CapaciCar - Tomorrow's Technology Today
BLOG 1 - The Birth of Capacicars
Taking Shape
23-10-15
Today marks a milestone for the team! In our attempt to create the next generation of LZEV's (Low/Zero Emission Vehicle's) a number of possible technologies were researched and reviewed. The potential for a hydrogen powered car was considered in an attempt to solve the issues with current 'dirty' fuels. Bio-fuelled fuel cells are another potential technology that can revolutionise the LZVE's market by significantly reducing the global carbon footprint of vehicles. The most promising technology however, was the use of ultra-capcitors as an alternative power storage system to conventional lithium-ion batteries. It was this technology that induced the creation of CapaciCars - the capacitor powered cars of the future.
CapciCars intend to design, build and test an ultra-capacitor powered 1/10th scale electric vehicle with the intention of proving the validity of the technology in the current electric vehicle market. Current electric vehicles face two major issues which hinder the market growth. Firstly, the range. Current electric vehicles are limited to a 200-300km range before requring a recharging process taking upwards of 1 hour. Seconly, the batteries. Current electric vehicles require the batteries to be changed every 5 years, where the user will incur the extra costs. Furthermore, the disposal of batteries is highly damaging to the environment. Ultra-capcitors solve these issues!
Ultra Capcitors
An ultra-capacitor is essentially a high powered capacitor used to bridge the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries. The capacity of an ultra-capcitor is around 10 to 100 times greater than that of a conventional capacitor.
Ultra-capacitors have some key benefits over lithium-ion batteries:
- Can be charged in seconds.
- Have a far greater life-span than batteries
- Better integration with regenerative systems
NEXT STEPS...
-
Concpet generation & modular design
-
Prelimary calculations
-
Material Procurement