IDTechEx speech Doubletree Hotel, San Jose CA
The Future of Electric Vehicles - The KleenSpeed Project the Kleenspeed Kar the “peoples EV” and its Race Car test-bed
President and Founder of Kleenspeed Technologies Inc.
- History of KleenSpeed and evolution of our Battery Electric Vehicle (EV) power systems
- The most important component the intuitive BMS
- The EV's of 2020 and the KleenSpeed Project K-Kar platform
Exhibiting: Record Holding Race Car #2
Eiata with Kleenspeed Lite System
E Kart with Micro car Lite Lite System
We want to thank IDTechEx and congratulate Dr. Peter Harrop - Chairman for bringing IDTechEx to Silicon Valley. I would like to show all our appreciation to Teresa , Daniel, Farouk, Cara and the gang for their tireless efforts which included answering the phone late at night in England. It has been a great experience for us getting a peak at the extensive research of IDTechEx listening to and meeting the attendees.
Kleenspeed is approaching three years of R&D spent creating integrated Battery Electric Vehicle (EV) systems that can be offered to the automobile industry and or utilized in our own vehicles We are known more as an electric race car concern than an R&D concern because we put our systems into race cars in order to test and stress all of the components and understand the limits.
Our Kleenspeed WX 10 Race car beat all competition at the Mazda Laguna Seca race track Re Fuel EV Time Trial in each of the last two years and set new track records each time. How fast, an average speed of 94 miles per hour on the 11 turn 2.2 mile race track. They were proud moments for our team members and Kleenspeed. We are not interested in zero to 60 acceleration times. We are interested in how many laps or miles can we go full throttle, full braking - Re Gen and full throttle again eleven times per lap. If we can perfect the race system then we can put that system into passenger car or utility vehicle , dial it back and get multiples of miles. It is the system stress that has led us to develop new solutions and new components to substitute with the best of breed components we selected originally. We strive to better utilize the battery energy.
We are battery agnostic and energy density focused and have mostly utilized Lithium ferrous phosphate cells. We analyze all brands and chemistries and test those that we are considering.
Funding- We are preparing the company for a financing early next year because we need more full time engineers to help our teams shorten time lines to deliver products. We will file a comprehensive master EV system patent memorandum in a few months.
We have also embarked on a $1.3mm sponsorship program targeting electric vehicle oriented national manufacturers, suppliers or brands as sponsors to take the Kleenspeed WX 10 to 15 race tracks around the US to stage similar EV time trials. Kleenspeed would try and set new EV lap records and let everyone find out how fast they can drive their production or purpose built EV around a race track for one lap. The program also includes the preparation of a car to challenge the existing Pikes Peak Hill Climb EV record – “The race to the clouds”.. I would think that a new Leaf owner would want to take the car to the track immediately. Times trials and hill climbs show case electric technology at its best and let you use or see the results of instant torque.
The secret of this start up technology company is people and place. We have an energized Board of Directors, management team and advisors. Our location is in the NASA Ames Research Park in Silicon Valley. We look for engineers, interns and others who are passionate about the electric vehicle. The key is passion as we do not chase our advisers they come back on their own. We form teams of a few people for all of our R&D projects. I interact with Dante Zeviar our Chief Technology Officer and a group of about twenty advisers, associates and interns who dedicate their time, passion and intelligence. Every day we make certain we have progressed on some development project. Many of these people are mentioned in our website. Our activities and beliefs are chronicled on the web site Kleenspeed.com with links to Kleenspeed Face book, our Blog and other companies.
I have established that Kleenspeed has spent the past three years immersed in the total electric vehicle power system, testing best of breed components and forging these components into a EV mileage machines.
We believe that every component in the system can be substantially improved or reinvented. We have devoted the most time to developing an intuitive Battery management system. Kleenspeed developed telemetry so that we could monitor the car remotely. Dante then plots the data streams on poster board to study the results. We then make changes or agree on design solutions for rpm, torque, heat, cell sag, amps, volts and individual cell performance. We feel the most important components for creating more miles are the BMS/ charge / display components. The motor, motor drive, BMS / charge display and the DC/DC converter all must be tuned, balanced and integrated to create an efficient system. Our BMS must smooth the system while helping the driver to create a longer trip. The driver must be fully informed at the touch of a screen as to energy reserve, trip distance at average speeds and system re gen. The BMS must be intuitive and provide information before it is needed so that there is no anxiety over the trip. The BMS can perform the same work during charge cycle. We believe the grid should be controlled from the car. The brain is in the car not on the wall.
Kleenspeed develops solutions to those components that became stressed at their limits in racing cars. We have not developed hybrid electric vehicle (HEV)systems because we believe the hybrid system power requirements are less demanding but our research could be used to improve the overall power of the HEV system.
Kleenspeed divides EV power systems into two categories the 300 volt and the 110 volt systems. Kleenspeed employs 300 volt systems in the race cars or cars over 2500 pounds as do practically every EV automaker including the Coda, Nissan and Tesla. We are thinking about powering a composite sports car or GT car through a partnership with our 300 volt system. We are not interested in competing with the auto industry with the anything other than a sports two seaters and race cars in the 300 volt area.
Kleenspeed developed a 110 volt system for cars under 2500 pounds which is has lower power and is much less expensive than the 300 volt systems. We installed our Lite system in a 1990 Miata which morphed into the Eiata and is on display. The Eiata is aerodynamic and weights 2460 pounds with our system. The Eiata has operated flawlessly, quiet with no exhaust, happy at 65 mph and is a dream to drive. I drive it to and from San Francisco / NASA an 80 mile round trip and had to buy a windshield squeegee as no visits to service stations or maintenance is necessary.
The ultimate test for a series HEV or an EV is to start up from a dead stop fully loaded on Taylor Street before California street in San Francisco. At that point Taylor street is about 15 degrees steep. That test could delay a production release.
We have announced that the Kleenspeed Lite system is available for $14,900. We also have a less powerful and lighter Lite-Lite system in a Kleenspeed E Kart (on display). The E Kart looks like a product but the Lite-Lite system is also a Micro car system which is for vehicles less than 1500 pounds.
I want to give you the Kleenspeed philosophy, as to what we believe about the future of EV power systems in cars and electric cars in general. We see the HEV market as a transition market a transition away from unstable gasoline prices and massive carbon emission to stable electric power prices and zero emission. The hybrid or transition market is led by the Prius but the next lot of technology will be the Fisker or Volt technology of series hybrid. It is interesting to note that it was necessary that the Volt’s planetary transmission directly power the car just like Prius so it is a parallel series hybrid. The Volt is the Motor Trend car of the year – go Hybrid Electric. The parallel, series, plug in hybrid transition cars cut down emissions increase mileage and most importantly create consumer acceptance of Electric vehicles.
We look at the EV market not as a US market but as a world market. We believe the largest market for EV’s outside of the United States will be for the small two or three passenger “City”, “Smart”, Subcompact or Micro cars and utility vehicles, the cars reminiscent of a VW Bug or a Fiat 500 - “people’s car”.
Kleenspeed with two of our interns have been designing the Kleenspeed K Car and have sought out Chinese and foreign car producers that could start us with a rolling platform that we could later manufacture in the US. The K Kar is the car that can be used every day to travel the fully charged mileage which will be 100 miles or more. We believe that when analyzing the cumulative total EV ‘s sold by 2020 that for every four passenger EV sold weighing more than 2500 pounds in the world market there will be ten “peoples cars” sold weighing less than 2500 pounds. Why, because at this stage of battery energy density and EV system efficiency the best economics and most productive use of an EV system is a newly designed composite small light car.
The US is a good market for sports cars or larger four passengers EV’s which is a higher end market. American car culture is such that the HEV and large is the best solution.
Kleenspeed looks at a HEV power system as only having the responsibility to allow the ICE to turn off at a traffic light and then move the car the first ten or twenty feet as well as on road at low amp and voltage requirements. Those duties will save 10 to 20 miles per gallon depending on the ICE present in the car. The Plug in HEV will give even more road mileage but you still must go to service stations occasionally as well as plugging in for charging.
This year about one million electric and hybrid electric cars will be sold in the world and that is about 2% of the approximately fifty million cars sold to the world. A better way to look at it is 49 million people will buy ICE powered cars while a new adopters or carbon emission elimination mileage oriented group of one million people will buy a hybrid or an electric vehicle. In spite of the small percentage we feel 2010 is” The year of electrifying awareness”, because practically every auto maker plus new electric automakers are planning or rolling out new hybrid and electric cars. That 2% we feel is the tipping point of mind share for electric powered vehicles as most of the 49 million ICE buyers will know that there was an EV option.
The Hybrid is the transition and the EV is the Frontier. We consider the Battery Electric Vehicle will be recognized as the best form of transportation by 2020.
We believe the electric car market will be similar to the car boom in the early 1900’s. Electric cars will be light because of composite material passenger pods, aerodynamic design. EV’s will carry lesser payloads to offset the battery pack weight. In other words an electric car should look like an electric car as it does not need a brand identifying grill and must have a low frontal area. Cars are now designed to look similar but different, have luxurious interiors and be filled with electronic accessories all in order to appeal to the indulged buyer. We believe the electric car must be designed for 150 miles per charge and sold as a zero emission, fixed fuel cost no maintenance vehicle. The bonus is snappy acceleration quiet operation, no service station or $5 gas, no pollution. The future for EV’s is more miles through improved systems lighter stronger cars a 6% improvement or more in energy density for batteries per year, more charging stations , faster charging and an intuitive relaxed experience while inside the car. Kleenspeed’s EV system will let us tiptoe into the production of EV’s. Kleenspeed is just one of hundreds of EV companies that will start up in the next 20 years. EV’s are a “frontier” because although they have four wheels they are completely different from a gas powered car and thinking must totally change to accept these vehicles. We believe the financial support the Federal and State governments are giving manufactures and purchasers the necessary buying catalyst. We believe charge stations will proliferate keeping pace with delivery of cars. Thus, we feel the grid will benefit as the EV population grows and will not be stressed. Rapid charge stations will make your 125 mile EV into a 500 mile EV.
We do not believe that battery electric cars should have mile per gallon ratings as they do not use gasoline. Kleenspeed does not plan to sell the fuel for the K Kar but instead will lease the battery. You do not buy a Ford Focus plus 4000 gallons of gasoline. The lease payments will be equivalent with $3.00 gasoline and 1000 miles of travel per month. The car will cost around $10,000 to $15,000 less because the energy is leased. In addition there is a subsidy as you are getting Federal and State tax credits in order to pay for the increased cost of the car due to the elimination of carbon emission. The result is that a $30,000 small EV costs $20,000 without the battery pack. Subtract another $7500 Federal tax credit less State tax credit and you buy the car for $10,000. . We feel that the energy cost per mile is the essence of comparison. If the cost of recharge (15%) cost of the battery lease (85%) is amortized as fuel then the cost of an electric car is about the same as a gasoline car at around $3.50 per gallon but there are no carbon emissions. Thus when gasoline rises to $5 a gallon and the EV still costs $3.50 SUV’s will plummet in value and panic will ensue, Hybrids will be twice as appealing and EV’s will be sold out. Remember in 2008 when crude oil rose above $145 a barrel and gasoline rose above $4, you could not give away a gas guzzler. Let’s visit the world recession of 2008, 2009 and yes now 2010. Today Oil is $88 per barrel and gasoline is over $3.00 . We are barely having a world economic recovery except for China and India who are consuming increasingly vast quantities of oil and oil is $88 –watch out.. Everyone should be interested now in buying a HEV or EV. Kleenspeed hopes to use technology and innovation to help make the EV cost effective and a joy to drive with increased miles per charge. Thank you.
Show Kleenspeed WX 10 record lap YouTube clip
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