{"id":4129,"date":"2011-08-16T22:27:09","date_gmt":"2011-08-17T05:27:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/?p=4129"},"modified":"2011-08-16T22:27:10","modified_gmt":"2011-08-17T05:27:10","slug":"a-hybrid-that-doubles-your-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/cafe.foundation\/blog\/a-hybrid-that-doubles-your-odds\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hybrid That Doubles Your Odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of at least making it home at night.\u00a0 Zero-Grid\u2019s <\/a>demonstrator looks like an electric green Zap! \u00a0Zebra sedan from the outside, but houses a wealth of creative energy, along with interior-filling racks of\u00a0 batteries and an innovative charging and switching system.\u00a0 While \u201crange anxiety\u201d is still a concern for buyers of even high-end pure electric cars, this hybrid system promises a final electricity-driven sprint even when the fuel runs out.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Michael Hargett shows off proof of concept hybrid system<\/p><\/div>\n

Using a \u201cBattery Alternating Recharging Process\u201d (BARP), Michael Hargett,the car\u2019s inventor, says Zero-Grid\u2019s Zero Kar\u2122, with two or more individual battery packs and a hybrid generator, can recharge one battery pack while the other runs the car.\u00a0 By alternating power and charging among multiple battery packs, the car achieves high mileage even for a hybrid, showing over 131 miles per gallon on average, with one run producing over 141 mpg.\u00a0 It also has reasonable performance, topping 70 miles per hour: the original Zap! Car could only do about 45 mph on its batteries.\u00a0 The Zero Kar can accelerate to 60 mph in 13 seconds, but considering the bulk of its proof-of-concept power system, such performance is not disappointing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Battery packs fill Zap! Zebra Zero-Grid Car<\/p><\/div>\n

The prototype vehicle is filled with gear, including a Kohler V-twin engine that drives the two-foot diameter SEMA (Segmented ElectroMagnetic Array) generator<\/a>, which charges the batteries arrayed in two layers between the rear firewall and the front seats, which in turn power the AC24LS, 15 kilowatt (20.1 hp) continuous, 20 kilowatts (26.8 hp) peak, Azure Dynamics motor <\/a>nestled between the two rear wheels.<\/p>\n

Zero-Grid claims recharging of the dormant LiFePO4 battery pack in a fraction of the time needed to run the working battery pack to a pre-set shut-off point, enabling transparent operation and continuous driving. \u00a0\u00a0A special switchover mechanism transfers power from the battery pack going \u201coff-line\u201d to the one going \u201con-line\u201d with no noticeable lag and no need for intervention from the driver.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Smaller system with portable generator, switching gear<\/p><\/div>\n

High mileage and redundancy should appeal to aircraft people, especially since the inventors are working on smaller, lighter packages.\u00a0 A 2.5 kilowatt system, 52-pound system on a table top next to the Zero Kar is more compact, with two battery arrays next to a standard portable generator used to charge the system.\u00a0 One\u2019s mind conceives of such a system on a scooter or go-cart (or ultralight aircraft).\u00a0 Senior Vice President of Engineering, John O\u2019Gurley explains that a 60 kW system would take up only twice that volume with titanate batteries \u2013 which for now are being denied the experimenters, according to Hargett.<\/p>\n

That same reduction in operational\u00a0 bulk in the car would lead to a leaner, meaner machine, with possibly even better mileage.\u00a0 Calculations show the possibility of 200 mpg in a small car.<\/p>\n

Questioned about the very large SEMA generator, Hargett explained that the car had a secondary function \u2013 acting as a backup generator for the home in case of power outages \u2013 which happen frequently during wintertime storms in the Pacific Northwest. In fact, the car could provide emergency power to Hargett\u2019s and eight lucky neighbors\u2019 homes.\u00a0 Zero-Grid\u2019s web site shows the range of uses to which this technology can be adapted.<\/p>\n

What was supposed to be a two-hour Q&A of the generator\u2019s new function turned into an over seven-hour demonstration for engineers at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Ohio last June, according to Hargett, the unit also having generated intense interest.<\/p>\n

Hargett and O\u2019Gurley staged demonstration economy runs in which gasoline was measured in ounces and its use calculated against drive time, charging time, and miles per gallon.\u00a0 They claim to recharge their battery packs in only 20-percent of total drive times.\u00a0 The first of two July runs with their ZAP-Kar\u00a0 proof of concept vehicle went 154.8 miles on 1 gallon, 8.8 ounces of unleaded, giving\u00a0 144.8 miles per gallon.\u00a0 The second average 131.62 mpg.\u00a0 Both tests followed federal Department of Transportation criteria, with stop-and-go driving in urban and rural environments and at least a brief run on nearby Interstate 5.\u00a0 Speeds ranged from 25 to 65 miles per hour.<\/p>\n

Zero-Grid has received ride-along local TV coverage <\/a>in their proof-of-concept vehicle, and the team will be installing their systems in a more aesthetically-pleasing line of electric vehicles produced by GGT electric vehicles (GreenGo Tek LLC).<\/p>\n

We look forward to ongoing developments for this ingenious hybrid system.<\/p>\n