Posted on 06/26/2008 5:50:30 AM PDT by Red Badger
The G-Wiz, with its green and economic credentials, is here to stay
The design guru has seen the future of transport, he tells Martin Hickman: solar-powered electric vehicles
Britain's most famous inventor, Sir James Dyson, is working on a project that could lead to the creation of a fast, green car.
Engineers at his research laboratory in Wiltshire are developing a powerful lightweight motor that could enable electric cars to zoom along for hundreds of miles without causing pollution. Solar panels on their roofs or in garages would charge them with renewable energy.
In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, the scientist forecast that electric cars would be "the future" of transport, and predicted they could outnumber petrol vehicles in as little as 10 years' time.
"They're quiet and they're pollution free," enthused Sir James, whose bagless vacuum cleaner cemented his reputation as an innovative risk-taker and earned him an estimated £700m fortune.
The 61-year-old inventor also expressed his belief that the cars could overcome their current drawbacks – their short range and slow speed. "An electric car doesn't go far enough. It could do. Electric motors can do that," he said, adding that there were "fantastic opportunities" to make electric vehicles lighter.
"At the moment, electric cars are seen as city cars and to go 30mph is quite enough, but in the future that will change. An electric motor can go to very high speeds."
At present, electric cars are powered by a motor charged from a normal socket connected to the national grid. "Most of the time a car isn't being used," said Sir James, "so a photo voltaic [solar] charge over a long period of time is an absolutely suitable way of charging a car."
Although probably several years off, the prospect of a Dyson car was welcomed by green groups, who believe climate change and diminishing oil resources will force drivers to wean themselves off fossil fuel in the near future.
Petrol has jumped in price by 22 per cent to £1.18 a litre in a year, pushing the cost of filling a saloon car to £70. By contrast, Britain's best-selling electric car, the G-Wiz, costs only 1p a mile to run – and is exempt from road tax, many parking fees and the London congestion charge.
Carmakers are pouring millions of pounds into developing electric and hybrid cars, believing a long-term shift towards sustainable transport is taking place. Sales of gas-guzzling 4x4s and luxury marques fell in the UK in May.
Last week, General Motors announced plans to sell the "plug in and go" Chevy Volt by 2010. BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and Honda plan rivals.
As one of Britain's best-known businessmen, Sir James employs a research team of 400 at a modern glass HQ in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, and manufactures his products in Malaysia.
Sir James said he was "excited" by his firm's extra-strong digital motors, which are half the weight of normal motors. With the aid of a microchip, his patented Dyson Digital Motor (DDM) turns 10,000 times a minute – five times faster than that of a Formula One car. He has put the motor into two vacuum cleaners and in the Airblade, the speedy hand-drier he launched two years ago. He believes the DDM – and its successors – could have far greater applications, notably in the electric car.
Sources said Sir James would probably want to team up with existing carmakers to develop a new electric vehicle rather than try to make one from scratch.
The environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth welcomed the involvement of Sir James, who has injected colour, fun and style into industrial design.
"Electric cars that run on electricity generated by renewable energy produce zero carbon emissions," said transport campaigner Richard Dyer. "These cars will be crucial to reducing transport's impact on climate change and should be introduced widely as soon as possible."
Steve Fowler, editor of What Car, was more cautious. "Dyson certainly has a history of producing innovative electrical products," he said, "but there's a fair difference between producing electric motors for vacuum cleaners or washing machines and cars."
Mr Fowler added that Sir James would have more success if the finished product bore the stamp of his "trademark innovation and design": "The last time a home electricals manufacturer got involved with vehicle manufacture was when Hoover manufactured the Sinclair C5 electric tricycle in 1985."
Plug it in and fill it up: the joys of a G-Wiz
The school run, weekly shop, daily commute, late-night taxi alternative... owning a car in the city is an expensive business – to say nothing of the added cost to the environment.
Look around central London these days and you'll see a tiny little roller skate of a car parked on almost every street. The G-Wiz, with its green and economic credentials, is here to stay.
My G-Wiz can accommodate me, my husband and two children. With the back seat folded down, it's possible to fit in a week's groceries. It is immune to the £8 daily congestion charge, and costs mere pennies to "fill up".
In these taxing times, being able to cruise past the petrol stations is fantastic. The G-Wiz runs on electricity: just plug one end of a cable into any old domestic three-pin socket, and the other into the car where a petrol cap would usually be. Voilà!
It's a curious experience, driving an electric car. For one thing, it's silent, so watch out for careless jaywalkers. It's a tiny machine, able to squeeze through gaps in traffic. And instead of gears, there's F for forward, R for reverse and B for boost, if you're at the lights with someone nudging your rear bumper.
But there are limitations. It takes eight hours to fully charge the battery, which then lasts for 40 miles – jaunts out of the capital are out the question. The rear seats only sensibly fits small children – adults would struggle to get in.
And, for speed freaks out there, I was happy to reach 45mph on an open stretch of road, but that's about it. For buzzing about the urban sprawl with a clean conscience and a full wallet, the G-Wiz is hard to beat.
More here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/dyson-working-on-new-generation-of-fast-green-cars-852023.html
OOPS! please pull this thread. I posted the wrong story!............
Does it double as a street sweeper, or does it just suck?
Don’t drive in any tunnel.
Tiskkk! I wanted to post that!!!
What a typically European looking car. Metrosexuals everywhere will love it.
...i bet this car will really suck....get it...suck...
“Vacuum King, Sir James Dyson, wants to create an electric car”
I’d much rather have an Oreck!
A golf cart is probably a lot cheaper to buy, and about as useful and safe. The man looks like he must have had to be poured into the car, and the back seat doesn't look like a normal sized kid would fit...the article does only mention "small" children.
So, this means it will be ugly, overpriced, and doesn’t work.
Just like his vacuum cleaners.
He could have saved time—just take a 1973 Honda Civic and electrify it. Looks similar.
Simply not survivable against semis on Interstates—or city streets in the States.
At that speed, it would make a fine microturbine generator head without the need for a speed reducer.
“i bet this car will really suck.”
I hope he redesigns it with a big ball in place of the front wheels!
we have a dyson and it works great.
I guess they will take after his vacuums and cost around $100,000
I turn off the TV every time that miserable screaming bastard comes on and make a note to not eer have anything he’s screaming about if it was for free!!!!!
;)
“Well, that’s just the state of TV sales in today’s world................”
They don’t have to hire that screaming bastard to advertise their product!
I’d much rather have an Hoovercreft.
I think he is right, and that electric cars are the future...I expect that within 5 years there will be multiple offerings to chose from, and they will have started gaining acceptance like today’s hybrids.
In 15 years, they will be common, and in 20 years electric cars will likely be the majority of vehicles on the road.
This is another reason why ethanol subsidies are so stupid and misguided.
There are several reasons why electric cars will become a reality, IMO:
1. Battery improvements. The lithium ion batteries are getting better rapidly, and there is major international commercial competition going on right now to produce better batteries for these cars.
2. Less maintenance. Electric cars are much cheaper to maintain and have less moving parts to go wrong.
3. Reduced costs. As batteries become more powerful and go down in price, and oil trades higher and higher, electric cars will become a bargain compared to gas vehicles. They will cost just 1 or 2 cents per mile, compared to which are typically 10 cents per mile, or 20 cents per mile at today’s gas prices.
4. Awesome performance. Anyone who thinks electric cars are put-put mobiles should check out the Tesla Motors Roadster...It goes 0-60 in under 4 seconds, has a top speed of 125 mph, looks like a Lotus, and goes 220 miles on a charge. At $100k, it is a bargain compared to many high end sports cars, although you have to wait a year to get one.
Finally, of course, there is enormous political pressure in Western countries to get rid of gasoline for both geopolitical security reasons, and for environmental concerns. While the left will want this change for global warming concerns, the right will also want it in order to reduce wealth transfer towards Middle Eastern retards.
Tesla Motors Roadster - all electric, 220 mile range, 0-60 in < 4 seconds, 125 mph top speed, 100k miles battery life, $100k price tag. If this is available today, imagine what will be available ten years from now considering Chevy, Honda, BMW and Mercedes are all in a race to claim leadership in the next generation of green cars.
I believe that Super Capacitors will be the “battery” of future electric cars, not Lithium, lead-acid, Nickel Metal Hydride or other chemical types. Too slow to charge and limited numbers of charge-recharge cycles make them unsuitable for long term use.............
Perhaps...But I don’t think the type of battery is so important.
The important thing to realize is that auto manufacturers have recognized the mainstream acceptance of hybrids, and are now racing for leadership position on next generation vehicles.
These cars could significantly outpace hybrids in market acceptance because they are a big leap in fuel efficiency for most drivers.
It is possible that we will see mid-sized electric cars in the $20k range within 10 years...Cars that accelerate faster than their gas counterparts and cost much less to operate.
Maybe I’m too bullish on it all...But none of the car manufacturers want to miss the boat and cede this market to others like they did with Toyota and the Prius.
Dyson won’t be a player in this market with that goofmobile...
But GM, Mercedes, Honda and BMW won’t be screwing around here...
I've had bigger BMs than that.
Depends on how efficient and lightweight his motor is. He could license it to the highest bidder(s)............
I don’t see solar-powered cars becoming reality in Europe any time soon. A lot of European urbanites don’t have a garage, due to expensive real estate — they park their cars on the street. There is nowhere for them to set an array of solar panels within reach of the car. A car-roof panel would take a month to charge the batteries. And I’ll bet their electric grid is max’d out like our own.
Yesterday it was going to be a Norwegian car that would be first. Seems significant work is being done all around the world and it isn’t Gummint stuff. Private enterprise is best for this kind of thing.
bttt
Seems suitable for the Renewable Energy ping list.
True...But I suspect that developing the motors will be the easy part for the car companies. It is the batteries that will ultimately determine when/if electric cars become commonplace.
For a large market segment of EV’s charging speed won’t be a huge concern. These are the customers who drive < 20 miles to work or school, run errands around their home, etc., then plug in at night. Many many tens of millions of American households in that segment.
will it come with attachments?
Please Freep Mail me if you'd like on/off
Yes, complimentary his-n-hers embroidered bodybags.....
This is the most hated car on the car show Top Gear. They blew one up in a race against an RC car a while back after showing that you can get some decent performance if you completely fill it with batteries (no room for driver) and put big tires on it, but then you won’t be able to turn very well.
Ah, the Messerschmitt KR200 from the 60s. Those were actually kind of cool, designed by one of their aircraft designers. There are clubs formed around this car, and a good example can bring well over 10 grand.
And it’s faster than this electric POS, going over 60mph with about 90 mpg IIRC. You could probably get faster with better mileage using a more modern scooter engine.
There are several reasons why electric cars will become a reality, IMO:
1. Battery improvements.
***The most promising battery technology will come from the guys who are doing Deuterium electrolysis using a Palladium electrode and seeing excess heat. If the American Physical Society is to be believed, this process is a chemical battery that consumes its own chemical ash.
Here’s a sample of publications on this subject:
Stringham, R. Anomalous heat production by cavitation. in 1998 IEEE International Ultrasonic Symposium. 1998. Sendai, Japan.
Marini, P., et al., Protocollo innovativo per l’ ipercaricamento di catodi di Palladio con Idrogeno messo a punto all’INFN di Frascati, in 21mo Secolo. 1999.
Miley, G.H., et al. Future Power Generation by LENR with Thin-Film Electrodes (PowerPoint slides). in 233rd ACS National Meeting. 2007. Chicago, IL.
Mosier-Boss, P.A., et al. Pd/D Co-Deposition: Excess Power Generation and Its Origin (paper and PowerPoint slides). in 233rd ACS National Meeting. 2007. Chicago, IL.
Dash, J., R. Kopecek, and S. Miguet. Excess Heat and Unexpected Elements from Aqueous Electrolysis with Titanium and Palladium Cathodes. in 32nd Intersociety Energy Conversion Engineering Conference. 1997.
Mizuno, T., T. Akimoto, and T. Ohmori. Confirmation of anomalous hydrogen generation by plasma electrolysis. in 4th Meeting of Japan CF Research Society. 2003. Iwate, Japan: Iwate University.
Alguero, M., et al. An Experimental Method to Measure the Rate of H(D)-Absorption by a Pd Cathode During the Electrolysis of an Aqueous Solution: Advantages and Disadvantages.
Asaoka, Y., et al. Simultaneous Measurement Device of Heat and Neutron of Heavy Water Electrolysis with Palladium Cathode.
Biberian, J.P. Excess Heat Measurements in AlLaO3 Doped with Deuterium.1995. Monte-Carlo, Monaco: IMRA Europe, Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France.
Botta, E., et al. Search for 4He Production from Pd/D2 Systems in Gas Phase.
http://www.lenr-canr.org/LibFrame4.html
So, how many Courics is the new Dyson Car?
Capable of 40 miles on pure electricity and over 600 miles on 13 gallons of gas. Cost $30-40k.
ping
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