Regenerative Braking

[iamyo]

I have a request from a car manufacturer to include the 'regerative braking' function in an ECU but I do not know what electronics is to be included.
Is just software?

 

[JayMaechtlen]

Around 1981 an organization called SCORE (Student Competition On Relevant Engineering) had an Energy Efficient Vehicle competition. The evaluations were at the GM proving grounds near Detroit MI.

Lots of strange, amazing vehicles!

Electric vehicles, gas/electric hybrids, gas/hydraulic hybrids, one hydrogen-fueled car.

Many vehicles were incomplete (like ours, from Cal Poly Pomona), but a fair number went through the emissions dyno test, the test track loop, etc.
We watched some kind of Dodge or Plymouth whine/howl its way aroud the track- I think it had a small Diesel with hydraulic drive...
Anyone here remember the event?

Jay



Jay Maechtlen

 

[mloew]

Terry,

I believe Ford is no longer working with Eaton on their system. FEV showed a series hybrid hydraulic concept on a Ford Expedition vehicle last year. Permo-Drive is working with Dana to commercialize their system for medium and heavy vehicles. Both the Permo-Drive and Eaton Systems are parallel hybrid and could be considered Hydraulic Launch Assist (HLA) as they are not used at higher speeds.

Best regards,

Matthew Ian Loew


Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[Skysoldier]

I firmly believe that the new Ultracapacitor technologies provide the most viable solution for the least weight. Check out Maxwell technologies. They have sucessfully started an internal combustion enging with a capacitor system weighing approx. 1.7kg.

 

[Warpspeed]

Does that weight include the starter motor as well as the capacitor ?

 

[magnograil]

We looked at ultra-capacitors for the Northrop bus. Volume was inconvenient. Biggest problem was converting the wheel motor power into the increasing voltage of a charging capacitor. It can end up with very high voltages. Ditto on discharge. They could be sized to store enough power to start the engine - once. This was on a 360 VDC system running 10kHz inverters on the fuel motor and wheel DC motors. Fire department was not keen on the idea of spraying water on capacitors charged to possibly ~1000 volts in the event of a crash (in ca a certainty).

 

[tbuelna]

Latest on Eaton's hydraulic trans:

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f05006.htm