Tuesday 14th September 2004

Starter motors to become obsolete?

New invention could help TVRs...

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Hybrid cars could be even cleaner, cheaper and more efficient thanks to a vital component invented by British engineers.

The new invention replaces heavy starter motors and flywheels to give electric-petrol cars the potential of breaking the magic 100 mpg target. Installed into classic TVRs, it could save owners the cost and hassle of replacing starter motors every year too.

Prototypes have already been extensively tested and the new invention is ready to go into mass-production almost immediately. It could also mean that the new-generation cars would become more reliable and more durable because the new component has fewer moving parts.

The new device incorporates an axial flux, permanent magnet, toroidal generator. Basically it’s an entirely new type of generator that can power all the cars electrical systems but it is a fraction of the size of conventional generators that give engineers a headache in designing engines for hybrid electric vehicles.

Engineers from Newage International Limited, based in Stamford, Lincolnshire, and scientists from Durham University invented the new generator as part of the UK’s pioneering Foresight Vehicle research programme.

The engineers worked for two years on a project called EGSHEV - Engine/Generator Sets for Hybrid Electric Vehicles – and both Ford and Nissan engines were used during the research.

EGSHEV generators are simpler to build, have fewer parts, are more efficient and are reliable. They have no bearings to wear out and can be bolted on to engine crankshaft, replacing heavy flywheels. EGSHEV generators also replace conventional starter motors.

As well as being used in hybrid cars, the EGSHEV generators can be built into refrigeration systems, portable power systems and marine leisure craft. Again the new generators bring advantages of weight and space saving, high efficiency and lower costs.

Dr Nazar Al-Khayat, Chief Engineer at Newage, said: "Automotive applications require hardware that copes with harsh environmental conditions – dirt, significant temperature spans, the need for high reliability and, of course, durability.

"We are confident of the generator concept and of our designs. We can now say to vehicle manufacturers wanting to build hybrids, ‘We have the electrical machine designs you need and the ability to produce them in volume’."

More than 400 UK companies and universities have been participating in the industry-backed Foresight Vehicle initiative which is led by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Visit Foresight Vehicle here.

[tvrman]

Did Citroen not do this a while ago. The idea being that the starter motor could be used as the alternator when the car is started, and why not just build it into a flywheel...

I remember reading it somewhere.

Anything that saves weight and complexity is a good thing.

Webby

[Stig]

...except the battery required to spin it up has gotta be pretty hefty!

[GreenV8S]

Presumably you can wind up the flywheel gradually over several seconds and then dump the kinetic energy into the engine to start it. This has got to be a lot easier than trying to very quickly accelerate the flywheel and engine together from a standing start, so I would guess the peak electrical load is much lower.

[james]

Replace the starter motor on a TVR every year? I never had one last nearly that long

James

[annodomini2]

Ideally they need to run at 42v because the current drawn is too high, making cables thicker, batteries bigger and greater risk of fire hazard.

[Vladd]

Even better, scrap the heavy stater motor by having a big metal bar that you can insert into the front of the car and turn by hand. So simple, I don't know why they didn't think of it before.

[iainjones]

annodomini2 said:

Ideally they need to run at 42v because the current drawn is too high, making cables thicker, batteries bigger and greater risk of fire hazard.

erm...the PM Gen sets Newage are developing have a peak output of about 800v which is the "conditioned" to something more usable, i would imagine the a PM starter motor would have a simular box of electonic trickery to do the reverse from a lower (DC) voltage

Regards
Iain

[jeffriesmullet]

i dont like all these new electrics in cars can u imagine how much 1 of theses is gona cost if it dose get knackerd

[iainjones]

your looking alot of money, plus i doubt even a main dealer could do it; the assembly tolerances are minimal and if the two magnets tough youre looking at tonnes of force to separate them. dont get your fingers stuck

[victormeldrew]

I dimly recall the Suzuki GT185 back in the seventies had an alternator which also served as a starter motor. Not quite the same I know, I just wonder how that was done.

[iainjones]

Essentially the same i would wager, PM alternators/motors are essentially the same as a dynamo on your old bicycle the more you pedal the brighter your light is...but its only recently that the technology has come of age to convert the power produced into a maintainable supply.

Regards
Iain

[gnomesmith]

I used to drive a British Salmson manufactured in the 30s that had a dyna starter mounted on the front of the crankshaft. As there was no pinnion to mesh, or topre engage, starting was accomplished with a quiet whirr and a lot of puff puff sounds, passers by were usually shocked as the ohc four roared into action.

This is essentually an upgrade of that system and is long overdue, motorcycles of all sorts have used dyna starters since the 50s, about time cars caught up.