Open Source Car/Research Development

These are the GVCS development steps that take place for Distributive Economics development of the GVCS tools. These 32 steps apply to each prototype of the GVCS machines, and each machine iterates through 3 prototypes prior to Full Product Release.

Research

Wanted: Brief description about the highest version of the GVCSTool

Theory

Wanted: Brief paragraph regarding the reasoning behind adding this tool to the GVCS

Relevant Links

Wanted: Sources for information regarding relevant technology

Conceptual Notes

Wanted: Ifs, ands and buts.

Development

Wanted: Brief overview of the current version of the GVCSTool

Design

The basic requirements for the OS Car are: Two passenger capacity, Ultra-high fuel economy (50+ MPG, city, 100+ MPG, highway), Ultra-long range (1000+ miles), Low Cost (less than $12,000), Ease of Construction (1000 hours of construction time. Can be constructed by one person in 1000 hours with a vertical mill, band saw, disc sander, grinding wheel, air compressor, welder)

Given these requirements the basic attributes chose for the OS Car are:

• Reverse Trike Layout
  The reverse trike layout was chosen because it allows for side by side seating, an aerodynamic rain drop shaped body, and safe handling. A two-wheeled vehicle with tandem seats resembling a motorcycle would have less frontal area and probably less wind drag, but would simply not be practical to drive. A four-wheeled vehicle could be made with a rain drop shaped body, but would have extra drag from the two rear wheels which would protrude from the body. The reverse trike design may seem novel, but has been used successfully for over 100 years in cars from the Egg to the Aptera. Other benefits to the reverse trike layout are lower weight and cost due to the obviation of one wheel and a differential.

• Hybrid Hydraulic Powertrain
  A hybrid powertrain is a requirement for achieving high fuel efficiency in city driving in order to: 1. Exploit the low brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) of a very small displacement engine which cannot create enough power by itself to provide sufficient acceleration of a vehicle. 2. Allow for regenerative braking where kinetic energy of the vehicle is recaptured and stored. Hybrid electric powertrains are most popular in hybrid vehicles produced by the major OEMs, but using a such a powertrain in the OS Car would require either very expensive lithium-ion batteries, or very heavy lead-acid batteries. A hybrid hydraulic powertrain would not require any batteries for energy storage and would instead use a relatively lightweight and low cost accumulator.

• Tubular Steel Space Frame
  A tubular steel space frame design was chosen for the space frame because it will be lightweight, stiff, strong, relatively inexpensive, and easy to construct. Although aluminum tubing would allow for a lighter design, its cost would be unacceptably high. A composite monocoque is and alternative to a space frame design, but a monocoque would require costly molds, and would require a large amount of time and a fair amount of skill to construct.

• Requirements
• Speed
• Throughput
• Weight
• Size Constraints
• Feed stock
• Design Description
• Calculations
• Drawings and Diagrams
• Concept and Alternatives
• Full Design Views
• Cut-away Views
• Exploded Parts View
• 3D Renders
• Decisions
• Project Team

Industry Standards

Industry Standard	Open Source CarTool

Funding

Wanted: List of expenses for prototyping and documenting Open Source CarTool

Peer Reviews

Wanted: Peer reviews from the scientific community regarding the R&D of Open Source CarTool

Experiments and Prototypes

Wanted: Empirical data on performance

See Also

Hybrid Hydraulic System