Alec Cameron said the following to MIKE ROSS on the subject of
Engine Design (02 Oct 97  17:54:42)
N
 AC> Hi Mike
 AC> On (30 Sep 97) MIKE ROSS wrote to Elvis Hargrove...
 MR> Elvis Hargrove said the following to Mike Ross on the subject of
 MR> Re: Engine Design (29 Sep 97  11:07:11)
 -> where they let the gerbils out. Sleep well, man. Wake up and smell
 -> the coffee when an EV wins the Indy 500. Not tomorrow of course since
 -> the IC engine has had an 85 year uncontested reign but give the EV
 -> research a chance.
 AC> Uncontested 85 years you say- makes 1912. I don't have the statistics
 AC> but ONCE UPON A TIME [pre 1912 I suppose], the World Speed Record was
 AC> held by battery electric auto.
Wow! You must be old to remember that! :-)
 MR> One advantage of the electric motor, in addition to its very high
 MR> efficiency (95% & better), is that it develops maximum torque at 0 rpm
 AC> Excessive torque at 0 rpm isn't necessarily good news. Wheel spin is
 AC> spectacular and noisy and a crowd pleaser, but it is no help to
 AC> vehicle acceleration!
That's for sure. There really is no need to spin wheels but you can!
For example, France, because of its long experience with its early
electric Paris subway system, is a leader in motor control circuitry.
They have developed some of the very best motor controls of anybody.
The subway system here in Montreal (somewhat similar to Paris) uses
motor control technology which accelerates the train so smoothly you
won't spill a drop of a rim filled coffee from 0 to 60mph. The stops are
just as amazing. It runs on inflated rubber wheels so it's very smooth.
They only keep a driver in the lead car so a human can intervene in an
emergency. Because it is computer controlled, he really just sits there
most of the time but to relieve boredom he does get to open and close
the doors by looking out the cabin window.
 Mike
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