UELVE MBC/v0.1
Basics
- A vehicle design utilising Fiber Composite Reinforced Pipes. The design is focussed on efficiency.
- The acronyms stand for Ultra-Efficient Libre Vehicles for Everyone - Myth Busters Car
- Is a prototype for further iterations of vehicles using similar methods for various other vehicle types, as well as structures such as furniture, sheds and semi-permanent buildings.
Versions:
- UELVE MBC/v0.0 (concept)
- UELVE MBC/v0.1 (build underway)
The Embassy Elf (MBC UELVE) Introduction
The MBC (Myth Buster Car) is intended as a lightweight proof of concept for further development of additional larger (and smaller) 3 and 4 wheeled hybrid and tribrid electric vehicles such as solar vehicles, hydrogen-intake-injected and more. It's also intended to be eco-conscious, ultra-efficient, ludicrously high acceleration, low cost and eye-catching (hence the cross between a 2-seat sports car and a "Mad Max" off-road look), and intended for the average person to 3D print (or buy a pre-printed kit) and assemble in under five days.
Once completed the tools (including a specialist dedicated kevlar-crosshatching Fibre_Reinforced_Pipe_3D_Printer) and design techniques will be in place to expand the concept to other vehicles (as well as furniture and buildings). Other vehicles will not have the same "wow" factor however by going initially for a vehicle that is likely to be stressed to its limit (off-road, racing), design and materials flaws will be quickly found and fixed, long before more "ordinary" vehicles begin production.
Acronym decoding:
- UELVEs: Ultra-Efficient Libre Vehicles for Everyone.
- MBC: the Embassy, or the "MythBusters Car" (get it?), in honour of their discovery that a golf-ball texture on a car bodypanels significantly improves fuel economy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUiGhyHC-1A
Frame Concept
Blue pipes are 1m measure sticks. Note that the body takes whatever form we would like.
Minumum Viable Product
Hint: Holy shit.
- 4 wheels using mountain bike 19in rims and 2.75/19 motorcycle tires (26in outer diameter)
- 100kg weight (full, complete vehicle)
- 2 occupants
- Twin 3-5kW Axial Flux BLDC chain-driven motors (no gearbox needed)
- 1.1 x 1.5 x 3.4 metre dimensions with an "airbox" down the centre
- Only a 1.1 m^2 front surface area (due to the "air tunnel")
- 0-60mph in under four seconds (Sur-Ron "3" kW Motors can be pushed to 13kW for short durations, and there's two of them)
- over 200mpg at 55mph due to low weight, low rolling resistance, reduced surface area and low drag coefficient.
- capable of driving up a 50% gradient at around 25mph with 2 occupants.
Final Build Specifications (Post Build Tests)
Notes
- While world records are held for under 3 seconds, under 4 seconds is close to world records. [1]. We can emphasize here that for "acceleration per horsepower", ours here is probably a world record. Luke - have you done the numbers on this one?
- with the simulator i wrote a few years ago, yes. link at bottom of page. it's the reduced weight, reduced drag coefficient and the SurRon axial flux motors which can do 13KW for short bursts that do it. the world record is an MIT team EV with 4 hub motors. 0 to 60 in 1.9 seconds. in the slo mo the walls of the tires actually buckle under the acceleration.
Correction: that MIT team has been beaten by AMZ, who officially managed 0 to 60 (100km/h) in 1.513 seconds
http://img.youtube.com/vi/n2XiCYA3C9s/default.jpg
Basic Design Concept
- Use high-end downhill mountain-bike parts that have been proven to be light, strong and effective up to a 50kg weight with an 80kg load, thanks to the Sur-Ron Electric Bike.
- Use twin Sur-Ron direct-drive 3-5kW Axial Flux electric motors
- Use twin ASI BAC4000 BLDC Controllers (or VESC Vedder BLDC Controllers http://vedder.se/2015/01/vesc-open-source-esc/)
- Outer skin using the GABoats technique (Geodesic Aerolite Boats) - http://gaboats.com
- Inner frame using 3D-printed fibre-reinforced "nodes" connecting continuous-fibre-reinforced pipes on a Fibre_Reinforced_Pipe_3D_Printer or getting carbon-fibre, hemp-reinforced tubes (or even Bamboo), based on the Divergent 3D "Blade" car manufacturing concept https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPv7PwS50OE
- Epoxy-soaked cloth "wrapping" carried out on joints, if necessary, using the Calfee Design Bamboo bike technique. https://calfeedesign.com/what-is-in-calfee-diy-kits/
- Swappable Modular batteries using the Open_Source_Battery_Pack
CAD Source Code
- git clone http://lkcl.net/vehicle_3d/.git
BOM
estimated, todo steering and suspension
- 300 metres bamboo canes between 8 to 13 mm diameter, or 300 metres PVC or other pipe or straight sticks. (structural strength is non-critical)
- 200 metres
- 500 metres 25mm width "Painter's" Masking tape
Videos
Screenshots / Images
See Also
- Two Wheeled Velomobile
- Velomobile
- Summer_of_Extreme_Design-Build_and_Startup_Camp_Overview_of_Learning_Program