Inside the 2017 Prius inverter

There is something deeply satisfying about taking complex electronic devices apart to see how they work. Here’s the inverter (or “Power Control Unit”, as Toyota call it) from a 2017 Prius. It’s an impressive piece of kit: two 3-phase inverters plus a DC buck/boost in a compact, water-cooled 34 x 21 x 19cm, 10kg package.… Continue reading Inside the 2017 Prius inverter

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Test riding Zero Motorcycles

Zero Motorcycles are offering test rides at the moment. I had a go on the FXS, SR/F and SR/S. The SR bikes are formidable machines and insanely quick. The FXS is huge fun and very well sorted; it’s probably the more usable bike for day-to-day commuting. I came away with lots of ideas for my conversion… Continue reading Test riding Zero Motorcycles

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What about hydrogen?

Electric vehicle naysayers sometimes get very agitated about hydrogen. I’ve got nothing against the technology, but I find it hard to get excited about something that’s both expensive and complex to build and expensive and complex to operate.Here’s a video of Toyota Mirai production for your contemplation: Me, I prefer simplicity.

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Battery wiring, or: how to destroy an inverter

Damien over at www.evbmw.com had some fun recently with an “indestructible” Toyota Prius inverter. Although the problem turned out to be something entirely different (zero dead time! 😳), his investigations showed how important it is to carefully consider the current path between the battery, the inverter and the DC bus capacitor. Basically: And make sure… Continue reading Battery wiring, or: how to destroy an inverter

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Classic electric bike

This month’s Vintage & Classic Motorcycle Club magazine has an article on an electric motorcycle from 1942. It was built in Belgium as a response to petrol rationing, with a production run of 500. Performance was rather “modest”, but I still love it! 🏍 ⚡️

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BMW i3 battery modules: no can do

BMW i3 battery modules are high performance and widely available. The 94Ah Samsung SDI (NCM 111) cells are 2kg each, 173 x 125 (+ terminals) x 45mm. They hold 350Wh and can deliver 409A. 30 cells would give 111V, 10.5 kWh and weigh a mere 60kg. Perfect! Unfortunately, BMW modules cannot be split 🤨. This… Continue reading BMW i3 battery modules: no can do

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