Starter motors to become obsolete?

New invention could help TVRs...

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 14 September 2004 / Loading comments

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.