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Electric motor efficiency introduction

Source: Check out the details inside an electric car motor

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While the improvements in the automobile internal combustion engine are well documented, the state of the electric motor is less well known -- at least among those of us who focus on the auto industry. At Automotive News, we've rarely written about the internal workings of the electric motor and the engineering challenges it poses as it moves into high volume production and use. That seems likely to change.
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That will soon change, says John Tintinalli, director of the global product group for ground vehicles at SAE International. He said SAE is developing a standard way to measure efficiency of electric motors, as well as torque and horsepower.

The Chevrolet Volt has two electric motors -- one is 96 percent efficient, while the other is 94 percent efficient. Nitz says electric motor efficiency at GM is...

bwilson4web Sep 22, 2017 Read More Replies: 10

Camry Hybrid LE metrics

Source: 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE Matches Toyota Prius' 52 MPG Fuel Economy | Torque News

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In the case of the new 2018 Camry Hybrid, the LE uses a lithium-ion battery instead of the nickel metal hydride batteries the SE and XLE Hybrid trims use. It also has steel wheels and slightly different dimensions and a lower weight than the other two trims.

I have long suspected steel vs alloy wheels have a measurable impact on the City driving protocol results because the polar moment of inertia effect. I would love to see the results of an alloy wheel version of the new, Camry hybrid.

Bob Wilson

bwilson4web Sep 22, 2017 Read More Replies: 6

Rotary returns

Source: Mazda Bringing New Rotary Concept to Tokyo | TheDetroitBureau.com

Earlier this year, several senior Mazda sources revealed that the Wankel will make its return under the hood of the Japanese automaker’s first battery-electric vehicle. If that has you scratching your head, the explanation is simple: the rotary will serve as a range-extender for the EV Mazda is expected to launch sometime in 2019.

It’s the same approach that BMW is using for a range-extender for its little city car, the i3 REx, albeit with a rotary, rather than conventional piston engine. Once the batteries are drained, the Wankel will fire up to keep the car rolling until the driver can stop for a recharge.

The range-extender approach is somewhat different from a plug-in hybrid in several ways. First, the vehicle is expected to run solely in electric mode unless and until the batteries are drained....

bwilson4web Sep 20, 2017 Read More Replies: 24