stevenphuang
Mechanical
Hi all. I recently came across a business plan that claimed to have developed a new controller algorithm, which manages multiple electric motors, each one optimized to operate within a specific RPM range, and claims to deliver 99% efficiency. Please see the below text from the business plan.
My question is: are the below claims (e.g. increased efficiency through controller algorithm) possible?
"From the very earliest days controllers were shoebox sized simple devices with step-up step-down controls for achieving various vehicle speeds. These controllers were rarely operating at maximum efficiency where all of the energy being drawn from the battery pack was delivered to the driving wheels. Everyone used a single electric motor that was chosen to fulfill a maximum load potential even though max-load was present only on acceleration or steep slope ascension or when extremely heavy loads were thrown at the vehicle. Most field tests proved that 82% to 91% of the time the vehicle operated in some mode other than maximum load potential. The unused electric power drawn from the battery pack was dissipated as heat, vibration and noise. Most of the time the wasted energy far exceeded the employed energy in these setups.
By using multiple electric motors each with a different maximum efficiency operating rate it was possible for the first time for a controller to serve a much higher function than simply transferring electrical energy from the battery. With the proper algorithm it was possible for the controller to sense the demand being put on the operating vehicle and intelligently select a motor or motors and a speed of operation (RPM) which achieves maximum energy efficiency. As you might suspect this was no simple, easy achievement or it would have been done long ago. With recent massive improvements in chip complexity it was possible, just in the last 3 years, to accomplish this feat. Because of the speed of electronics it was possible to make virtually instantaneous changes in output power to match the demand being placed on the vehicle. Technically these changes could be made hundreds of times per second. Consider the situation when you are driving an electric vehicle in hilly country--sometimes steeply ascending and sometimes coasting down hill with dozens of intermediate load variables. With an intelligent controller it is possible to reduce waste to less than one percent. In this condition there is little or no heat buildup and noise is reduced to an absolute minimum. Vibration disappears and 99% of the power drawn from the battery pack is efficiently delivered to the driving wheels."
My question is: are the below claims (e.g. increased efficiency through controller algorithm) possible?
"From the very earliest days controllers were shoebox sized simple devices with step-up step-down controls for achieving various vehicle speeds. These controllers were rarely operating at maximum efficiency where all of the energy being drawn from the battery pack was delivered to the driving wheels. Everyone used a single electric motor that was chosen to fulfill a maximum load potential even though max-load was present only on acceleration or steep slope ascension or when extremely heavy loads were thrown at the vehicle. Most field tests proved that 82% to 91% of the time the vehicle operated in some mode other than maximum load potential. The unused electric power drawn from the battery pack was dissipated as heat, vibration and noise. Most of the time the wasted energy far exceeded the employed energy in these setups.
By using multiple electric motors each with a different maximum efficiency operating rate it was possible for the first time for a controller to serve a much higher function than simply transferring electrical energy from the battery. With the proper algorithm it was possible for the controller to sense the demand being put on the operating vehicle and intelligently select a motor or motors and a speed of operation (RPM) which achieves maximum energy efficiency. As you might suspect this was no simple, easy achievement or it would have been done long ago. With recent massive improvements in chip complexity it was possible, just in the last 3 years, to accomplish this feat. Because of the speed of electronics it was possible to make virtually instantaneous changes in output power to match the demand being placed on the vehicle. Technically these changes could be made hundreds of times per second. Consider the situation when you are driving an electric vehicle in hilly country--sometimes steeply ascending and sometimes coasting down hill with dozens of intermediate load variables. With an intelligent controller it is possible to reduce waste to less than one percent. In this condition there is little or no heat buildup and noise is reduced to an absolute minimum. Vibration disappears and 99% of the power drawn from the battery pack is efficiently delivered to the driving wheels."
