AC Propulsion

AC Propulsion, Inc. ( eng. literally AC drive ) is a company based in San Dimas, California, USA that develops mainly electric drives for vehicles and manufactures. The company was founded by Alan Cocconi, currently is Tom Gage of the manufacturer .. Alan Cocconi CEO designed and built before the drive and the solar system for the GM Sunraycer, the World Solar Challenge won for solar cars in Australia in 1987, and later the control system for the electric car GM Impact, which was further developed into the GM EV1 later.

The built as a sports car prototype, test cars and Technikdemonstrator AC Propulsion tzero became known.

The most important product is the 1994 presented AC -150, a powertrain with a 150 kW electric motor ( 200 hp).

In addition, the company offers a Toyota Scion xB electric car conversion on, the AC Propulsion eBox and helps other car manufacturers when developing and testing of electric and hybrid drives. So AC Propulsion provides the necessary technology for the development of the BMW version of the Mini with electric drive, which has been tested since 2008.

Application

Vehicles which are driven by technology or licensed technology from AC Propulsion:

  • AC Propulsion tzero
  • AC Propulsion eBox
  • Peraves MonoTracer MT- E 150 ( Ecomobile )
  • Volvo 3CC
  • Venturi Fetish
  • Courreges EXE
  • Courreges ZOOOP ( with lithium polymer battery )
  • Wright Speed ​​X1 (based on the Ariel Atom)
  • Tesla Roadster ( Tesla has licenses on technology from AC Propulsion acquired)
  • Mini E

Vehicle-to -grid strategy

To equip electric vehicles for so-called vehicle-to -grid strategy, a two-way connection is offered to the electricity grid ( bidirectional grid power connection ) for the second generation of the AC -150. The basic idea is that batteries of electric cars save much more electric power than they need for your everyday use. As cars moved an average of less than two hours a day, can car battery power surplus store, for example, at night of wind turbines and during the day while they park, give back to the grid.

Range extension with generator trailer

Aside from pure electric cars built as prototypes AC Propulsion trailer in which a motorcycle engine and a generator producing electricity to supply with the aim for long-distance journeys, which goes beyond the battery range of electric cars, the necessary power. Such generator trailer trailer are referred to in English as Genset. The uniform operation of these engines, which is possible because they recharge the battery and does not need to immediately follow the changing demands of the driving operation shall, low consumption and favorable emission values ​​reach ..

Konkurriernde concepts

  • Another concept of not having to always carry along the internal combustion engine for range extension, followed the Mindset AG, who wanted to make the engine easy to remove. The development was largely discontinued in 2009.
  • When Opel Twin the whole electric drive module could replace it with a conventional drive module with an internal combustion engine.
  • The company Better Place aims to expand an exchange infrastructure for accumulators.
  • A comparable manufacturer of drive trains for electric cars, the umrüstet also bodies of production vehicles using their own technique to electric cars, the German company e- Wolf.
Types of business entity Scion (automobile) Venturi Fétish Wrightspeed X1
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