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<DIV><FONT size=2>A friend sent this to me. It is from the NASA tech
briefs.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>PLUG-IN POWER<BR>The University of California-Davis has licensed a new
plug-in hybrid vehicle<BR>technology to Efficient Drivetrains Inc. (EDI) of Palo
Alto, CA. EDI was founded in<BR>2006 to commercialize the technology brought
about by decades of work by Andy Frank,<BR>professor of mechanical and
aeronautical engineering at UC Davis.<BR><BR>Unlike hybrid-electric vehicles
currently on the market, plug-in hybrids can<BR>recharge their batteries from a
domestic power supply, allowing most short-range<BR>trips to be completed on
electric power alone. Frank's designs for a "parallel"<BR>hybrid powertrain
allow for significant increases in fuel efficiency. The licensing<BR>package
also includes an "intelligent" continuously variable transmission
that<BR>automatically selects the right power ratio and eliminates gear
shifting.<BR><BR>Plug-in hybrid technology offers a solution to the problem of
shifting from<BR>transportation powered by oil to vehicles powered by
electricity.<BR>"The plug-in hybrid displaces more oil than any other technique,
without a change in<BR>infrastructure," Frank said. EDI hopes to establish its
own automotive research and<BR>development center in Davis.<BR>The company plans
to partner with auto designers and manufacturers in order to<BR>introduce
advanced plug-in hybrid technologies into their vehicles.<BR><BR>Read more here:
<A
href="http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20071206A2">http://link.abpi.net/l.php?20071206A2</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2>John in Seguin</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT> </DIV>
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style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=arnaud.lacour@gmail.com href="mailto:arnaud.lacour@gmail.com">Arnaud
LACOUR</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=ausev@austinev.org
href="mailto:ausev@austinev.org">AustinEV News Announcements and General
Discussion</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, December 06, 2007 6:38
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [ausev] CVT
transmissions?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>it would certainly be possible but the principle behind CVTs is
friction and that doesn't go too well with:<BR>1. saving energy<BR>2. high
torques<BR><BR>Picture 2 cones, one pointing up and the other down, with a
rubber belt between them and a "fork" guiding the belt from one end to the
other to go from big ratio (low gear) to small ratio (high gear). Well, that's
the idea. This is the choice transmission for mopeds around the world and
other light/low torque vehicles. However, it usually is more problematic when
torque increases. That's why even if it did work for an EV, the lifespan of
the transmission would be questionable. <BR>Note that Nissan's CVT are nothing
new, for example the DAF cars in the 50s used such transmissions as well as
some of the earliest trucks back in the end of the 19th century. GM (Saturn
vue), Ford(escape?), Honda, renault, audi, ... there are lots of CVTs and if
you're looking for a used one in a wrecked car, you may want to widen your
options. <BR>the caveat is that modern CVTs have become much more complex and
are full of flaky electronics. The "fork" use to be mechanically positioned: a
spring would hold it to its initial position (high ratio) and a fly wheel
would pull it out depending on the speed of the wheels. Good ol' granpa
technology that did job. Nowadays, the fork is gone and it's the cones
themselves that change shape to change the ratio. <BR><BR>you may want to
check the excellent how stuff works article about CVTs. here <A
href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt.htm">http://auto.howstuffworks.com/cvt.htm</A>.<BR><BR>If
someone has converted a CVT to EV it's probably from a car that had a powerful
v6/v8 or a diesel engine. <BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Dec 6, 2007 1:35 PM, Donovan Becker <<A
href="mailto:dbecker215@hotmail.com">dbecker215@hotmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR>
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<DIV>I was curious as to whether or not anyone has heard of converted or
custom EV's using any of Nissan's CVT transmissions. Everyone seems to be
impressed with their "shift 2.0" and they seem to be simpler in nature than
what the current hybrids out there use. CVT's would be amazingly beneficial
if they can handle the power. <BR> <BR>Donovan<BR><BR>
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