They are designing a car that, in the event of a breakdown, could drive itself to the workshop

Researchers from the UPC (Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya) Terrassa Campus, together with the Manresa Technology Centre (CTM), are beginning to develop fault-tolerant technology that will allow the car to be driven to the workshop when it suffers a fault in one of the motor phases or in the electronic converter that controls it.

According to them, the secret of the new electric car is the electric motor that each of the four wheels will incorporate, and that its design will be axial, with a flat rotor, which will make it possible to make it as thin as possible while increasing its power.

Therefore, the new electric vehicle will be able to maximise energy efficiency by making each wheel act as a driving wheel. In this way, the energy loss that occurs with the classic traction system through mechanical drivetrains would be eliminated.

In addition, researchers from another university, the BUAP in Mexico, are developing a new hybrid battery system, with supercapacitor chemical elements, to balance the vehicle’s range and regenerative power.

With the work of both universities, a kind of buffer will be created that absorbs power peaks and feeds them back to the battery. In this way, the vehicle’s operation will be more stable and the battery, of around 35 kWh, will be much more efficient and durable.

On the other hand, the car built on the basis of these technologies will have up to twice the range of current equivalents, being able to travel without recharging its batteries for around 250 km.

The electric vehicle will be ready in 2015 and will be built by the Mexican company TC Technologies.

Source: UPC