Home Power to goÉ Phil Jergenson I am an artist/inventor, inspired by Bucky Fuller's design revolution, "everything needs to be redesigned". We have built ourselves into a technological corner and we must design our way out of our transportation mess. The automobile & its roadways are a very destructive force on this planet. Let's start our own revolution by "Just Saying No" to a car/oil industry and a government who can't or won't build really dependable, non-polluting vehicles. Building Blocks We need a vehicle sized in between the bicycle and the car. The solar assisted electric vehicle is the perfect solution with many added benefits. Being part owner and mechanic in a bike and alternative transportation shop has given me an insight into a radical new idea for creating such vehicles. I am creating a modular framing system with a high degree of part interchangeability. This allows maximum frame design flexibility by designers and builders. This concept is not new. The bike industry has been attempting this for many years. With the advent of the mountain bike, this industry now has a very high degree of interchangeability. This allows the choice of many different quality levels. For instance one can buy a mild steel handlebar for $6. One can also spend $20 or so on a lightweight aluminum bar, or for the ultimate in lightweight performance carbon graphite fiber wound bar for $100. All three bars share the same mounting diameter. Parts standardization by many manufacturers allows frame builders tremendous flexibility for many new designs. The Big Boys On another scale entirely we have the auto industry, with almost no parts interchangeability. This industry is presently incapable of any real change. Their inertia is so great that it takes a minimum of six years to produce a new design. The saddest part is the planned obsolescence in their vehicles. We can no longer afford or tolerate this kind of waste. A Different Approach My proposal is that we create a new vehicle standard based upon maximum interchangeability of parts. I purpose that a new standard incorporate as much off-the-shelf hardware and technology as possible. The Matrixª Framework Virtually all the frame members in these electric vehicles are aluminum box beam. More complex parts such as front ends and rear axle swing arms are MIG welded steel assemblies which bolt up to the box beam hole pattern. Many vehicle frames can now be assembled in minutes instead of days or weeks of cutting and welding. I used 1.5 inch by 1.5 inch aluminum square tubing with a 1/8 inch wall thickness for the vehicle's frame. The tubing is structural type 6061P6 and weighs 0.75 pounds per linear foot. This tubing has 3/8 inch diameter holes drilled at 1.5 inch intervals along all faces. Where 3 members meet at a joint, they triangulate forming an extremely rigid structure. INSERT FRAMEWORK PHOTO Using the Matrix System The photo below shows the X-Wing without is covering of PV panels and nose piece. Here one can see the modularity of the Matrix framework technique. The X-Wing's frame consumed 60 linear feet of tubing in its construction. Complete with nuts and bolts, the assembled frame weighed in at less than 60 pounds. The X-Wind had two drawbacks, limited hauling capacity and the PV modules were fixed in place. INSERT XWING FRAMEPHOTO The Vanda Vanda is a two-seat, low speed utility vehicle. Designed to travel 40 to 60 miles per day, the Vanda's top speed is 30 MPH on level ground. Geared down for the mountains, Vanda's top speed drops to 20 MPH. INSERT VANDA PHOTOS Vanda's overall length is 9 feet and overall width is 6 feet. Most of this area is usable interior space. The interior measures 7 feet by 4.5 feet and allows sleeping for two inside. The Vanda will haul 500 pounds of passengers and cargo. The batteries, about half the Vanda's weight, are located low in the framework giving the vehicle a low center of gravity. The photovoltaic array produces about 240 Watts under full sun. This will totally recharge the Vanda's battery (12 V @240 A.-hrs.) in about three days. Recharging from a home system takes about 5 to 10 hours. The PV panels are mounted on an adjustable rack on Vanda's roof. This allows tilting the PVs to best catch the sun when the Vanda is parked. The two 24 VDC permanent magnet, electric motors are wired in parallel and connected to the drive axle via chain and sprockets. The motors also operate as regenerative brakes, storing the Vanda's inertia in the batteries. I'm now experimenting with cog timing belts and toothed pulleys for power transmission. Also under development is a Pulse Width Modulator motor control and instrumentation deck. Vanda is Flexible Vanda's matrix framework weighs 70 pounds in its current configuration. Being bolted together rather than welded, the Vanda is agreeable to change. Major frame modifications like moving the position of an axle, are just a matter of nuts and bolts. This allows fine tuning of the vehicle's frame geometry without tedious and expensive welding. Vanda is not locked into unchanging welded metal. If you want to improve the design, all it takes is a wrench and some imagination. Flexibility is built into Vanda's design. For example, Vanda will interface with home power systems. Vanda can recharge from home PV, wind or hydro sources. Vanda's PV array can also charge the home's battery when the vehicle not being driven. Wherever Vanda goes, it carries its own silent power plant. With the addition of an inverter, the Vanda runs power tools in the field. Vanda performance is amazing for a vehicle powered by sunshine. It accelerates like a rocket because it is electric. Handling is stable due to the wide track and low center of gravity. Vanda's Cost The Vanda will cost less than $9000 to build, complete with batteries and PVs. A builder will spend about 200 hours completing Vanda from a kit. When completed the Vanda is street legal in California as a motorized bicycle. The Vanda of the Future I am adding the finishing touches to the Vanda interior, instrumentation and testing of the vehicle for range, hill climbing etc. I will be reporting to Home Power readers on this in the next issue. On January 1, 1990 my matrix parts catalog and work manual will be complete. This will be around 70 pages mainly of parts for building ones own transport systems and other stimulating projects. The price is $15.00, which will be put to good use. If we use our resources wisely the 1990's can be our pivotal years for massive change. The future is now. Good Luck. Access Contact Phil Jergenson at Suntools, 271 Franklin Ave., Willits, CA 95490 ¥ 707-459-2453.