Electric Car Start-Up, Fisker, Opens Huge Center in Michigan
At least one of the highly touted alternative car start-ups is expanding in the face of an economic meltdown.
Fisker Automotive yesterday announced (PDF) the opening of a 34,000 square foot Engineering and Development Center in Pontiac, Michigan, that will house up to 200 engineers and designers in support of Fisker’s much anticipated plug-in hybrid car, the four-door Fisker Karma.
- » See also: Is the Renault-Nissan Alliance Going in Two Different Electric Car Directions?
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Amid news of Tesla Motors’ (the other much-ballyhooed electric car start-up) recent “shrinkage,” Fisker seems to be flaunting its success. As the press release makes sure to point out, “The opening of [their new] facility comes on the heels of Fisker Automotive’s recent announcement that it prevailed in a lawsuit brought against the company by Tesla Motors.”
The bad blood between Tesla and Fisker goes back a ways. In April, Tesla sued Fisker Automotive claiming that Henrik Fisker took on an $875,000 design contract with Tesla in order to access confidential design information. Less than a year after his contract ended, Fisker launched his own company and announced the Karma. In June, Fisker won the suit in binding arbitration.
So it seems that, for now, Fisker is on a roll, while Tesla is starting to lose its steam. Last September, Fisker announced that they had raised $65 million dollars in a large round of funding while, just a month later, Tesla was forced to lay off employees and scale back operations due to inadequate funding.
Fisker is set to release the Karma at the end of next year. Allegedly, the Karma has a 50 mile all-electric range and more than 350 miles of total range. Fisker claims that the Karma “will have the potential for a fuel economy of over 100 miles per gallon on extended drives.” The car is expected to cost around $80,000 — which is $29,000 less than Tesla’s Roadster — and Fisker plans on selling 15,000 of them annually by 2011.
Source and Image Credit: Fisker Automotive
Fuel cell powered electric vehicles
Through water electrolysis (Avalence LLC) this system produces hydrogen on board the vehicle. Hydrogen mixed with Oxygen through a PEM fuel cell stack (General Motors) creates electricity to power a 1st stage motor and magnet generator to power the main batteries this eliminates the combustion engine. Using magnet generators on the rear axels the car produces power through motion
The basis of my patent, which I let expire, is a simple flow diagram. We do not want to store excessive amounts of hydrogen on board in high pressure containers. We do not want a combustion engine running on hydrogen do to the amount of hydrogen required to fuel such a vehicle. Fuel cells and associated electric cars are limited because it takes a lot of fuel cell stacks to feasible power electric motors or keep a main battery fully charged.
Solution:
First use the hydrogen generator which produces hydrogen through electrolysis. Produce enough hydrogen to power a small stack of PEM fuel cells to power the first stage motor which powers a DC magnet generator. This is much like a Dewalt re-chargeable drill. The fuel cell powers the 18Volt rechargeable battery and the size of the magnet generator can be sized to recharge the main batteries in 3-6 hours.
Secondly,
design the vehicle with front wheel drive electric motors, leave the rear wheels to attach their axels to magnet generators so when you drive you are producing power directly to the front wheel drive electric motors or to the main batteries. After a 50 mile commute to work the main batteries should be fully charged and if not the 1st stage fuel cell magnet generator will top of the main batteries for the commute home.
This system of power loss and recovery should provide enough hydrogen and electricity for a power system that could take you across country on water, air and a small amount of hydrogen.
Please find below the components required and are in production.
Hydrogen Generator by Avalence LLC
Electric Motors at the wheels
PEM Fuel Cell care of GM
DC magnet generators, been around for years.
If you have any questions this is the basis of my expired Patent #60/716,613
Regards,
Carl R Rushton
Meriden, Connecticut
THIS IS THE MOST HIGH TECH CAR IN THE WORLD. WE MOVED INTO THE NEW FISKER TECH/DESIGN CENTER AND ITS STATE OF THE ART. IM GLAD TO BE PART OF THE TEAM. I WILL OWN ONE OF THESE. GREG FROM DETROIT