Sunday, May 27, 2012

Powered by Lithium: Rimac Concept_One Electric SuperCar - Let's Shred Some Tires!



  Electric Cars are not just toys any more - they are very expensive ones! Rimac electric car will rival any supercar on the road. Technology is here - now we need to make it affordable for all.


Lithium Drive: Steve Jobs’ Apple iCar dream - Mickey Drexler: "Steve’s dream before he died was to design an iCar.”



"Even primitive (DC) electric motors can outperform any combustion engine in almost all fields. Efficiency, extremely fast response, wide power band, compact size, regenerative braking, high torque... Those are just some advantages of our new permanent magnet synchronous motor generation which we developed exclusively for the Concept_One.

Our unique powertrain is divided into four sub-systems, each consisting of one motor, inverter and reduction gearbox. Each of those systems drives one wheel, completely independent one from the other. Sophisticated ECUs control each of those systems using the input of many precise sensors placed all over the car. This architecture allows a new approach to vehicle dynamics. We call it - All Wheel Torque Vectoring (AWTV).

Each wheel can independently accelerate or decelerate hundreds of times per second, helping to achieve the desired (driver selectable) handling. Together with the very low center of gravity, extremely high torque available almost from zero RPM and the lack of shift interruptions, the Concept_One delivers a completely new driving experience.

POWER: 1088 hp
MOTOR TORQUE: 3.800 Nm
BATTERY CAPACITY: 92 kWh
RANGE: 600 km
ACCELERATION 0-100 kph: 2,8 sec.
TOP SPEED: 305 kph


Will Apple and Facebook save us all? Yes, If They Will Produce Electric iCars

"As one very wise and honest  person has put it: "How to stop wars and terrorism? - Stop using Oil." We will paraphrase it here: How to Survive? - Stop using Oil - at least for transportation."





"The idea was to create an exceptional supercar with a unique powertrain. The ability of controlling each wheel separately, hundreds of times per second, in both directions is a huge advantage compared to traditional sportscars. An electric motor does not know the words “lag”, or “time to change gears”. Focused on the driving experience, the Concept_One is driven by the most high-tech components of electric propulsion, developed in our cutting - edge Research and Development facilities, challenging the future of automotive development. With a curb weight of 1950 kg, and 1088 HP, the Concept_One can reach 100 km/h from standstill in 2.8 seconds and continues to accelerate over 300 km/h.
The Concept_One is designed to be the best supercar, not just a supercar with electric motors. The independent drive system and low mounted batteries are a dream came true for any engineer who wants to improve driving dynamics. We don’t use a platform which was originally developed for an internal combustion engine car - the whole Concept_One architecture is developed from scratch, around the powertrain and battery - pack. We are building an electric supercar which raises the bar. Our goal is to hand -build the best car possible, using the best available materials and components. We are especially proud of the fact that all key components are designed, engineered and produced by Rimac Automobili.
The Concept_One's powertrain is divided into the front and rear sub - system. Each of those sub - systems contains two symmetrical motor - controller - reduction gearbox units.
Two Permanent Magnet Motors are combined in a common housing but still, they are completely independent - designed with Torque Vectoring in mind. The motors (rotor and stator) are oil cooled with a closed - loop cooling system inside the housing.
This architecture was necessary in order to get as much power as possible, while keeping the weight low."






"When we started to design the Concept_One there were many obstacles to tackle. One of the most difficult tasks was the energy storage. While capacity and cost are the biggest problems for most manufacturers, Rimac Automobili faced many additional challenges. We had to find a way to get as much power and energy as possible and still keep the package small, light and e fficient Our battery - module architecture has evolved during the development through many evolution stages and redesigns.
The design was optimized during lab and real - world tests in prototypes until all goals were satisfied. A very sophisticated Active Battery Management System (A - BMS) is monitoring and balancing each cell separately. The innovative Thermal Management System and A - BMS are working constantly to keep the ideal conditions for a long battery life and optimal performance.
The result is a high-performance 92 kW battery which can deliver or receive (during Regen-braking) over one Megawatt of power constantly, which makes it suitable for race-track use without thermal problems."



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