Build an electric vehicle from the ground up

摘要

EVs (electric vehicles) and HEVs (hybrid electric vehicles) are advancing rapidly. Such vehicles include the Toyota Prius, the highest-selling hybrid; the Ford Fusion, with 41-mpg city mileage; the Chevy Volt, with 35-mile stretches of all-electric driving; and the Nissan Leaf, the first affordable, mainstream, all-electric five-passenger car.Another, perhaps lesser-known, EV uses the front suspension and steering gear from a 1988 Pontiac Fiero donor car. The man responsible for this ground-up design is John J Santini, vice president of engineering at TDI Power (www.tdipower.com), a company that has been in the power-conversion industry for more than 50 years and has been providing power equipment in mobile, hybrid, and EV applications for more than 25 years. Frustrated by fast-rising gasoline prices, Santini turned his creativity and problem-solving skills toward developing his own EV.