the PWbattpack

the PWbattpack: making electric cars practical, popular and even preferred.

this week i wrote a letter to the editor, outlining a concept which would overcome the key problem of electric cars, the time and difficulty of getting them recharged. i'll copy the letter below, then expand on the details. there are a number of benefits -- to Australia in particular -- which are possible from the PWbattpack development.

the letter, the concept:

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think outside the battery box

it takes an overnight recharge to get this tablet fully recharged. or it takes me two minutes to change the battery.

use the famous aussie innovation to apply this to electric cars:

design an electric car to take a standard size battery pack. contents may vary as long as the size and connections are standard. the entire pack slides in and out, perhaps behind a bumper.

encourage electric car manufacturers to use the standard size battery pack. perhaps manufacture -- or remodel -- some electric cars in australia.

a garage stocks a pile of battery packs. these are recharged between customers. a customer car is recharged by replacement of its "empty" battery pack with one which is fully charged.

total time from flat to fully charged -- five minutes. for any electric car. at any garage.

think outside the box. consciously plan for an innovative -- and practical -- solution.

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the universal PWbattpack:

the central concept is the PWbattpack, a standardised container for whatever batteries run an electric car. key design criteria are:

1. standard external physical dimensions

2. standard mechanism for removal and replacement

3. standard electrical fitting into the vehicle

4. fully flexible internal storage for batteries

... the external physical dimensions of the PWbattpack are tightly defined and universally known

... the PWbattpack is easy to remove and replace; the entire pack slides out of the car, a fully charged replacement slides back in; this slide-in-out mechanism is tightly defined and universally known

... the PWbattpack provides a tightly defined and universally known electrical connection between the batteries stored inside and the electric car being powered by the batteries

... inside the PWbattpack, manufacturers provide batteries to suit the vehicle design; the PWbattpack provides the universal interface between batteries and vehicle

for petrol vehicles the 12v battery is a standardised power supply. it is made up of separate power cells within one standard container. the cell technology may vary, it doesn't matter. the petrol vehicle is designed to use any battery which matches the 12v standard.

the PWbattpack provides a similar physical and electrical standard for electric cars.

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recharging the electric car:

there are two ways to recharge your electric car:

1. plug it in to a standard charge station and wait. and wait and wait and wait...

2. drive into a garage. wait five minutes while your PWbattpack is removed -- and replaced with a fully charged PWbattpack. drive away.

the PWbattpack allows an electric vehicle to go from flat to fully charged within just a few minutes. at least as quickly as refuelling a petrol car. with no risk of fuel spills or leaks. a very clean and simple process.

one extra mechanism:

to make it easy to "recharge" your vehicle, a garage will have a PWlifter. this is a simple fork-lift, specifically designed to move a PWbattpack. the PWlifter is used to remove the discharged PWbattpack and to slide in the new PWbattpack. batteries may be heavy, the PWlifter can move the PWbattpack in safety.

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electric car design:

the PWbattpack is a universal design for the power source of electric cars. electric cars must be designed to use the PWbattpack. this provides a challenge -- and an opportunity.

australia has a history of successful innovation and a more recent history of failing car industries. combine remnant knowledge of car design with active australian innovation: design the PWelectric as the first car to use the PWbattpack.

how innovative do we want to be?

1. design and build a PWelectric concept car. do this in parallel with development and definition of the PWbattpack. then sell the two concepts to the world.

2. rebuild an existing electric car, to use the developing PWbattpack. sell the PWbattpack to the world, to be used in their own electric vehicles.

3. design the PWbattpack and the PWelectric. sell the manufacturing rights around the world.

4. design the PWbattpack and the PWelectric. restart the australian car industry, to manufacture the PWelectric. start a smaller industry to manufacture the PWbattpack.

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but i want to drive a big truck !

the PWbattpack comes in three sizes: one, two and four.

PWone can hold enough batteries to power a small car for city-based driving. PWfour is... four times the size of PWone. a PWfour provides four times the power -- or four times the distance. my battery knowledge is limited, it would be nice if the PWelectric vehicle could choose whether to use power or distance...

oh, and a PWtwo contains twice as many batteries as a PWone but half as many as a PWfour.

that's the electric power standard for the three sizes of a PWbattpack. the physical standards are just as important. are these possible? i'm not sure. the following may be no more than a wishlist for the PWbattpack concept:

1. a PWelectric vehicle may be designed to run on any combination of PWbattpack.

2. a small PWelectric vehicle is designed to run on one PWone. the design may allow a second PWone to be slid in, next to the first, to provide almost double the travel distance. ("almost" double because there is extra weight from the extra batteries.)

3. where there is room for two PWone packs -- the universal fitting will allow for use of a single PWtwo.

4. a PWelectric design may allow for various numbers of the PWbattpack. because the physical and electrical fittings are a standard, the total battery load can be made up of various combinations of the three sizes of PWbattpack.

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where do i recharge?

any garage can stock a range of different sizes of PWbattpack. there is no need to constantly replace PWbattpack stock -- because every recharge involves a one-for-one exchange. new stock is required if a PWbattpack is damaged -- or as the recharge business grows.

the PWbattpack stock is recharged by the garage, between customers. the customer need only wait the few minutes required for the PWbattpack to be replaced.

where does the garage get its power?

each PWbattpack is recharged -- with no delay to the customer -- from whatever power is locally available. this power may be from the grid, from a generator, from solar or wind powered generators.

there is no time constraint. if the power source is solar, recharge during the day. if wind power fails, use a generator. once charged, each PWbattpack will hold its charge, until required by a customer. PWbattpack provides rapid recharge for the customer and when-convenient recharge for the garage.

there is no need to limit PWbattpack recharging to garages. all that is required is a PWbattpack stock, a PWlifter, space to do the PWbattpack exchange and a means to recharge each flat PWbattpack.

as soon as a location takes delivery of its first PWbattpack supply -- you can go there to get a rapid recharge. anywhere. city, country or at a remote location, off the beaten track.

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PWbattpack and the PWelectric range will ensure that electric vehicles are both practical and popular. even preferred.

they will allow electric vehicles to be used across australia -- as easily and effectively as any petrol-powered car.

design of the PWbattpack, PWlifter and PWelectric require -- and will boost -- australian innovation.

the benefits will be even greater if australia maintains control of manufacturing.

PWbattpack is an opportunity for australia. no matter what level of the opportunity we grasp -- there will be benefits. PWbattpack, PWlifter and PWelectric. an opportunity for australia to lead the world. and to provide practical benefits for all of australia.

====    Dr Nick Lethbridge  /  Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"If It Ain't Broke, Break It" … Meat Loaf
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dying for you to read my blog: notdotdeaddotyet.blogspot.com.au :-)
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