Newsgroup: it.discussioni.auto.mod
Titolo: [press] due articoli in uno su: Hacking the Hybrid Vehicle

http://www.short-link.de/2330
In vendita un kit fotovoltaico da montare sul tetto: l'autonomia
aumenta del 10 per cento e si abbattono anche i consumi
La super Prius è fra noi
Con i pannelli solari vola
di DANIELE SPARISCI
La Prius elaborata con pannelli solari
L'auto ibrida diventa ora anche solare: una ditta americana ha appena
annunciato che metterà  in commercio un kit fotovoltaico da installare sul
tetto della Prius, la berlina della Toyota, ormai divenuta un simbolo tra
gli ecologisti di mezzo mondo.
Con i pannelli solari l'auto - secondo i dati forniti dalla Solatec -
guadagnerebbe un dieci per cento in piÃ¹ di autonomia. Dopo una prima fase
di test su di un prototipo che ha circolato in diverse condizioni
climatiche, i produttori hanno giÃ  fissato il prezzo del kit a 2.195
dollari. I pannelli da 30 watt, che tra le altre cose non rovinano nemmeno
l'estetica, si attaccano con il nastro adesivo sul tetto e ricaricano le
batterie del sistema ibrido attraverso uno speciale alimentatore, che
smista i raggi catturati in sosta o durante la fase di marcia. L'idea -
spiega il comunicato della Solatec- deriva dal progetto di un aeromobile,
anche questo solare, che attende di essere brevettato. Tornando alle
quattro ruote, invece, la stessa ditta starebbe giÃ  lavorando ad un
analogo
impianto per la Honda Civic IMA.
In America, comunque,la corsa per modificare le auto ibride,per ridurne i
già  bassi consumi, è già  scattata da un pezzo. Sul mercato aftermaket
sono, infatti, già  disponibili accessori, tra i quali adattatori e
plugin, che consentono di ricaricare la vettura attaccandola alla presa
della corrente. Una pratica altamente sconsigliata dalle case, che ha come
spiacevole effetto quello di accorciare la vita delle speciali e costose
batterie, progettate per resistere a centinaia di migliaia di chilometri.
In un recente articolo della rivista americana Wired dall'eloquente
titolo "Hacking the Hybrid" , un ingegnere della Toyota spiegava come
questi dispositivi, che consentono di aumentare l'autonomia della Prius in
modalità  elettrica, in realtà  brucino 2.500 cicli di ricarica delle
batterie, che sono sei anni.
(14 dicembre 2005)
++++
Hacking the Hybrid Vehicle 
Engineers are developing adapter kits for hybrid vehicles that will
increase their efficiency to 100 miles per gallon by powering them solely
on electricity during short trips.
Today's hybrid vehicles use electricity stored in batteries to assist the
gasoline engine in acceleration and to completely power the vehicle while
idling or at steady low speeds (generally less than 25 mph). Vehicles such
as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Ford Escape Hybrid include
drive-train management systems that automatically decide when to use the
batteries or internal-combustion engine.
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Enter CalCars and EDrive, organizations developing modification kits that
enable the Toyota Prius to be recharged from the grid. And a new group of
automotive component suppliers, the Advanced Hybrid Vehicle Development
Consortium, hopes to develop technology that enables hybrids to run without
help from the gasoline engine for up to 50 miles.
Referring to "plug-in" hybrids, David West, vice president of marketing for
consortium co-founder Raser Technologies, said that "80 percent of cars
would be able to drive five days per week without using their combustion
engines." West said consumers would save money since the equivalent of one
gallon of gasoline costs just 60 cents in electric power.
gas prices hitting record highs, members of the consortium believe the
timing is right to try again with new and improved technology.
The consortium will develop a prototype hybrid vehicle within a year that
includes more-powerful electric motors, longer-lasting batteries and
ultracapacitors that can store electricity used for acceleration, West
said. The prototype will cost about as much to build as today's hybrids,
because some components such as the flywheel will be eliminated. Not only
will the vehicle get more than 100 mpg, but consumers will save even more
by tapping into the grid.
The group hopes to license the hybrid technology to auto companies that
have yet to produce hybrids, which would "enable other automakers to jump
in the game without having to do 15 years of (research and development),"
West said. Other companies participating in the group include lithium-ion
battery manufacturers Electrovaya and Enax, utility Pacific Gas and
Electric and Maxwell Technologies, a company that wants to introduce its
ultracapacitor technology into hybrid vehicles.
Richard Smith, Maxwell's executive vice president, said ultracapacitors --
which store energy by separating negative and positive charges along plates
-- should eventually be included in all hybrids because they are 10 times
more powerful than batteries at providing the bursts of energy needed to
accelerate a vehicle. Ultracapacitors are 98 percent efficient when
receiving energy from the regenerative braking systems used in hybrids,
while batteries are 60 just percent efficient, according to Smith.
But ultracapacitors aren't nearly as efficient at storing energy, so cars
traveling more than a few miles will need batteries as well, Smith said.
Ultracapacitors haven't been practical until recent improvements were made
in the technology.
Earlier this year, BMW introduced the X3 EfficientDynamics concept car, and
students at Brigham Young University developed an electric drag racer, both
powered by ultracapacitors.
Perry Carter, an associate professor at BYU who worked with students on the
vehicle, said ultracapacitor technology is promising but not yet practical
-- the drag racer used $22,000 worth of ultracapacitors for a 14-second run
on a track.
The original Toyota Prius concept car included ultracapacitors, according
Dave Hermance, Toyota's executive engineer for advanced technology
vehicles, but they didn't make it into the production vehicle because of
their cost and size. But those were previous-generation technologies, and
Smith said the price of new ultracapacitors is now on par with batteries.
Hermance is still not convinced. In general, he said, ultracapacitors are
better suited to large vehicles like trucks or buses that stop and start
frequently, because their heavy loads generate a lot of energy when
braking.
Plug-in hybrids "are not viable with today's battery technology," Hermance
said. He said the Prius' power-management system keeps the batteries
charged at 60 percent, plus or minus 15 percent to extend their life.
Running solely on electricity would discharge the batteries beyond their
optimal range and burn them out after approximately 2,500 cycles, or about
six years of use, he said.
Selling plug-in hybrids will also cause confusion with consumers and could
hurt sales, Hermance said. Most people don't want the responsibility of
recharging batteries every day. Plus, he said, manufacturers spent years
convincing consumers that hybrids were not like the electric vehicles that
failed to gain commercial acceptance.
But Raser Technologies' West said powering a vehicle with electricity will
cost about a quarter the price of using gasoline, which he believes offsets
any inconvenience from having to charge the vehicle overnight.
End of story

 ricarica delle batterie, che sono sei anni.
Non posso dargli torto: fior di ingegneri studiano anni e anni per
ottimizzare i cicli di carica e scarica per ottenere le migliori prestazioni
da una batteria e arriva il primo che passa a vendere uno scatolino - che
per bene che vada contiene un trasformatore e un raddrizzatore PUNTO - che
manda tutto in fumo, caricando alla CdC... Oddio, poi sicuramente c'e' un
minimo di esagerazione, ma un buon fondamento di verita' in quelle parole
c'e' senza dubbio.
-- 
     A.''°°
Lancia Fulvia 2C '66
Austin Allegro 1100 deluxe '77
Ford Sierra 2.0 Ghia '88 (a gassssss)

 c'e' senza dubbio.
Perň l'idea della ricarica tramite pannelli solari non č da disprezzare,
ovviamente integrata al sistema di ricarica standard. 
E' perň vero che se il pannello fotovoltaico eroga solo 30 W, mi pare solo
uno specchietto per le allodole. 
Ciao
PeoFSZ1600
-- 
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 I pannelli da 30 watt,
Spero non siano davvero da 30w! Non bastano neanche per i fari!
Ciao!
Kingofcastle