On Fri, 27 Apr 2007, Sandwich Maker wrote: > auto trans!?! tell me they didn't use the torque converter! > > this has to be about the least efficient way to do an electric > powertrain. Oh yeah! Electric motors can have max. torque at zero or near-zero RPM, like steam motors, then you can rev the hell out fo them. Generally speaking, anything more than a simple two-seed range selector indicates bad design, and even that could be eliminated if you could spec everything. I really don't understand the need to make an electric car "feel like" a gasoline car right down to the gas pedal. What's the point? It ought to drive like an electric, and you'd learn to feel it like an electric. It will have it's pleasant characteristics just like infernal combustion (for example: TORQUE!) My smart idea (meaning: I'll never build it) is stick the motor anywhere convenient and drive a hydraulic pump that drives hydraulic motors at all four corners (they're tiny)! And with complex valving use the same wheel-motors to do braking and drive the motor (or separate alternator) (NOTE) to recover the energy. Super low un-sprung weight: the hub itself is motor and brakes. NOTE: so that you can do simultaneous accelleration and braking as in autocrossing. Also, there's no easy way to stuff the few megajoules of energy created in a 70MPH panic stop back into the batteries that quickly; store it as HOT HOT HOT compressed air (the heat is energy that creates higher pressure gas) the container of which drives a smaller alternator to recover the energy over a minute or hour or two. If you're in the habit of making multiple 70MPH panic stops in a row, it just dumps the excess heat.) _______________________________________________ Amc-list mailing list Amc-list@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.amc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list