HY-WIRE CARS

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HY-WIRE CARS

• PRESENTED BY
• PARAS AGARWAL
• B.TECH 3RD YEAR(ME)
• 0803040408

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INTRODUCTION

• Cars are immensely complicated machines, but when
  you get down to it, they do an incredibly simple
  job. Most of the complex stuff in a car is
  dedicated to turning wheels, which grip the road
  to pull the car body and passengers along.

In this article, we'll look at one interesting
vision of the future, General Motor's remarkable
concept car, the Hy-wire.
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HY-WIRE BASICS

• The defining characteristic of the Hy-wire (and
  its conceptual predecessor, the AUTOnomy) is that
  it doesn't have either of these two things.

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• Instead of an engine, it has a fuel cell stack,
  which powers an electric motor connected to the
  wheels.
• Instead of mechanical and hydraulic linkages, it
  has a drive by wire system -- a computer actually
  operates the components that move the wheels,
  activate the brakes and so on, based on input
  from an electronic controller. This is the same
  control system employed in modern fighter jets as
  well as many commercial planes.

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• There is no steering wheel, there are no pedals
  and there is no engine compartment.
• In fact, every piece of equipment that actually
  moves the car along the road is housed in an
  11-inch-thick (28 cm) aluminum chassis -- also
  known as the skateboard -- at the base of the
  car.
• Everything above the chassis is dedicated solely
  to driver control and passenger comfort.
• The floor of the fiberglass-and-steel passenger
  compartment can be totally flat, and its easy to
  give every seat lots of leg room.

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Power

• The "Hy" in Hy-wire stands for hydrogen, the
  standard fuel for a fuel cell system.
• Like batteries, fuel cells have a negatively
  charged terminal and a positively charged
  terminal that propel electrical charge through a
  circuit connected to each end. They are also
  similar to batteries in that they generate
  electricity from a chemical reaction.
• But unlike a battery, you can continually
  recharge a fuel cell by adding chemical fuel --
  in this case, hydrogen from an onboard storage
  tank and oxygen from the atmosphere.

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Hydrogen tanks and fuel-cell stack in the Hy-wire
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Contd.

• The basic idea is to use a catalyst to split a
  hydrogen molecule (H2) into two H protons (H,
  positively charged single hydrogen atoms) and two
  electrons (e-). Oxygen on the cathode (positively
  charged) side of the fuel cell draws H ions from
  the anode side through a proton exchange
  membrane, but blocks the flow of electrons.
• The electrons (which have a negative charge) are
  attracted to the protons (which have a positive
  charge) on the other side of the membrane, but
  they have to move through the electrical circuit
  to get there.

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• The fuel-cell stack in the Hy-wire is made up of
  200 individual cells connected in series, which
  collectively provide 94 kilowatts of continuous
  power and 129 kilowatts at peak power. re. rage
  tank and oxygen from the atmosphere.
• This system delivers DC voltage ranging from 125
  to 200 volts, depending on the load in the
  circuit.
• The motor controller boosts this up to 250 to 380
  volts and converts it to AC current to drive the
  three-phase electric motor that rotates the
  wheels (this is similar to the system used in
  conventional electric cars).

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Control

• The Hy-wire's "brain" is a central computer
  housed in the middle of the chassis. It sends
  electronic signals to the motor control unit to
  vary the speed, the steering mechanism to
  maneuver the car, and the braking system to slow
  the car down.
• The computer connects to the body's electronics
  through a single universal docking port.
• The driver's control unit, dubbed the X-drive, is
  a lot closer to a video game controller than a
  conventional steering wheel and pedal
  arrangement. The controller has two ergonomic
  grips, positioned to the left and right of a
  small LCD monitor

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Contd.
Components of the HY-WIRE car
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Contd.

• The 5.8-inch (14.7-cm) color monitor in the
  center of the controller displays all the stuff
  you'd normally find on the dashboard (speed,
  mileage, fuel level).
• One of the coolest things about the drive-by-wire
  system is that you can fine-tune vehicle handling
  without changing anything in the car's mechanical
  components -- all it takes to adjust the
  steering, accelerator or brake sensitivity is
  some new computer software.

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X-drive of Hy-WIRE car
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The X-drive can slide to either side of the
vehicle.
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Hy-wire Numbers

• Top speed 100 miles per hour (161 kph)
• Weight 4,185 pounds (1,898 kg)
• Chassis length 14 feet, 3 inches (4.3 meters)
• Chassis width 5 feet, 5.7 inches (1.67 meters)
• Chassis thickness 11 inches (28 cm)
• Wheels eight-spoke, light alloy wheels.
• Tires 20-inch (51-cm) in front and 22-inch
  (56-cm) in back
• Fuel-cell power 94 kilowatts continuous, 129
  kilowatts peak
• Fuel-cell-stack voltage 125 to 200 volts
• Motor 250- to 380-volt three-phase asynchronous
  electric motor
• Crash protection front and rear "crush zones"
  (or "crash boxes") to absorb impact energy
• Related GM patents in progress 30
• GM team members involved in design 500

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• The Hy-wire has wheels, seats and windows like a
  conventional car, but the similarity pretty much
  ends there. There is no engine under the hood and
  no steering wheel or pedals inside.

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Advantages

• In Hy- wire car the central computer will be able
  to monitor driver input which will make it much
  safer.
• This car can resolve the major fuel problems and
  safety issues.
• This is eco-friendly car.

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Disadvantages

• This car does not have any physical connection
  between the driver and the cars mechanical
  component, so the electrical failure would mean
  total loss of control.
• The production of the hydrogen which is used as
  fuel in the Hy-wire car can generate about as
  much pollution as using gasoline engines and
  storage and distribution systems still have a
  long way to go.

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Conclusion

• It fully intends to release a production version
  of the car in 2012, assuming it can resolve the
  major fuel and safety issues. But even if the
  Hy-wire team doesn't meet this goal. Automakers
  are definitely planning to move beyond the
  conventional car sometime soon, toward a
  computerized, environmentally friendly
  alternative. In all likelihood, life on the
  highway will see some major changes within the
  next few decades.

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And at last..

• References
• www.scribd.com
• www.howstuffworks.com
• www.gm.com