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There are two main factors determining our world nowadays
In first place, the oil reserves will eventualy be depleted.
In second place, the menace of global warming.
Researchs say that if we go on releasing CO2 to the atmosphere
And the global temperature raises two degrees celsius
The process will be irreversible
For this two reasons, it's evident that the Electric Vehicles must replace the Combustion Engine ones.
We were in a Laboratory of the Electric Deparment...
...we were a little bit bored, wandering...
...we had seen other voluntary student projects, and we wanted to make one.
We desired to make technology.
Forward drive or rear drive?
I think that for our project it's better a rear drive
because start to play with the homocinetics it's not so simple.
This motor has a nominal efficiency about 95%
I think its the best we can get.
We also have to see the topic of the suspension
because if we mount direct to the cardanic...
No! It cannot be... it must be independent.
All these are constrained to price
but we should priorize state of art technology.
We should give more relevance
to the way we "sell" our project.
Searching the car
Carlos, we are searching for a car...
...relatively light...
...with rear drive...
...hopefully sportive. What do you suggest?
Ehh, the 1200 meets the characteristics you search.
It's light, not as destroyed as the rest
and it's easier to find parts.
Juana!
It has the cardanic
Follow my voice!
Look, there are different statistics
nowadays all the projections about electric vehicles
have been overpassed, in the sense that
there is more demand than expected
today these cars are getting popular in the USA
a lot of demand in Europe.
Manufacturers have announced something's comming.
So it's very hard to say what's going to happen
If we had predicted 2 years ago, we would have been wrong.
So we still have to wait.
We know today there are announcements of
great quantities that will be produced from 2012
So, we have to reach a supply
enough for the actual needs.
In this moment what we are doing is
searching people to support us with our idea.
We have a list of steps to do for a standard call,
the objective of a call is to get an e-mail
to send our proposal,
Afterwards, from this e-mail, get a meeting
in which we will expose our vision
with images and lots of visual resources
to convince our potential sponsors.
Hello, good morning.
yes... with the Marketing Office?
this is Juan Andrés Elorrieta
I'm calling from the UC Electric Department
See, we now are developing an EV project
It's objective is to promote electric vehicles and innovation.
We wanted to know if your company
might be interested in hearing about it.
Only cultural projects?!
A documentary its not a cultural project?!
...OK...good...in that case...
...thank you very much.
They said No.
We are very troubled
because the companies which support us
haven't even signed yet
and their deadlines are very strict
so we are in big, big troubles.
If in one more month we don't have sponsors
we will have to quit our project...
We are getting ready for our meeting with Mitsubishi.
This is the meeting of our lives,
we will talk with Mitsubishi to see if they can give us a car
and change from our little blue car, to something better.
We were lucky that some important managers came from Japan,
from the Mitsubishi Corp. Renewable Energy Dept.
And they were interested to meet us, here in our university.
We are expecting them to say yes
to so see if we can go on with the project
because if not, we are lost.
This meeting we could give us everything,
it may give us a motor, a car
practically the basic things to work.
The rest would be search for other sponsors
to give us money for unexpected things or problems.
A second air.
Electric Vehicle Laboratory
Ok! It is time!
It went relatively good.
Mitsubishi Chile and Mitsubishi Japan were very happy with the project.
A manager from Chilectra also came and liked the topic.
So I think we are getting some air.
We did very good, they congratulated us.
Now we have to put it on paper.
But it seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Between Christmas and New year we have a meeting
with the CEO of Mitsubishi Chile and their Marketing Manager.
We hope to have a car before this year ends.
In the meeting with the possible sponsors
an innovative project was presented
in which the combustion components are taken out of a car
and others will be installed, transforming it into an EV.
The meeting was succesful, getting the support they needed.
Richie, the car arrives today.
I can't believe I have the contract in my hands.
Let's go to see if it arrived already.
We will take good care of it.
This is the spare key.
We will make a good EV out of it.
Ok, the tasks for this week was all the car paperwork
which is at last parked there.
Now we have to take care of two things.
Number one, the following steps for the car construction.
I already asked for the DUOC for Monday.
So on Monday we extract the motor.
I have the models of the batteries ready,
son that we can measure and plan where to put the cables.
After that we need to buy the fuses and cables
...and...
go ahead with the mechanic coupling that's making Juana.
DUOC UC
THE MOTOR EXTRACTION
Yesterday we already extracted almost all the motor accesories.
And now what we'll do is to finish loosening the gearbox,
and then use the crane to extract the motor.
We won't use this.
For example, the radiator, even if our motors are watercooled,
This radiator is calculated to disipate the heat for a 20% efficiency motor.
That means that the 80% of the fuel energy is turned to heat.
Our motor has an efficiency of 93%
so only the 7% of the electric energy is turned into heat.
All this is what goes away.
We will replace it with the electric motor, aproximately this size.
This is the gearbox.
It will remain standard, but without clutch and other parts.
Here is where the gases tube was.
As you can see now there's nothing.
Here is where the gas tank was, so we have more space.
This is the rear train which we will have to change
in order to connect our seccond motor.
The charging systems will be very diverse.
There will be slow charges,
medium charges, fast charges
depending on the charging point.
Most of the charges will be slow in the houses.
And those vehicles will come equiped
with slow chargers for that funcionality.
We are thinking of slow charge of 6 to 8 hours.
And for other applications, for shopping centers
or offices medium chargers will be used
so in that way we keep the vehicle always charged.
To extend the range there will obviously be
ultra fast chargers that will let us very short charges
up to 6 minutes, which is comparable with a conventional fuel charge.
The transport emisions released inside the city are eliminated.
Due to the bad ventilation conditions of Santiago
people breath pollutants emited by the gas tubes.
Electric vehicles are silent,
so we get cities with lower noise levels.
Combustion engines generate high acoustic contamination.
Their high flexibility gives us independence from fossil fuels.
Conventional vehicles use HidroCarbon fuels
which must be imported.
EV Transport Price: 9,7[CHL$/Km]
Combustion Transport Price: 54,6 [CHL$/Km]
EV CO2 Emision: 48[grs/Km]
Combustion CO2 Emision: 160[grs/Km]
Hello, Juan?
The motor arrived.
Yes? It's here?
Good, we'll go right away. Bye.
Guys, the motor is here.
Yeah?
Yes, it arrived, let's go.
If it isn't the right motor, we're screwed
because we don't have other 10 weeks to waste.
Hi Giannina!
Hi!
The motor is here?
Yes, come in.
Hey but, it was suposed to be heavier.
It said 30 Kg.
It cannot be. Maybe it's us that we feel it lighter
but it must be the 30Kg one.
This is one of the two electric motors
for the double traction configuration.
We chose it because it was the best solution for the project.
We can't know.
We can test it, or not?
They took 10 weeks in sending the motor.
So it delayed all our work.
It was better...
for the germans to disappear if it didn't work.
This is an permanent magnet electric motor
We can see coils in the exterior structure
that generate the rotating magnetic field.
In the center the rotor with permanent magnets.
Is in the rotor which moves, which is connected to the wheels.
The coils change their polarity,
making the magnets to sincronize with it
causing the movement.
As the plataform of our car is a Lancer 98',
in it's basic version.
We only have front drive.
Now, what we did was to get a diferential
of a Lancer Evolution 4 to couple it to the rear wheels
in that way having a motor in the rear and front.
This is a model of an old diferential,
which basically transforms the rotation
which comes from the motor
into effective rotation for the wheels.
It also lets us spin the wheels independently
at different speeds, so when we turn
the internal wheel can spin slower
than the external.
The way to transmit the power to the gear box
is with this type of couple
known as "Love Joy".
We have a piece
which is coupled directly to the motor
which is fastened by a "chaveta".
And other piece that is coupled to the gear box.
We can see the internal form
which is precisely to couple it to the gear box axis.
Between the two pieces
it is this rubber spider, which lets
some movement and disalignment between the two pieces.
It also eliminates vibrations and noise
in the moment of transfering the power.
INSTALLING THE MOTOR
No! Grab the chain with the hands!
We have to lower it to the height.
You have to move it like this.
Get inside to fix it, Danny.
A little bit lower entered perfectly.
Nowadays, the EV's have more acceleration than
the internal combustion vehicles.
In Lamborgini or Ferrari competitions
against EV's prepared for acceleration
these latter are the winners.
They reach 100[Km/Hr] in less than 4 seconds.
Within the measures asociated to energetic efficiency
and reduction of the global and local emisions,
one of the simplest and with lower costs
is the implementation of the vehicular transport
based in electric energy.
Nowadays the technology it's widely investigated
and we are in a stage of commercialization.
Hence it's necessary to develop
the infrastructure needed for the use of this new technology.
In this sense, we still have much to do
for example in the charge stations,
both in fast and slow charges for these vehicles.
In the regulatory aspect we still don't have a law
which makes it easier to use this new technologies.
For example, here in Chile, we are still working
for the Net Meetering law.
It is, for example, the possibility for houses
to give energy to the system
not only consuming but also helping the network.
The batteries which we will use
are made of Lithium.
This type of batteries is suitable for EV's
mainly because the little space it uses with respect
to the power they can suministrate.
Each battery has two pins,
one positive
one negative.
When we have a group of batteries,
you can connect them in two ways.
Positive with positive, and so on
then negatives with negatives,
forming a big battery rack,
this connection is called in parallel.
It lets you have the voltage of a single battery,
but with the current summed of all the batteries together.
Or connect positive with negative, and so on
and get a big row of batteries,
getting the sum of all the voltages, reaching the 96V that we need,
but with the current of just one battery,
which would be in this case 160 Ah.
For our car, we don't need more current than one battery
the 160 Ah, but we need a higher voltage.
So we will chose the series configuration
reaching the 96V that the motor needs.
What we have here is the drive,
also called inverter, or our motor.
We can see our old one
that reaches up to 10Kw.
It was homemade here in the school by a student,
and here we can the new one that we bought.
It just arrived from England.
Now we are waiting for the other.
Each one controls one motor, and what it does
is to take the continuous current from the batteries
and convert it into alternate current which moves the rotor.
For example, if we wanted the car to go fast
the communications from the "car's computer" go to the driver,
and it gives the currents from the battery in the right sequence,
to make the car go fast, go slow
to have more or less strenght
depending on what one wants.
The battery bank,
will pass it's DC current cables throught this hole.
What we will do it to pass the cables from this hole
up to the front of the car
and to the rear, where the motors will be.
So the problem of having the cables outside of the car
is that if a rock hits the them, the cables could be cut
and eventually contact the chasis
which would lead to a big accident.
Hence what we'll do is to cover
this channel, which was for the gas tube
which gives us enough space
to install the cables safely and with enough isolation.
We are starting to install the car cables
and the first thing we'll install will be the fuses.
First we have the fuses of the conventional car
for both high and low currents.
And here we will install 4 in the first place
which go to the two water pumps
one to the vaccum pump
and the other to the other accesories.
This fuses are used to prevent short circuits
not to burn the cables, instead the fuse burns here.
Afterwards one has to change the fuse.
A Smart Grid, or intelligent Network
is an electric system which is capable of doing
much more, with less resources.
For example, in the case of a house
if you have a smart meter, it should indicate you
which are the equipments that excesively consume energy
disconnecting some equipment automatically
recommending some energetic efficiency measures
like replacing a bulb.
If the prices are high disconnect the equipment
that are not necesary in that minute.
For example in a EV case, you should
plug-in your car, and establish
that you want to wake up and use your car at 8:00 AM
and the smart system should charge it in the
most economical way.
In the same way, if the prices are very high
the SmartGrid could identify that the car has a lot of charge
and sell energy to the network
making much more affordable the EV
because sells it's energy at high price
in scarcity conditions.
THE FIRST TEST
It's a lot of anciety, to see what happens
because this will be the first test to see
all the systems working together.
We already tested everything independenty
the whole system, but not coupled to the car.
so, it's a bit of anxiety and well
let's hope it goes allright.
Where's my...
I'm doing other thing.
Go and search for the ***!
But I'm...
No! Search it anyway!
Calm down, what's happening?
He's putting music instead of searching for the bolts.
No... Faso is searching for them...
Yeah, but he said he knows they where here.
Dude, I was remembering...
Do you remember I gave you some bolts?
Let's wait.
Let's wait for him to see if it works.
Sure, afterward we'll tell Faso it worked, by phone.
Ok, so now
No, wait wait!
One,
two,
[click]
It's on?!
Nope.
Let's see, who has a tester?
Ok, but be careful.
Are the little box cables well connected?
Ok, now it should work.
We had connected
the principal relay was disconnected
and the what connected it was connected
where the relay was disconnected.
Go, go come on!
It's on!
Nope.
What must have happened is...
is that the computer...Ehh. Nope
What must have happened is that somewhere
something is disconected.
One needs electrical energy,
and if this energy is taken from a thermoelectric central
then in what am I winning?
For example, in the worst case in which
we generate electricity using only oil?
If we burn the oil in an electric central
as in the electric central the oil is burnt much more efficiently
at last one can supply two electric EV's
with that same amount of oil.
It means that if I, for example,
drive 10 Km with one litre of gasoline
if I burn that gasoline in an electric central
I could supply two cars for
driving those same 10 Km.
Hence it costs one half of the CO2.
But if we have hidraulic energy,
or all types of renewable
it results more economic yet.
THE PAINTING
We are on our way to the workshop.
We will...
see how they paint our car today.
Mr. Humberto?
Ok!
It's good! It's very nice.
compared with how it came here.
It's white, we will be able to put the stickers.
It will look perfect.
They have to put this part.
To get out of here early,
because we have to get to the logo workshop within daylight.
They must be almost closing by now
so they have to fix this fast.
We have to go now.
It isn't like...
Now its good.
It had some fingerprints and some details.
One rear light was a little bit higher
the bottom part was a little bit cracked.
But that was like that from before,
and its imposible to repair the structure.
Anyway it looked a little ugly.
But we didn't pay for repairing that.
Also the gasoline tank protector looked a little ugly.
Yes! But all those things don't care, because...
Number one, if it isn't covered by the sticker
which means it will be visible
with polishing cream or brightener we can take it away.
In the capot, in the edge, it seemed
that they had touched it, there was a fingerprint marked.
And the other little dots in the back part?
THE SPONSORS
We are satisfied.
Yes! Totally!
At the half of the day
before sticking the logos we were a little sad.
Volta UC is a project that starts more or less one year ago
and the idea was to build an electric car
get support and people that would belive in us
by inventing a good enough value proposal.
We went to "sell" them this project, and made them believe.
The idea is to become a platform of technology
and development here in Chile.
The idea is that every year make a project
and to go "selling" and showing it here in Chile.
For us it is a challenge, to our knowledge
to put in practice all that we have learned in the university
and what we'll have to do in the future
because we always learn very theoretical things
but this is practical.
We literally joint all the courses we made here
and with that we are building an electric car.
I think that it would be very nice
for motivating new generations, and not only
in electrical aspects, but also
when there is somebody with the desire of doing something
to know that it's possible to do it
You don't need previous contacts
but only working hard we can fullfil
our dreams.
Our project is the base and plataform to
in a future, out of this electric car
bring more people, from engineers and other careers
to participate, to get involved in
instituzionalizing the Volta UC project and in the future
be able to empower new technologies, enviroment friendly
with education purpose, and with the help of everybody
as university students
build a better future, more ecologic
and modern.
Peyo, be careful with the painting
Yes, I know.
Take it easy, man.
Take it easy? Look there what happened there.
Where?
With a wrench somebody scratched the paint.
There are 3 switches. The red one starts the car.
This one enables the acceleration of the motor.
You have to close it for the throttle to work.
So, it should start now.
Are you sure?
We pressed the button and nothing happened.
We are searching the fault.
Hey!
I had forgotten this cable.
Wrench n° 14 and everybody step back.
Now we are making the final test
for the second time, the first time didn't work.
They are finishing installing the batteries
just one cable is missing, and then we try it.
It's on!
Ok! Now turn it off.
Be careful, the car might start!
Leave it in neutral.
It's running!
As we extracted the throttle wire
it's shorter now, so remains accelerated.
Let's see, now let's try again but with current.
Check the current.
Ok! I'll do it one more time
That's just something touching.
Leave it in Neutral.
Yes, it sounds awful.
The gearbox sounds.
Why do you think we are looking?
The mecanic team failed!
What's up?
Don't look at me, it was not my task.
The coupling is touching
Before it didn't sound like this.
Ok, ehhm...
Can you see the video?
I see they are really touching.
They are touching too much?
Extracting everything is a mess, isn't it?
No! Forget it.
We can lift it with the crane
shift everything left...
and then...no we can't.
No, it's too much.
Ehm, let it sound.
What happened?
There two pieces are touching inside.
The couple is rubbing, so it sounds.
We ensabled it again, and it worked
but as we disensambled everything
the throttle wire is tighter
so it starts accelerated
if we turned it on now
it would start moving.
Hence we will correct it electronically.
It is fixed.
Maybe the movement adjusted it.
It is very emotive...
...very emotive.
I'm proud of the team...
the team.
To see the car now with the sponsors
is very similar to our sketches, when we started.
That's very touching.
And being able to drive the car
and motivate other people.
One of the most beautiful things of Volta
is seeing initially just an idea,
see how it evolved
up to finally becoming a reality.
So we want to call you, young chileans and kids,
to follow your dreams
to study, because with hard work end efford
you can make your dreams come true.
even if they seem difficult.
So that's our message.
Make you see that Maths, Physics courses at school
are not just to get a good grade.
But they can be used in interesting things
in defying things
and things that can benefit the environment
and society.
In escence, if you have a dream
even if it sounds like a "cliche",
but if you have a dream
a technology idea,
a social entrepreneuership idea,
you have to go ahead
and try to make it real, at all costs
remaining within the boundaries of the ethics
logics and passion
but always, always,
you will make it with very hard work.
Ok guys, this is my last weekly meeting
here with you.
We saw our car work,
we saw how the people's face changed
when they saw the car passing through
and said "you made it".
Really I'm very proud of the team we formed
I'm very proud about how we...
do you remember our first meeting in my house
when we we traced a plan with our post it's
and made our sketches of the car.
Really the final product was
very similar to what we imagined then.
So...
now I leave the team, but the story
of Volta goes on.
With Juan Andres as our new capitain,
he has the mission of communicating this message,
to the people.
The new capitain...
I stand up!
Well, I hung up from them because they were very united
and they respect each other a lot.
There is an armony in them
and this has been very positive and made them grow.
It is very sad to see you go
but you will realise that Juan Andres won't let you down
because he is like you
he has that "punch"
and will make it double.
If he slept 4 hours then, now just 2 hours.
He has to eat more because he's too thin these days.
Let's go get something to eat. I didn't have lunch.
Let's go.
Finally we see that with passion and work
we can make things that help the environment
and help our planet.
Hello Volta!
I salute you from Europe
look what I found
a Tesla Roadster
our favourite electric sportive car.
Let's keep on promoting electric cars,
me from here, Torino, Italy.
Keep on fighting!
Bye!