Enfield Thunderbolt

[marcus]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25117784

[Barry]

There is an Enfield in the Ipswich Transport museum.

http://www.ipswichtransportmuseum.co.uk/

[Chris Thomas]

Dear Marcus

Interesting article. Soon there will be another one about the fifth gear presenter  Johnny Smith I think his name is with his upgraded Enfield that he will use for Drag racing.

The blue car in the article I saw on the London to Brighton run as it came through Redhill. However it was on the back of a recovery truck. So whilst it was driven on the London to Brighton Run it did not drive under electric power for the full distance, It probably did the first 10 miles and the last 10 miles, and hitched a lift inbetween.

Chris Thomas

[Bob Purton]

That sounds about right Chris. If my Reva wouldn't make it to Brighton an Enfield surely wouldn't unless running on lithium.

[Barry]

Just need a small diesel generator in the back, ticking away?

[Stuart Cyphus]

Just need a small diesel generator in the back, ticking away?

 Except it's illegal alas, as the Road Traffic Act states you can't have two means of propulsion acting on a vehicle at one and the same time. You can carry a generator, but it can't be running at the same time as the electric motor is running. Once the batteries are flat, the car has to be motionless if the generator is then brought into play to charge said batteries.

 As far as I'm aware, it's the same with UK-market modern hybrids; they run either on their engine OR on their batteries at any one time. Never both acting with each other at the same time.

 That square hybrid thing they built on Top gear a few years back, which was also tested by Autocar, was in fact totally illegal to the letter of the law, but since when have facts got in the way of a good story?

[Barry]

That does seem daft as the generator is only charging the batteries, however, here is a solution.................

Keep the batteries in two separate banks.  The generator can charge the batteries that are not connected to the motor.  It is just charging separate batteries.
Switching the flat batteries over to the fully charged ones would also switch the generator over to the flat ones.

At no time would the generator be connected to the driving motor.

Disconnect the generator altogether if all batteries were required.

Leave the generator connected to all batteries whilst parked / stationary.

[marcus]

I knew that having 2 active motors is not permitted but I had no idea that a generator charging batteries-in-use was also illegal! It is the same principle that diesel-electric trains and trams have used for many decades. It seems sensible to get an efficient IC engine running a generator at its most efficient rev speed to charge a battery, I can only assume that law was drafted without thinking fully about its ramifications.
I did actually think of using a small motor and generator to extend the range of my drum car, perhaps it is best that I did not! I think that law should be changed to allow more development and use of hybrids without having to carry two sets of heavy batteries.
I know some people have developed electric vehicles (including bikes) with electric hub motors at each wheel, but these would be illegal here. It seems daft and unnecessarily restrictive to me.

[Bob Purton]

But you need all the batteries connected to give enough torque to drive the motor. Having two sets of batteries would double the cost and the weight. Plus, I have read accounts of people feeding a small generator into there batteries whilst out camping or what ever and it hardly puts anything back in. Same with a solar panel, takes to long to trickle in.

[Barry]

Don't some electric vehicles all ready have a motor on each wheel - I am pretty sure I have seen that idea being used?

[Bob Purton]

Yes?

[marcus]

I think some grockle buggies and bikes have 2,3 or 4 wheel hub motors, but from my research if they are restricted to less than 18 kph then they are exempt from "car" law.

[AndrewG]

As far as I'm aware, it's the same with UK-market modern hybrids; they run either on their engine OR on their batteries at any one time. Never both acting with each other at the same time

I'm positive that's incorrect - all hybrid cars, without exception, run their electric motor at the same time as the internal combustion engine.  Some hybrids, like the Honda Insight but not the Toyota Prius, cannot run the electric motor on its own - it is only ever used in conjunction with the IC engine.

Hands up who has seen this week's automotive joke - for a modest £100K you can now buy a diesel hybrid Range Rover.  That's like fitting padding around a cane so that it doesn't hurt the kids quite as much.....

[DaveMiller]

I'm sure it can't be right;  the Vauxhall Ampera (aka Chevrolet Volt, and both available in the UK) has essentially what Barry suggests - it always has electric motor propulsion, with the charge being maintained, when it becomes necessary, by the on-board 1.4-litre petrol engine starting up to charge the batteries.

Other hybrids manage to run on batteries AND internal-combustion, as a way of providing more peak power than the electric motors alone can.

[Bob Purton]

Why would it need a 1.4 engine to charge batteries? Or do you mean the engine kicks in to drive the car and charge batteries when needed?