Last February, we reported on
the start of the EcoCAR challenge, a three-year engineering competition in which 17 U.S. and Canadian colleges and universities were afforded the opportunity to design and implement an alternative-fuel powertrain in their individual 2009 Saturn Vues. Saturn is gone but the challenge is well underway and Mississippi State recently put up a video of their EcoCAR’s extended-range electric powertrain in CAD form to show their progress over the past year. MSU is one of eight teams to select the extended-range electric architecture, which only uses the ICE to further battery life.
MSU’s detailed video breaks down the Vue’s individual components from battery to engine to axle. It’s been a while since this writer took an E&M class, but the video was easy to follow, and for good reason. The MSU team was presented with the “Mechanical System Presentation” award for the video.
- Five lithium-ion batteries supplied by A123 Systems and connected in series providing 360 volts and 21.3 kilowatt-hours on a vacuum-brazed cooling plate
- Brusa DC-DC converter (80 continuous amps) and Brusa charger (120/240 volts, up to 3.3 kilowatts)
- GM-sourced 1.3-liter turbo diesel engine with 94 peak horsepower and B20 biodiesel compatibility
- Engine is linked to a UQM PowerPhase 75 generator (75 peak kilowatts, 45 continuous)
- Front wheels are driven by a UQM PowerPhase 125 motor and transaxle (125 peak kilowatts, 45 continuous)
- Rear wheels are driven by a Magna e-RDM motor and transaxle (55 peak kilowatts, 8 continuous)
The net result of the electric gadgetry is a 40-mile all-electric range and a “gasoline equivalent utility factor corrected” figure of 107.5 mpg. Total range is estimated to be at least 240 miles while a 0-60 mph time is said to be 10 seconds.
To learn more about the EcoCAR challenge, visit www.ecocarchallenge.org. Check out MSU's winning video through the link below.