Spring Powered Car's Basic Concept

A comedian on TV asking a riddle: "What do fish breathe?" Pantaloon replied: "With the gills". "Right! Then a pedicab driver to breathe with what? ", The first comedian asked again."With the lungs!", Said Pantaloon. "Wrong!", The first comedian argued, "The truth is; with panting".

The design of the EV-1 electric car made​​ by General Motors electric motors are equipped with a liquid cooling system to prevent burning of the motor due to his workload. HEV, hybrid cars made ​​by Mitsubishi Motors armed with a 76 liter CNG can travel 600 km at a constant speed of 40 km/h, and 300 km at 100 km/h.

Electric motors burn who want to prevent the EV-1 and a drastic reduction in the HEV both cruising is the effect of eddy currents which turn electrical energy into heat energy (rather than the energy of motion) in the electric motor.

So what does a pedicab driver breathless with Eddy Current? Nothing. But both are caused by the same cause, namely the direct loading of the source motion against obstacles along the way and instead of just doing the main task of moving the vehicle. Obstacle to EV and HEV-1 is the main air resistance and friction of wheel rotation. While the main obstacle to a pedicab driver is inertia .

Propulsion systems that will be applied to SPC is having a spring mechanism to avoid or minimize direct loading of the source of motion of the obstacles out of the drive system itself, whether it be air resistance,  wheel's rotational resistance, and inertia. So that for each of the resulting transfer of energy expenditure are relatively equal. Perhaps the term cool is the high efficiency drive system.

Theoretical foundation

Force concepts in physics says that the work done by a constant force is defined as the product of the force component in the direction of displacement with the resulting displacement. The usual concept is mathematically written Fs.S = W = mgh

The formula means that the force can not do work if the object does not move, and that the force perpendicular displacement (also) do not do work.

While that always occurs in an electric car and pedicab drivers is that the energy expended is often not fully result in displacement but turned into a hot and panting. This is the main factor that causes the motion of the system efficiency of electric cars and rickshaws to be relatively low.

Hopefully soon found many alternative solutions to overcome these dissefficiencies. I can only offer one of them is similar to inserting a capacitor between the power source and the transmission system, before the energy released to the vehicle’s wheels. Thus the will to deal with barriers that restrain the displacement motion of the electric motor or the vehicle is not as pedicab drivers, but the capacitor. And among so many kinds of capacitors I chose spring as a major media with consideration of the simplicity in construction so it is easy to apply, as well as manufacturing and maintenance costs are relatively low. And to optimize the effectiveness of the work, I added  a  flywheel.

Style and Function

I planned that SPC should fulfill, atleast, these functions; sporting, city/country leasuring, goods carrying, and short distance passenger transporting. SPC  should be transformable then. See these 4 simple drawings;

All those form/style is easyly changeable thanks to hideable/foldable windshield, foldable backseat, and hideable/foldable top.

One vehicle, four style, many function. Thats what people need, I guess.

In almost all of vehicle design, efficiency factor has always been a major consideration. Then so is the drive system of this SPC. And because this vehicle is driven primarily by human power, driver comfort factor as first motive power source used as reference in designing the overall SPC's drive system.

So, what type of vehicle most comfortable driving position? Truck? Clearly not. Bus? Nor was it. Sedan? Almost. Sport sedan? Getting closer.... Formula 1? RIGHT!

But of course we don't have to adopt the Formula 1 driving position into SPC in totally similar, as we know that Formula 1 driving position is more for centering gravity and aerodynamic purposes. See the following figure;

The position of the feet is almost parallel to the waist, so reduce the gravity effects to the efficiency of footwork You may compared with those in position to ride a bicycle or rickshaw in which the legs/feet is always below the waist, so that each time the foot  moved upward we need extra effort to lift the weight of the legs/foot itself.

That figured sitting position as well as make the heart and lungs work more light because they are only needs to pump oxygen and blood to the muscles of the legs/feet that is more aligned position relatively to the position of the heart.

Based on that ergonomic design of the driver's position  then we can design the system the most efficient human energy transfer into the power spring and adjust the layout of other propulsion subsystems.

Power-train

It would be rather difficult to explain if you do not see the shape of actual mechanics of the physical circuit. But I can simply say this; The drive system of the SPC optimizes the power of human power by keep it first into elastic potential energy in the spring. But not entirely; Man power is also directly drive the vehicle when vehicle start moving.

With the understanding that the burden for moving vehicle is always subject to change according to the traffic condition or road contour and the desired speed, it would require some other components that help to use energy stored in the spring to be effective and optimal. That is why it is in the SPC's drive system I add the flywheel. The rest is just  speed control subsystem through the use of transmission system that are commonly to us, namely the clutch and gearbox or CVT transmission.

Regarding the application of basic concepts such performances would be easier if I describe the same time as I explain about how the CPC making.  

I'm still here...

Hello! I'm back!


More than 6 years done since that first post....
So, Thanks for waiting... : )
 
But how can I say why..., a 7,2 RS earthquake in 27th May 2006 in Yogyakarta destroyed my workshop and taken almost all of my fortune....
I've to start all over again, right from the very bottom....
And now I can only show you this...






It should be a spring powered car, isn't it?

Yup, you can see a long red painted coiled spring there. Thats must be the main mark. But there's an other red painted thing, too.... A Flywheel!!

So, what was that?

Well, Gentlemen..., I proudly present; A Kinetic-Spring Powered Car! 200% better load capacity, 300% faster, but 50% lighter pedaling than those well known pedicabs!

I added a flywheel for very simple but important reason; energy efficiency. So let me start from there.

All moving things always have kinetic energy. For those who are not familiar enough with kinetic energy please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy and comeback then. Kinetic energy comes from inertia. For those who are not familiar enough with inertia please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertia and comeback then. Why? Because I hate to talk about physics. I’m only an amateur workshopper.

Many modern vehicles, especially electric powered models, exploits kinetic energy by regenerative braking system. But not in my spring powered car. Its muscle powered. So it will be relatively less complicated system.

Its a very simple job, but very effective to save the human (rider) energy.

I simply add a big pulley to the pedal’s sprocket shaft and connect it, with a v-belt of course, to a smaller pulley in the flywheel’s shaft (I’ll post the drawings later). Now we have a kinetic powered system instantly. And the result is very amazing, especially it’s climbing performance.

You might want to try it on your bicycle. But be careful; Without a clutch system it will be hard to be stopped normally! Or you’ll need a very strong brake system to burn the energy intact in the spinning flywheel! That's depends on size, weight, and speed of flywheel, anyway.

But for me that's not satisfying enough.... My main aim is to maximize the cruising ability with the same or less amount of energy, and optimizing the speed performance at once. And that's why I use the spring, or springs. We’ll talk about it tomorrow...

Introduction

I've been keep thinking of making and riding this kind of vehicle since I was 6 years old. Well, I've read many articles and discussions about this idea on many websites then. So, this idea is not originally mine. I guess it's Leonardo Da Vinci's. Unfortunately, I can't find a real one yet, except toys for kids.

If this time I started seriously trying to make it happen, one of the reasons was because I saw the need for an efficient alternative vehicles as well as environmentally friendly is increasingly urgent. But this time I do not want to do it for hobby only. Neither is based on the ideals of saving the Earth from the threat of fuel crisis, or creating a masterpiece of 21st century innovation. I just wanted to see the farmers or small traders have their own means of transport that can carry more payload, driving more comfortable, less tiring, pollution-free and economical. A Jakarta governor ever suggested that the rickshaw is a vehicle that is less human, so he tried to abolishing it. While the rickshaw drivers, rickshaw is the only means of earning a living, and for the users of its services rickshaws are a convenient and inexpensive facility. But almost never actually heard the comment that the rickshaw is a vehicle that is environmentally friendly and healthy. not it would be helpful if available a means of conveyance that functions like a rickshaw, does not use fuel so that it remains environmentally friendly, safe and comfortable ride, which travels faster, but more humane? Less interesting? What about the beach buggy? You know, a small car without a roof with a capacity of 2 people to explore s beach's sand. But that is lighter and still can drag and roll! You can race racing against your friends while improving your cardiovascular health, or just relaxing by the beach with your spouse. Or, if you are a businessman who is looking for new investment outlets, you can have 10-20 units and then rent it to tourists; you will get a hefty intake every day! 

I have no formal educational background in engineering, but I love the mechanics. So pardon me if my description of this idea is too simple. I would hope you would help me with the correct calculation if you can. Because my focus is to make a real and functioning, rather than theorizing. 

Even so, I'll try to describe it as clearly as possible as I can. I hope the description is useful for the student who may wish to examine this idea, because I saw that this concept can be peeled from the many-point studies. For example, in terms of physics, mechanics, electro-mechanics, ergonomics, product design, economic prospects, or a variety of angles other studies that may arise later.