The West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team
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The West Philadelphia High School Electric Vehicle Team |
Garry Barbara donated the 1995 Jeep Wrangler for our electric vehicle team. Our team spent hundreds of hours researching available technologies, designing conversion plans, approaching sponsors for support, and applying all we learned to convert this vehicle to a race worthy hybrid electric powered automobile. The hybrid Jeep has a top speed of 80mph, good acceleration, weighs about 3100lbs, has a range of about 250 miles and creates very little pollution.
The Drive System:
MTS Systems Corporation Automation Division donated a 408 volt brushless D.C. electric motor and a 100 amp drive (amplifier). The system is rated at 35.7 HP continuous and has a maximum of 3000 RPMs. The reason we chose this motor is that it is the most efficient on the market.
The Batteries:
East Penn Manufacturing donated 36 Deka DC24 batteries for the 408 volt electrical storage system. This pack will provide about 15 kilowatt - hours of energy and weighs in at 600lbs. This pack provides the vehicle with supplemental energy and the capability to regain lost energy through regenerative braking.
The Generator:
We the students designed and built our own generator to power the hybrid vehicle. Yanmar donated a 20 HP diesel engine and MTS donated a 20 HP electric motor for the generator. This unit will burn biodiesel fuel to create electricity to run the vehicle and charge the batteries. Biodiesel is an extremely clean burning fuel that is biodegradable.
The Tires and Rims:
Michelin donated a set of their low rolling resistance tires which were designed for GM’s EV1. The Proxima RR has the lowest rolling resistance of any tire on the market. We are using a 205/60 R 15 tire which is inflated to 51psi. The low rolling resistance greatly increases the vehicles range. American Racing donated a set of high performance, light weight alloy racing rims for the Jeep.
The Body:
This year the students decided to build their own body. The Jeep was not very aerodynamic and the body was very heavy. The students have built a composite body using fiberglass and honeycomb donated by Hexcel. The new body is very light weight as well as aerodynamic.
