RE: New Lotus Electric/Hybrid Research Group
Monday 25th February 2008
Lotus Engineering, the automotive consultancy division of Lotus, has created a new research and development group solely for electric and hybrid vehicles.
New Lotus Electric/Hybrid Research Group
Lotus consultancy division to develop electric and hybrid vehicles
The company says it has set up the group due to an increasing need for hybrid and electric vehicles, and a growing demand for consultancy work in that area.
Mike Kimberley, Chief Executive Officer for Group Lotus plc, said: 'I am pleased to confirm the formalisation of this existing team, which will support our strong global growth on ecological technologies.
'We have an intensely proactive growth plan over the next five years and we are already seeing substantial increases in third party client work for our global client base, of which considerable research and development into hybrid and electric vehicles is a major part.
'Indeed over the next five years, Lotus will further reinforce its position as a world leader in green transport engineering.'
Phil Barker has been appointed as Chief Engineer of Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies and will report to Geraint Castleton-White, Head of Powertrain.
He added: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for me to continue the already ground-breaking and successful work conducted on hybrid and electric vehicles by Lotus Engineering.
'We already have an incredibly strong team of engineers working in this area and the formalisation of this group further enhances our ability to provide both Low CO2 and zero emissions vehicle solutions to our clients.'
Discussion
Well, seeing as they build the Tesla Roadster already, how about flogging that for starters!! I think they could potentially sell a huge number of electric cars if petrol gets more expensive. With the performance and range the Tesla offers, I for one, will at the front of the queue!!
Indeed, there are several ways the vehicles of tomorrow could be powered, fuel cell, electric, even steam
I'd say it's either going to swing electric or fuel cell's way, depending on what they get working first, safe fuel cells, with the support.refilling infrastructure required, or long life high output rechargable batteries
This is a good area for lotus to get into, it's got real commercial applications now, and could potencially become the future of cars
I'd say it's either going to swing electric or fuel cell's way, depending on what they get working first, safe fuel cells, with the support.refilling infrastructure required, or long life high output rechargable batteries
This is a good area for lotus to get into, it's got real commercial applications now, and could potencially become the future of cars
I've got to say, this is a very positive move.
I had lunch with Phil Barker last year, and the developments he is proposing at Lotus over the next few years sound rather exciting indeed.
Electric supercars that outperform the Veyron, with completely different body architecture that no longer has to accommodate a conventional engine and as a result can be more aerodynamic than ever before, and electric hub motor systems that power the rear wheels and generate masses of electricity from the front, that only need 'topping up' every now and then.
I came away from his talk feeling very optimistic for the motor industry indeed. There will always be fast cars, and they will lead the way.
I had lunch with Phil Barker last year, and the developments he is proposing at Lotus over the next few years sound rather exciting indeed.
Electric supercars that outperform the Veyron, with completely different body architecture that no longer has to accommodate a conventional engine and as a result can be more aerodynamic than ever before, and electric hub motor systems that power the rear wheels and generate masses of electricity from the front, that only need 'topping up' every now and then.
I came away from his talk feeling very optimistic for the motor industry indeed. There will always be fast cars, and they will lead the way.
theluckyman said:
Couldn't agree more - this is a very positive step.
Re. fuel cell/ batteries - one thing fuel cells don't do well at the moment is change power output quickly, so for the immediate future even fuel cell cars of any size will need to be hybrids
Think there also the problem of storage, hydrogen is also very volatile i wouldn't fancy driving around with one of those under my seatRe. fuel cell/ batteries - one thing fuel cells don't do well at the moment is change power output quickly, so for the immediate future even fuel cell cars of any size will need to be hybrids
I guess everyone is on this particular ladder to some degree at the moment but Lotus have a reputation for 'out of the box' engineering solutions which could (Tesla etc) have huge potential for them - there are arguments about how green electric cars are and the infrastructure problems associated with large numbers of cars using this form of energy but I think it's an ideal opportunity to see what can be done with electric cars/engines. The torque and power curves are high and flat and offers huge performance possibilities, this sort of thing should be grist to the Lotus mill.
And yes, sign me up for a Lotus/Tesla, here, looks good to me - even if it sounds strange!
And yes, sign me up for a Lotus/Tesla, here, looks good to me - even if it sounds strange!
ross_stig said:
zero emission cars? errr, how is that worked out. o i know, without taking the power stations into considerations...
hybrids are useless, what happens when the batteries are naffed, disposal isnt easy. not good for the environment either....
And your proposed solution is..? hybrids are useless, what happens when the batteries are naffed, disposal isnt easy. not good for the environment either....
JJ
gadgeroonie said:
Now that's a site for conspiracy theories.ross_stig said:
hybrids are useless, what happens when the batteries are naffed, disposal isnt easy. not good for the environment either....
Please explain. Aren't the manufacturers going to be resposible for recycling and what are the environmental impacts?
I bet you a bottom dollor Kimberley didn't expect this article to feature a pic of a old Milk Float with the Lotus logo on front?Bet he's on the dog an' bone now!
Another haymarket Pistonhead 'image consultancy' gaff!
I take it the Milk Float in question is environmentally friendly?
It must be, it has right side headlight knocked out for eco savings
Edited by dandarez on Tuesday 26th February 15:04
andy_s said:
The torque and power curves are high and flat and offers huge performance possibilities.
Indeed, the typical torque/speed profile is constant torque up to a certain speed, and constant power beyond that. With a suitably specced motor you could quite happily create a gearbox-free car. Also, to achieve fully regenerative braking, huge (peak) motor/inverter power is required (think how much braking power your average family hatchback has compared to it's ~100bhp engine), so the potential for incredible performance is very real.AltairNano claim to have ( to some extent) solved the battery problem, at least as far as safety, lifetime and charge rate go - if their claims are true their batteries could be very useful, at least as part of a system. Potentially you could combine a number of energy storage technologies within one vehicle, exploiting the trade-offs between energy density, power density, internal resistance etc
Re: the comments about hydrogen - we all happily drive around with a tank of extremely volatile fuel (well, those of use who don't drive diesels) in our cars, fuel which will quite readily form an explosive mixture with air. The real issue is if you have to store it at high pressure, or very low temperature. Hydrogen's density does not work in its favour!
Global warming or otherwise, fossil fuels *are* a finite resource, so anything that promises efficient personal (the crucial part for me - I don't think public transport is the answer for everything) transport is laudable. Obviously at the moment most of our electricity comes from (inefficient - barely better than the petrol engine in some cases!) fossil fuel power stations, so the electric car is potentially of little overall benefit at the moment. All that changes if you have renewable energy generation of course. A series petrol-electric hybrid would probably give the best fuel consumption/unit distance assuming it had fully regenerative braking and a suitably sized petrol engine that could be run at its most efficient operating point to charge the batteries.
FlossyThePig said:
gadgeroonie said:
Now that's a site for conspiracy theories.ross_stig said:
hybrids are useless, what happens when the batteries are naffed, disposal isnt easy. not good for the environment either....
Please explain. Aren't the manufacturers going to be resposible for recycling and what are the environmental impacts?he is quite genuine - sadly now dead !!
i tried to order the Tesla, should read things first, i know!. Awesome and I would have one yesterday. Batteries still cause pollution, yes and they are difficult to get rid of but they are no worse than petrol so if we are happy to burn oil why get hung up on pollution as a reason to not have one? Its no better but it WILL work when the oil runs out.
Why are we so surprised ?
This is a tax and spend labour government just like all the previous ones.
Everyone who voted for them was conned by the acceptable face of TB but in reality Brown has been quietly following the old labour agenda for the last 10 years.
They are now spending so much of our money thay can't hide it up any longer.
Hence the ever-more desperate attempts at stealing more of our cash.
This is a tax and spend labour government just like all the previous ones.
Everyone who voted for them was conned by the acceptable face of TB but in reality Brown has been quietly following the old labour agenda for the last 10 years.
They are now spending so much of our money thay can't hide it up any longer.
Hence the ever-more desperate attempts at stealing more of our cash.
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