Quiz for the board: What do you know about Edison2

[solo-act]

Hey gang. First post, new member, and really like this forum. Found it via forum runner app on my iPad.

I did a search, found a few posts, but not much discussion.
I'm curious about level of awareness/amount of info known here about the Edison2 vehicle platform (they have gas and electric prototypes).
Fire away!


Also, I did a search for betterplace and found a good thread here.
Thinking of the two: with Edison2 going 100miles on a battery half the size of current 4-person electrics and likely costing significantly less -- and betterplace struggling with capital intensity of battery station infrastructure, wouldn't it make sense to pair those two together?

[Dauntless]

The important thing is, we know what's available to be known, which is not much. (Betterplace: not something I believe in.)

So how is the electric version coming? The XPrize car was gas.

So 650 pounds and 60hp meant 140mph for Alan Staniforth's Terrapin back in the late 1960's. I understand that to be a relatively safe car, but that's on racetracks with other cars not much heavier, the toughest car to make safe is one that encounters the dangers of city streets. I'd be waiting to hear more on that. 10.5 kWh for 114 miles? I don't know, we need Mr. Physics to weigh in on that.

The aerodynamics that killed the Aptera might be so greatly different, although the deadly lift at the back shouldn't be present with yours. Such a light car will need some serious downforce at speed.

Any plans to get to market? I gotta say, while I love a new toy, especially something that qualifies as a strange machine to people as they're looking at it perplexed, IT JUST HAS TO WORK. No excuses. That's the part you could tell us about, making the electric version WORK.

http://www.edison2.com/

[Joseph C.]

Feature creep – the evolution of items such as power seats or door locks from luxury options to standard features – has resulted in heavier vehicles needing more energy for propulsion. The simplicity of design of the Very Light Car means fewer components, less weight, greater efficiency and lower cost.

How are door locks luxury options?

Unless they meant to say central locking.

[Dauntless]

Feature creep – the evolution of items such as power seats or door locks from luxury options to standard features – has resulted in heavier vehicles needing more energy for propulsion. The simplicity of design of the Very Light Car means fewer components, less weight, greater efficiency and lower cost.

How are door locks luxury options?

Unless they meant to say central locking.

Again with the English degree here: I'm sure that means ". . . .Power seats or (Power) door locks. . . ." Yeah, probably gain as much as 3 pounds, 7 ounces on a vehicle of this size with that lock remote. Which brings such questions as: Are windshield wipers optional? Those ARE turn indicators on the fenders, right? Any locks at all at the moment? Is 850 pounds an actual, ready for market equipped vehicle?

[Hillhater]

Feature creep –..
4 Wheel drive
6-8 speed auto trans with dual clutches
ABS
4-6-9 + Air bags
Power windows
double glazing !
Power seats
Heated seats
Air conditioning
Sound adsorbing materials
Power sun roof ( dual power sun roofs !)
GPS
6-8-10-12.. speaker stereo
DVD players
Cooler box compartment
ETC ..
... look up the options list for a Mercedes !

[EBJ]

add "air-conditioned seats" to the list.
-I didn't even know they existed until I sat in a 2005 Saab 9-5.
-blows air right up your butt.

[Hillhater]

Oops !
how could i forget ...Hybrid drive & battery pack ..!!
..yea,.. that will add a few pounds !

[solo-act]

Feature creep strikes again! How 'bout zero features, zero feature creep? I had a chance to take a few photos of their cars at Xprize in July 2010. They didn't even have doors -- you pull the window up and climb in over the cage. Speaking of, I like the idea of 6 intersecting steel bars forming a pyramid outward from the driver

Did you guys know their electric is at 200+MPGe?

[Hillhater]

They didn't even have doors -- you pull the window up and climb in over the cage.

Hmmm?? sounds a little like a Lotus/Caterham 7 !
( on which the roof and windows are "luxury options" !)

[Dauntless]

Did you guys know their electric is at 200+MPGe?

Yeah, just like some of the others are at 350.

Back in 80's it was quite common for there to be people running around looking for investors in their carburetor touting 84mpg and up. They'd run such demonstrations of a car with a dry tank being pushed or towed to speed on a closed course then released to run on a quart of gas you could see hanging over the windshield, off the side of the drivers door, etc. A very impressive display to watch the car go 21 miles or whatever so you could multiply it by 4. Magazines were allowed to have their own mechanics look over the car to find whatever trick they could, none were found. They didn't get the chance to check anything in the tuning of the car, however.

So more than one magazine did tests of their own. Usually it would amount to taking a car identical to whatever production model was used in the test and simply installing the same sort of reservior hanging a quart of gas in plain view, with a petcock so they could switch over once the car was at speed on the freeway. Thus brought the amazing discovery that some of these cars that were rated under 40mpg by the government were in fact getting over 60mpg in these controlled situations. The supposition was made that, with the right detuning, you would be getting over 80mpg at freeway speeds with the stock equipment --- although you might have some difficulty getting to freeway speeds. Anyone who fell for these demonstrations and invested in the carburetor lost it all. I'm sure the people putting on the demo made out like bandits --- because they WERE bandits.

I'm still waiting to see this 3 cent per mile car that EVERY electric has claimed to be. Nobody who was actually using such a car ever agreed it could do so well. Will anyone ever tell the true story? Often the truth is good enough, but they just want to claim MORE. . . .

Love the Lotus/Caterham. I had much of the kitcar built when NASA did away with their Se7ens Challenge, at least in California. It's still taking up space in my garage. Meanwhile, another thread just had this car posted where the BODY was a luxury item. Reminds if of the post war Velorex in Europe, where you'd put a tarp on to drive in bad weather.

http://switchvehicles.com/

[solo-act]

They didn't even have doors -- you pull the window up and climb in over the cage.

Hmmm?? sounds a little like a Lotus/Caterham 7 ! ]

That lotus 7 never gets old mate!
I'm into efficiency, which is why I'm into the edison2 and why I'm here.
Not too many forums out there who are truly into automotive efficiency. You'd think with the financial squeeze we all endure with gas, there be more people talking about it.

[solo-act]

Did you guys know their electric is at 200+MPGe?

Yeah, just like some of the others are at 350.
http://switchvehicles.com/

I agree, lots of fuzzy math going on!
Recently dead BrightAutomotive had their hybrid work van at 100, VW put their one litre car in the stratosphere, and even GM was guilty of removing non-gas energy propulsion from their numbers.
The Edison2 numbers look real to me though.
Check out the image (PDF here)
And read through this:
http://www.edison2.com/blog/2011/10/12/ ... t-lie.html
Doesn't look like fuzzy math. And even if you figure hills, wind, etc into it, it's gotta be close to knocking on the door of 200. I haven't found a 4-seater car anywhere in that realm.

[Hillhater]

Oddly,.. one of the very first EV conversions i ever saw in the flesh, was a converted Caterham 7 !

[Dauntless]

Oddly,.. one of the very first EV conversions i ever saw in the flesh, was a converted Caterham 7 !

The had the one in 'Racecar Engineering' a few years back where each wheel had a motor over 50hp. Nothing odd about that!