Hybrid cars could be even cleaner, cheaper and more efficient thanks to a new device that incorporates an axial flux, permanent magnet and a torodial generator. Basically it is an entirely new type of generator that replaces heavy starter motors and flywheels and can power all the cars electrical systems to give electric-petrol cars the potential of breaking the magic 100 mpg (2.82 l/100 km) target.
A new type of generator that has been developed with hybrids in mind |
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They are simpler to build, have fewer parts, are more efficient and are reliable. They have no bearings to wear out and can be bolted on to engine crankshaft, replacing heavy flywheels. EGSHEV generators also replace conventional starter motors.
Working for two years on a project called EGSHEV (Engine/Generator Sets for Hybrid Electric Vehicles), engineers from Newage International Limited, based in Stamford , Lincolnshire , and scientists from Durham University invented this new generator as part of the UK ’s pioneering Foresight Vehicle research programme. Prototypes have already been extensively tested and the new invention is ready to go into mass-production almost immediately. It could also mean that the new-generation cars would become more reliable and more durable because the new component has fewer moving parts.
As well as being used in hybrid cars, these generators can be built into refrigeration systems, portable power systems and marine leisure craft. Again the new generators bring advantages of weight and space saving, high efficiency and lower costs.
The new generator incorporates an axial flux, permanent magnet and a torodial generator. |
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Dr Nazar Al-Khayat, chief engineer at Newage, said: "Automotive applications require hardware that copes with harsh environmental conditions – dirt, significant temperature spans, the need for high reliability and, of course, durability.
"We are confident of the generator concept and of our designs. We can now say to vehicle manufacturers wanting to build hybrids, ‘We have the electrical machine designs you need and the ability to produce them in volume’."
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