May 18, 2012
- Engineering Explorations at University of Waterloo
- Public School Students ‘Eat Up’ EcoCAR 2 Presentation by UWAFT
- IT Infrastructure: The Workhorses of the Alternative Fuels Team
- UWAFT Partners with GM for Earth Week Presentations
- University of Waterloo Alternative Fuels Team Introduction
- MathWorks Makes Designing a Car Easy!
- Building a better battery pack with A123, CD-Adapco and Dana-Long Manufacturing
- UWAFT’s Powertrain Design Powered by FleetCarma
- UWAFT Collaborates with FleetCarma
- UWAFT’s Outreach Team Examines Consumer Attitudes and Behaviours Related to AFVs in Waterloo Region
Vehicle Overview
Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
After an exhaustive design process, UWAFT has selected its architecture for EcoCAR 2. A Series Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle will be designed and built by the team to compete for reduced fuel consumption, emissions and improved consumer acceptability. An 18.9 kWh A123 battery will power two TM4 Motors for over 260hp to the wheels. A 2.4L General Motors donated engine will be connected to a generator to provide an unlimited driving range, supplementing the battery for trips longer than 60km. These vehicle specifications were selected by using real-world driving habits and consumer feedback. By designing a vehicle based on driver’s needs, UWAFT hopes to push green vehicle technology into the mainstream automotive market. Team lead Gurhari Singh explains how consumer feedback was used during the design process:
“We used 171,675 km worth of driving data. We looked at average speed, trip distance, duration and many more parameters. This information drove our vehicle technical specifications, along with interviews with potential vehicle buyers at outreach events. We hope this process will result in a vehicle that is both enjoyable to drive and environmental friendly”
Depending how aggressive you drive, it can drive up to 60km on pure electricity. Altogether, with a full E85 tank and electric charge, it can drive roughly 400 km under ideal driving conditions!
