The 6th annual St. Clair County Earth Fair will be held on April 18-19, 2008 at Goodells County Park. The electric vehicle could be displayed at this event. We probably should not display the CNG vehicle at this event because then we might try to rush the project and that is exactly the wrong thing to do with a CNG project.
Below are some ideas that we can consider on these two projects.
Electric Vehicle (EV)
Our main task is to design the electrical system so that the car works efficiently and safely. We are not locked into any particular design at this point. We can go with a potentiometer and controller (if the price is right) or we can use relay switches to turn batteries on and off or any other design. Regenerative braking is another idea to discuss. Safety features will need to be built into any design. There need to be proper fuses, multiple kill-switches throughout the system, etc.
The Recharging System If we use six 8-volt batteries, a special 48-volt battery charger could be used to recharge the system. However, such a charger costs about $600. If there is a way to wire the system so that individual battery chargers could be utilized, the up-front costs would be minimized without sacrificing efficiency or safety.
Rain/Snow Shield We need to install some sort of weather shield so that rain and snow do not make their way into the electric motor from the grill area or under the front bumper. Perhaps it could be a removable shield or one that could be opened and closed for dry weather-- overheating could be an issue with this motor (we just don't know).
Rubber Tires Rubber tires on a car add much resistance. Because this car will never exceed 45 mph, do we really need normal-sized tires on the car? The weight of the batteries is something to consider-- we don't want the tires to burst. But the rear tires could perhaps be skinnier. It's something to talk about.
Solar Panels Flexible photovoltaic cells could be mounted to the roof and/or hood of the car to help recharge the batteries and increase the driving range of the vehicle.
Cosmetic Modifications (optional) Someone could paint an electric plug on the side of the car or paint a label on the rear of the car stating that the car is electric (not the hand-written stuff). Perhaps an SC4 label of some sort could be created giving the students credit for building the car. How about fabricating a metal fender cover for the rear wheels (much like the Honda Insight) just to give the car a unique look. We can do anything.
The inside of the car also needs some cosmetic work. The carpeting and the seats have gotten wet at some point in the life of the car. It has a mildew smell. If the cost is minimal, the old carpet and seats could be replaced.
CNG Vehicle
We are currently looking for garage space to work on the CNG vehicle. Until we find something, we can discuss ideas and prepare for the work.
At our first meeting, a student mentioned the idea of removing the gasoline tank in order to mount the CNG cylinders in its place. This would mean that the van would be dedicated to CNG without the flexibility of switching back to gasoline. However, multiple gasoline tanks (small-- maybe 3-5 gallons) could be added below the frame of the van. There are lots of vacant areas under there. Using multiple CNG cylinders in those vacant areas would be costly and might compromise safety, but using multiple gasoline tanks would be easier and more cost-effective. The van would still be a bi-fuel vehicle.
I would like to avoid placing the CNG cylinders inside the van or on the roof if possible. That's why I'm considering the idea mentioned above.
Also, the engine compartment is crowded. To make room for the various CNG components, we may have to move the battery to a position near the back and bottom of the engine compartment. We can figure out how to do that.