ZAP Reinvents the Wheel
by Tony Bosworth, Sydney, Australia on 05.17.07
We’ve reported before on US electric car maker ZAP’s soon-to-be launch of their crossover SUV, the ZAP-X powered by an electric motor in each of its four wheels and built by Lotus.
Well, the latest good news is, the company has signed a deal with UK-based PML FlightLink to supply the wheel motor technology, which PML has already successfully showcased in a BMW Mini Cooper. This move brings the ZAP-X closer, though there is still no news on its official launch date.
Still, Steve Schneider, ZAP’s CEO says PML's wheel motor will allow the new vehicle to reach a top speed of 155mph, accelerate from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds, and produce peak power of 644 horsepower, which is massive.
While nothing much has been revealed yet about the battery storage system (and here at Treehugger we have asked...but so far no answer...), the $10million deal with PML definitely brings the car closer to reality.
"Wheel motors are revolutionizing electric transportation, from our ZAPPY3 electric scooters all the way up to more ambitious projects like the ZAP-X crossover," says Schneider. "We have witnessed the PML wheel motor technology in action and, without question, this is the best drive system in the world."
Well, he would say that, wouldn’t he, but Schneider is right on the money in saying that wheel motors allow automotive designers to achieve greater efficiencies because the weight and displacement of the drive train is sent to all four corners of the vehicle. In theory this gives excellent handling characteristics – so the ZAP-X should be very safe to drive.
PML’s wheel motors rely on regenerative braking to charge the batteries as the car is being driven – or more correctly as it’s being braked it generates power.
"We've sort of reinvented the wheel," said Chris Newman of PML FlightLink. The small British electrical-engineering company led by Martin Boughtwood, PML's director, has more than 30 years experience in wheel motor and control system development.
According to PML, its compact electric wheel motors produce unrivalled levels of torque with internal heavy-duty tapered roller bearings that can withstand heavy radial loads for robust use, important for the all-wheel drive capability of the ZAP-X.
PML's Hi-Pa Drive(TM) motor wheel technology provides integrated motor and drive electronics in one unit and it also has several levels of redundancy so any single failure should not prevent the vehicle from operating safely.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- World’s Fastest Electric Superbike: 125 MPH & No Carbon Emissions
- $19,000 Electric Car Coming to US in May 2009: Introducing the Wheego Whip
- Run Cars on Green Electricity, Not Natural Gas
- SF Bay Area Will be Electric Vehicle Capital of US: Better Place, Coulomb Technologies Expanding EV Infrastructure
TreeHugger Radio: The Greening of Burning Man, Rebuilding Kansas & Paul Hawken’s Blessed Unrest
|
Bacteria: Now More Environmentally Friendly than Ever
|
That kind of power and acceleration sounds great! Any word on the range for this new ride?
I hate to say it, but claiming specs that not even Tesla has come close to, from a company that basically sells 3-wheeled golf carts from China and go karts from Brazil, does not seem very credible. Is it possible a company like "ZAP" could build this car? Highly unlikely, ...but I hope I'm wrong.
Sean,
you're missing important details: the car is being built by Lotus, not Zap. Zap is providing the funding, the marketing and the initial specifications -- the actual vehicle uses components and knowledge from a wide array of vendors. It's entirely possible that Zap could create something like this.
I hate to say it, but claiming specs that not even Tesla has come close to
To which specs are you referring? And I didn't realize the Tesla had been released yet. Oh, right - they're both vaporware, so caveat emptor with respect to both of them.
Cheers.
Err.... when they say "wheel motor" are they talking about hub motors? Cos yanno, if so, they've been around since the turn of the century [and made by Porsche ;)], and electric bikes have been using them for years too. It's great that they are finally planning to use the technology in a production vehicle again, but saying that they've reinvented the wheel is a little rich. Still, if it helps get more people into EVs, a little hyperbole for the cause can't be too bad!
With Lotus contributing to the Tesla roadster and now the ZAP cross-over. I wonder if Lotus could suddenly become one of the next big auto makers. I know they do tons of design/consulting work and build a few niche cars, but maybe they see more potential in the future of electric vehicles.
Other than the headline to this post, I don't think anyone is claiming to have invented wheel motors. They've been used on EV concepts from other groups in the recent past as well as the distant. PML is only claiming that they have a product ready and works well in an in-wheel configuration.
Lotus' involvement in this is good and lends credibility to the design. While moving weight to a vehicle's corners is good, adding it as unsprung weight is inherently bad for handling. Lotus have decades of experience building some of the world's best handling vehicles, so I'm sure the they wouldn't have pursued this design if they didn't have a means of dealing with the additional wheel weight.
Lotus' manufacturing expertise is in small scale production, and as such make a good incubator for experimental vehicles like these. They don't have the experience or capacity for mass market production. That is an entirely different world. If the technology becomes viable for the mainstream market, it would likely be adopted by the current players, and Lotus would move on to other niche projects.
The PML motors are a nice idea, but their DC, not AC systems :( The amazing spec that ZAP is claiming is their range, which they reckon will be 350 miles. Thats WAY more than the Tesla is claiming (at 250 miles). Then there is the claim that the battery cycle life is 9000 cycles! Thats unheard of from ANY battery technology I have heard of, More often qouted is cycle lifes of 500 cycles. Just do some basic math on the KWh that this vehicle will have to carry to get a 350 mile range with 655 HP of engince power. Thats quite a bit of weight in very expensive Li batteries. See http://www.zapworld.com/ZAPCMS/uploadedFiles/ZAP_APX.pdf for the spec. Also checkout the Reservation form. You to can drop $25K in their bank account in the hope that they may one day build one of these. The nice part is you get to choose a whole load of options like top speed ( 60 or 100 mph) range, and price? Sounds like a massive shopping spree for new investors with some very tasty vaporware.