Hypercar
Pollution Prevention
Michelle Bates
What is a Hypercar?
• Ultralight, Low-Drag, Hybrid-Electric
Vehicle (HEV)
• 2 Sources of energy:
– Fuel cells, gas turbines, diesels, lean burn
gasoline engines
– Flywheels, batteries, ultracapacitors
• 2 Drive trains
– Internal Combustion Engine- gas or alt. fuels
– Battery driven electric
Drivesystems
• Conventional
– Internal combustion engine coupled to wheels
through the transmission, driveshaft, etc.
• Hybrid-Electric
– Engine (or other power source) generates
electricity from fuel, which then powers electric
motors that turn the wheels
Six Main Sources of Energy Loss
in a Conventional Car:
Hypercar Strategies to Reduce
Energy Losses
• Ultralight
– 1994 Average U.S. Passenger car 1439 kg
– 2000-2005 Hypercar (4-5 seat) 521 kg
• Low Aerodynamic Drag
• Hybrid-Electric Drivesystem
• Efficient Accessories
Ultralight
• Composites
– Embed strong reinforcing fibers in a supporting
"matrix" of polymer
• Advanced Composites
– Long or continuous reinforcing fibers such as
carbon or aramid (kevlar) in addition to glass
Advanced Composite Materials
• Advantages
- 50-65% reduction in
weight
- Crashworthy
- Design Flexibility
- Durability
- Manufacturing
• Disadvantages
- $
GM’s 1991 Ultralite Concept Car
Mass Decompounding
Low-Drag Aerodynamic Design
• Smooth underbody
• Low-angle windshields
• Tapered rear end
• Minimized body seams
• Aerodynamically designed air intakes,
suspension, and wheel wells
• Result: 40-50% decrease in drag
Rolling Resistance
• 1/3 engine output lost
• Solution
– lightweight car
– tire improvements
– improved wheel
bearing and brake
design
• Reduction in rolling
resistance by 50-80%
Hybrid-Electric Drive
• Series
– Engine with generator
to supply electricity for
battery pack and
electric motor
– No mechanical
connection
– Power transferred
electrically to wheel
motor
• Parallel
– Direct mechanical
connection between
hybrid power unit and
wheels
– Electric motor drives
the wheels
– Example
Hybrid-Electric Drive
Series
Parallel
Hybrid-Electric Drive
• Generate electricity
from the fuel, powers
wheel motors
• Electric motors can
recover part of the
braking energy
Wheel Motor
Hybrid-Electric Drive
• Large decrease in engine size
– reduces weight, cost, fuel consumption
• Drive system efficiency doubled
Efficient Accessories
• Avoid heat buildup by using:
– Insulation, special heat-reflecting glass, solarpowered vent fans
– Innovative cooling and dehumidification systems
– Improved headlights and taillights
• More efficient electronics and interior
lighting systems
Hypercar
Whole Systems Approach
• Optimizing parts individually results in
inefficiency overall
• Hypercar is cost effective when the entire
system is designed for efficiency
Hypercar Safety
• Advanced composites
• Smaller propulsion system
– room at both ends of the car for materials
dedicated to crash energy management
• Front and side airbags, harnesses with
pretensioners and stress-limiters, padding,
active headrests
Pollution Prevention
• Hypercars would go roughly 2-4 times
farther on a unit of fuel
– decreased overall carbon dioxide emissions
– lower emissions per vehicle mile traveled
• Alternative fuels
Fuel Efficiency
Life Cycle Assessment
• Advanced Composites are durable
– won’t rust, dent or chip
• Total weight is much less, so there is less
pure waste produced
Current Status
• Hypercars do not currently exist
• Hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) do exist
• Chrysler, Ford and GM
– Year 2000 prototype HEVs
– Year 2003 release HEVs on the U.S. market
• Department of Energy HEV Propulsion
Program
– Funds 50% of development costs
Toyota’s Hybrid-Electric Prius
Sedan
• Japanese market for
one year
• Not ultralight (weighs
330 lbs. more)
• 66 miles per gallon
• Emissions reduced to
1/10th the Japanese
legal requirement
• U.S. market year 2000
Toyota Prius
Engine
Engine
Output
Fuel
Efficiency
Max.
Range
ABS
Price
Toyota Camry
1.5-liter, 16
valve, 4-cyl
58 hp at 4,000
rpm
2.2-liter, 16
valve, 4-cyl
136 hp at 5,200
rpm
66 mpg
23 mpg
850 miles
Standard
500 miles
Optional
~$20,000
$17,873
Future Projections
• Zero-Emission Vehicles (ZEVs)
– One tenth of new cars sold in five U.S. states
by 2004
• Half of all vehicles Hypercars by 2020
– Overall fuel consumption 25 percent less than
today's level
Battery Electric Cars vs. HybridElectric Cars
• Battery Electric
– Run on electricity stored in
onboard batteries
– Gasoline contains 100 times
more energy per pound than
batteries
– Several thousand pounds of
batteries (mass compounding)
– Range less than 150 miles
Battery Electric Cars vs. HybridElectric Cars
• Battery-Electric
– Batteries must be
replaced every few
years
– Batteries cost $2000$15,000 each
– Batteries not recyclable
– Emission shifting
GM’s EV1
Battery Electric Cars vs. HybridElectric Cars
• Hybrid-Electric Cars
– Wheels powered by electric motor or motors,
convert fuel into energy as they go
– Alternative fuel sources (Ex: renewable fuel
cells)
– Decrease carbon dioxide emissions
– Increased engine and drive systems efficiency
– Mass decompounding
Economic Impacts: The Winners
• Makers of power electronics,
microelectronics, advanced electric motors
and small engines, alternative power plants
and storage devices, and software
• Composite materials, structures, and tooling
and manufacturing equipment suppliers
• Providers of polymers, fibers, coatings, and
adhesives for the composites industry
• Aerospace firms
Economic Impacts: Losers
• Iron and steel industries (a Hypercar has
92% less iron and steel)
• Heavy machine tools
• Oil for motor fuel
• Automotive fluids and lubricants
For More Information
• The Hypercar Center
– www.hypercarcenter.org
• Hybrid Electric Vehicle Program
– www.hev.doe.gov
• Rocky Mountain Institute
– www.rmi.org
• Toyota Prius
– www.toyota.com