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| ProEV
Inc. was formed in 2001. The Electric Imp moved under electric power
on May 9, 2003. We ran our first road race July 11, 2004 and won our
first autocross Dec 19 , 2004. And now, in only our 10th road race,
ProEV's Electric Imp has done what no other Electric Vehicle has done
since 1896. We have won a sanctioned
road race against gas powered cars. |
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What
does ProEV have that the last 110 years of electric vehicles have
not had?
We have better technology. Better controllers. Better motors. Better
information systems. Most important of all, we have better batteries.
The Kokam High Power Lithium Polymer batteries are the core technology
that makes this victory possible. Kokam batteries have the right
combination of power density and energy density to take EV's from
a niche vehicle to the mainstream.
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It
was not an easy victory. Our decision to use less regenerative braking
to make the motors work less hard meant that we used more power
per mile. The motor temperatures were stable through the race, 25
degrees Celsius cooler than the limit. We used too much power, dropping
to our minimum voltage most of the last lap.
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We
are getting comfortable using more of the power and capacity of
our Kokam High Power pack. Running harder and longer is pushing
the limits of other components. The Siemens motors are 'stock' street
motors. It is time to 'hotrod' them to deal with the heat of constant
high power running.
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We
are learning how much the driver can influence the range and speed
of the car.
We need to develop our information systems to give the driver access
to more complete data about power remaining and temperatures. This
will allow fine tune driving style and power settings on the fly
to get the best results.
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We
did our fastest lap ever during qualifying at only 3/4 power.
The car can go a lot faster.
We need to look at every method to improve efficiency at high power
levels.
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| Chart
of kWhrs per mile vs. Amps |
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| After
over 100 years of intensive development, today's internal combustion
engine powered cars are much better than their ancestors that were
defeated at the 1896 Providence races.
Their pace of improvement has slowed though. The giant strides in
power, reliability and cost were made in the first 75 years. Compare
a car from 30 years ago to today's cars. Small improvements at the
cost of greater complexities. |
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Now
take a
look at electric vehicles. After being ignored for almost a century,
the electric vehicle is finally the focus of innovation.
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Like
the Electric Imp, electric cars are still at the early stage of
development.
The Electric Imp will win again.
Electric Vehicles will win again.
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Providence
race picture -Two EV's beat 6 gas cars
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