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EV WORLD EXCLUSIVE ARTICLE |
Eliica stands for 'Electric Lithium Ion Car.' It is the streamlined successor of the Kaz, eight-passenger limousine, developed at Japan's Keio University. Boasting its own mobile conference room, the car recently achieved a record 370 kph top speed.
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Eliica: Eight-wheeled Wonder
By EV World
Imagine a 21st century family sedan that can do 400 kph and doubles as an mobile conference room, while being powered by a 640 hp, pollution-free electric drive system
Open Access Article Originally Published: May 07, 2004
When the world's gasoline gauge tips towards "empty" in the coming decades, we're going to have to use a lot of imagination and creativity to compensate.
Thankfully, 40 students -- and faculty members -- at Keio University in Japan, led by professor of engineering Hiroshi Shimizu, are thinking ahead... way ahead... in the form of Eliica, the eight-wheeled successor to the wildly innovative Kaz electric car, also a product of the Keio University team's fertile imagination.
Powered by eight 55kW electric motors and a huge bank of lithium-ion batteries, the five-passenger vehicle is designed around two basic models: Type A with a top speed of 400 kph and a range of 200 km between charges; Type B with a top speed of 190 kph but a range of 320 km. Measuring 5.1 meters long by 1.9 meters wide, the car cost an estimated 500 million yen, provided by corporate sponsors.
To illustrate the potential of the car, the students created a video that depicts the car as it might be used by a business to travel to a meeting. We were so intrigued by the short video that we thought EV World readers would also find it of interest. To view it in either Windows Media Player or Quicktime, visit the http://www.eliica.com web site and select "Movie" from the menu options.
EV World extends its congratulations and appreciation for what Professor Shimizu's team has accomplished over the decade and their confidence in the battery electric vehicles, stretching the boundaries, showing what is possible, and definitely thinking "outside the box."
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Reader Comments
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20 comments so far...
19-Dec-2009
76039
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i wonder how is the engine programmer of this car being set-up. but the design is very cool and i love it.
Posted by: Sarah Lewis
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02-Aug-2006
30011
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I noticed a 10 min recharge time on the gages from the cgi video on the site. I'm sure that cannnot be. does anyone knw the recharge time for this car?
Posted by: Mat Johnson
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28-Sep-2005
9878
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the best car in the history of the world
Posted by: jeff enrico
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12-May-2004
2882
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its dumb"
Posted by: john smith
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12-May-2004
2898
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The Japanese took over the TV then the VCR,
the digital camera industries. Looks like the
automotive industry is next. Meanwhile, the
US is mired is rediculous wars in the Middle
East. Will we ever learn?!"
Posted by: john boyd
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13-May-2004
2903
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"It's Dumb." You say john smith? Let me guess, the pronoun "it" isn't meant to refer to the car in the article but to your own comment. If you have to make blanket statements at least outlay any excuses you can squeeze from under that muffle of foolish pride. "
Posted by: Machine Man
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24-May-2004
3060
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Mike, have a look at the original vehicle - the wheels are indepedent motor drives reducing transmission losses and total weight. The tandem wheel pairs increase stability.
http://www.electrifyingtimes.com/kaz.html - http://web.sfc.keio.ac.jp/~hiros/kaz/kazconcept.html
"
Posted by: Andriko Zavadell
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09-May-2004
2797
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Would it be too much trouble to translate to miles, miles per hour, and dollars?"
Posted by: Benjamin Wheeler
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10-May-2004
2798
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What's the cost of the lithium ion battery pack? Charge time? The vehicle weight? Bigger than a Prius? Hummer? Kenworth? Use dollars, hours, pounds, and feet. I like it but just cannot shake the thought that a most wretched problem to have with an automobile today is an electrical problem. An electric car could become just a collection of ten thousand flashlights with batteries. I don't want to think about that in light of my flashlight history. "
Posted by: David Park
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10-May-2004
2800
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400 km equals 249 miles. I got them from the metric conversion tool in the right-hand column. Not sure what the current rate for the yen is.
To be honest, I simply had too much on my plate this weekend to take time to look up the rate of the yen. Reformating Alec Brook's article too far longer than I anticipated.
"
Posted by: Bill Moore
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10-May-2004
2801
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190 km/h is 118 mph
That's more than enough speed for American roads.
I'd love to see cost estimates based on production of 1000 per year, 50 000 per year, 1 million per year, and 12 million per year. Americans bought 18 million vehicles last year, but one or two million probably legitimately need to be able to refuel in twenty minutes (contractors who travel long distances). There are a few million other owners who illigetimately insist on a 20-minute refueling time."
Posted by: steve erlsten
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10-May-2004
2803
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500 million yen is roughly US$4.4 million (CA$6.1Million). This is one of many concept cars that prove EVs are practical. It is still a concept car, though.
I'm going from some sketchy sources, but I think a small new car can be bought in Japan for 200 000 Yen, or US$1761 (CA$2500). ...that can't be right."
Posted by: Steve Erlsten
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10-May-2004
2807
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Thanks, Steve... I appreciate your finding this information.
"
Posted by: Bill Moore
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10-May-2004
2812
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Hey wheeler, you have a computer...USE IT!"
Posted by: Cantuse Computer
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11-May-2004
2814
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What's with this request to convert from metric to ye olde English?
The U.S. is the ONLY country in the world using ye olde English units for measurement. Surely it's not to much, under the circumstances, to expect educated Americans to know how to convert.
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Posted by: Frank Eggers
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11-May-2004
2817
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Dear CantuseComputer - there are times when human to human contact just can't be dismissed - I live and die by e-mail and phone conferences and can attest that unless you are a heads down programmer you NEED to see PEOPLE from time to time. When my brain becomes a CPU from Intel then maybe you can learn to BE HUMAN once in a while. Obviously you just don't get the point - this is a design exercise!"
Posted by: Serafino Carri
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12-May-2004
2859
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A new (non-kei) car in Japan of about 1300cc is about 1,200,000yen (about 11000 USD).
A kei car (660cc mini veh.) on average is around 800,000yen (about 7700 USD)."
Posted by: Machine man
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12-May-2004
2860
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The Eliica is awesome but it would be even better with two speed gears. The reason being that there are limits to the power band of electric motors before excessive losses and declining torque compromise the vehicle's performance. This is so even with the most advanced vestor control techniques available. However, arranging two speed gears on hub motors would be challanging to say the least."
Posted by: MARTIN GREEN
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12-May-2004
2870
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Actually, two speeds on a hub motor is eaiser than you might think. It's a concept that's been used in A/C/Refrigeration systems for quite a while, you simply use two different sets of fields and windings on the same shaft. The first set, lets, say the set closest to the wheel, is optimized for brute force starts, regen brake force recapture, and top speed of about 25 to 30 M.P.H. (40 to 48 K.p.H. so as not offend anyone else reading this!) At this speed, the motor has reached it's top end efficiency, and beyond this point will begin to suffer performance wise. A second set of windings, on the same shaft, just inboard from the first, is "shifted" in by the electronic "transmission" - a computer that is monitoring not only vehicle speed, wheel speed, wheel angle (don't want to over accelerate in a turn), and throttle position amongst (I'm sure) a million other sensors the auto engineers would think to hook into it; at that first winding sets' "top end", the second set would already theoretically be at least 25% into it's optimized power band - this allows a smooth transition from "gear" to "gear" rather than a sudden jerk as the second power band suddenly "grabs and gos".
A third, fourth, and even fifth speed is possible, or higher; the limit is the length of the motor shaft, the complexity of the computer program for it's control, and the flexibility of the chassis the motor is installed in. Motors that are NOT based on Farady's designs work best, as the multi-petal, intersected windings are very compact...typically a 50 horsepower Faraday design motor is over 3 feet (1 meter) in length of field, but the same 50 horse motor in a non-Faraday design is 11 inches (28 cm) in field length...closely resembling the pancake style motor for a ceiling fan. Beyond that, it's a function of supporting the shaft with bearings that are oil cooled if you are going to take the motor to speeds that would embarass a NASCAR driver...and with one of these motors in your family sedan, you easily could; but then your range would no longer be 500 miles (800 Km), it would be spent in that one shot quarter mile (400 meters)."
Posted by: Ron Haywood
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17-May-2004
2974
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I love this :). For a concept car it sure attracts attention. I wonder why it has eight wheels. Even with a loading of only 1200 lb (550 kg) it would be enough for a 5 ton (4.3 tonn) car. This would make a Hummer look light :)"
Posted by: Mike Swift
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