing parts individually results in inefficiency overall

• Hypercar is cost effective when the entire system is designed for efficiency

Hypercar Safety

• Advanced composites

• Smaller propulsion system– room at both ends of the car for materials

dedicated to crash energy management

• Front and side airbags, harnesses with pretensioners and stress-limiters, padding, active headrests

Pollution Prevention

• Hypercars would go roughly 2-4 times farther on a unit of fuel– decreased overall carbon dioxide emissions

– lower emissions per vehicle mile traveled

• Alternative fuels

Fuel Efficiency

Life Cycle Assessment

• Advanced Composites are durable– won’t rust, dent or chip

• Total weight is much less, so there is less pure waste produced

Current Status

• Hypercars do not currently exist• Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) do exist• Chrysler, Ford and GM

– Year 2000 prototype HEVs– Year 2003 release HEVs on the U.S. market

• Department of Energy HEV Propulsion Program– Funds 50% of development costs

Toyota’s Hybrid-Electric Prius Sedan

• Japanese market for one year

• Not ultralight (weighs 330 lbs. more)

• 66 miles per gallon

• Emissions reduced to 1/10th the Japanese legal requirement

• U.S. market year 2000

Toyota Prius Toyota Camry

Engine

1.5-liter, 16 valve, 4-cyl

2.2-liter, 16 valve, 4-cyl

Engine Output

58 hp at 4,000 rpm

136 hp at 5,200 rpm

Fuel Efficiency

66 mpg

23 mpg

Max. Range

850 miles

500 miles

ABS Standard Optional

Price ~$20,000 $17,873

Future Projections

• Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) – One tenth of new cars sold in five U.S. states by

2004

• Half of all vehicles Hypercars by 2020

– Overall fuel consumption 25 percent less than today's level

Battery Electric Cars vs. Hybrid-Electric Cars

• Battery Electric– Run on electricity stored in

onboard batteries– Gasoline contains 100 times

more energy per pound than batteries

– Several thousand pounds of batteries (mass compounding)

– Range less than 150 miles

Battery Electric Cars vs. Hybrid-Electric Cars

• Battery-Electric– Batteries must be

replaced every few years

– Batteries cost $2000-$15,000 each

– Batteries not recyclable

– Emission shifting

GM’s EV1

Battery Electric Cars vs. Hybrid-Electric Cars

• Hybrid-Electric Cars– Wheels powered by electric motor or motors,

convert fuel into energy as they go

– Alternative fuel sources (Ex: renewable fuel cells)

– Decrease carbon dioxide emissions

– Increased engine and drive systems efficiency

– Mass decompounding

Economic Impacts: The Winners• Makers of power electronics, microelectronics,

advanced electric motors and small engines, alternative power plants and storage devices, and software

• Composite materials, structures, and tooling and manufacturing equipment suppliers

• Providers of polymers, fibers, coatings, and adhesives for the composites industry

• Aerospace firms

Economic Impacts: Losers

• Iron and steel industries (a Hypercar has 92% less iron and steel)

• Heavy machine tools

• Oil for motor fuel

• Automotive fluids and lubricants

For More Information

• The Hypercar Center– www.hypercarcenter.org

• Hybrid Electric Vehicle Program– www.hev.doe.gov

• Rocky Mountain Institute– www.rmi.org

• Toyota Prius– www.toyota.com