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PHEV (Plug-in Electric Hybrid Vehicle) Conversion Kit

2008 Nov. UPDATE

The inventor has made substantial progress on the Electrocharger for the fleet market. They expect to have the first production kits ready for sale by early 2009. The Electrocharger is now a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) conversion kit with a 72 volt, 20 kW SR motor drive and a 6.25 kWh battery pack on-board. Naturally, most of the info below & in subsequent pages is now outdated. Stay tuned for more in-depth updates soon.


Introduction
The initial Electrocharger technology was licensed from Texas A&M University and has been expanded through several acquisitions of intellectual property as well as the creation of the company's own intellectual property. This company specializes in advanced motor drive systems for the Automotive industry. Their motor drive products are on the leading edge of automotive technology and combine Mechanical, Electrical and Materials Engineering together for the first time in order to create the world's smallest, lightest and most powerful traction motors for existing or future automotive applications. Thinking outside of the box is childsplay! Go beyond Non-Linear Thinking.


The ELECTROCHARGER is the most significant advancement in automotive performance in the past 100 years. It is the world's first retro-fittable hybrid electric system and is the newest technology in engine performance adders such as Turbochargers, Superchargers and Nitrous Oxide systems and can be utilized in conjunction with these conventional power adders as well.

The ELECTROCHARGER is a power adder that takes the place of your alternator and runs in parallel with the engine and all of it's modifications and increases the initial acceleration rate of your vehicle from idle, which provides faster acceleration and power right off the line.

Ongoing analysis has shown that, depending on vehicle and modifications, you can substantially improve fuel economy in city driving, reduce emissions and decrease your 0-60 and 1/4 mile times. Actual dynamometer results for select vehicles will be posted this summer on this website.

The ELECTROCHARGER is powered by a Super Capacitor Battery Pack (SCBP) that is located in the trunk of the vehicle which provides juice to the motor instantly on demand. When not adding power to the engines crankshaft, the ELECTROCHARGER switches to generator mode, thereby maintaining the SCBP at it's full State of Charge (SOC) and providing power for the vehicle electrical system. If the SCBP should become depleted, then under normal driving conditions, the SCBP can be charged back up in as little as 8 minutes, but this is unlikely due to regenerative braking. An optional stand-alone charger is available if your into drag racing and need a faster charging time without cruising around.

The Electrocharger allows you to take a tax Deduction on the purchase of the Electrocharger and combined with the savings you will see in fuel economy, the Electrocharger pays for itself in a very short time. Installing the ElectrochargerTM on your vehicle does not void your vehicle warranty coverage either.

The Electrocharger™ Increases Your Initial Rate of Acceleration!
The first product the company is introducing is the ElectrochargerTM, which is the world’s first retro-fittable hybrid electric drive system. The ElectrochargerTM can be fitted to almost any modern car or truck and in turn increases fuel economy and performance, while reducing emissions. The ElectrochargerTM is called a power adder and is grouped in the aftermarket along with superchargers and turbochargers. The ElectrochargerTM costs less than forced induction systems, such as superchargers or turbochargers, and is quickly installed without any internal modifications to the engine. The ElectrochargerTM can even be installed in conjunction with a turbocharger or supercharger in order to assist in providing the maximum performance for the vehicle.

The ElectrochargerTM replaces the vehicle’s alternator and battery charging system and gets most of its energy during vehicle braking, while additional energy comes from the engine while the vehicle is at cruising speed. The ElectrochargerTM functions as an alternator at all times, when it is not used as a motor, to provide acceleration assistance to the engine. Power for the vehicle electrical system is provided by a DC/DC converter that can output power for the current 12 volt or forthcoming 42 volt systems.

The ElectrochargerTM system is comprised of a rugged high speed computer-controlled electric motor that is mounted to the vehicle’s engine with a purpose built aluminum bracket. Power and torque from the electric motor is transferred to the engines’ crankshaft via a specialized toothed drive belt that transfers the torque from the electric motor through a vehicle specific sprocket ratio.

The on-board energy for the ElectrochargerTM comes from the Super Capacitor Battery Pack (SCBP) that provides up to 600 amps at 48 volts to the electric motor for acceleration durations. The SCBP is contained in a sealed module that has color coded connectors to ensure proper connectivity. The SCBP is able to withstand the substantial in-rush of current during regenerative braking, maintain the standard vehicle battery state of charge and prolong the life cycle of the SCBP energy storage batteries.

The Motor Control Unit (MCU) is a separate module that controls the electric motor, provides vehicle electrical system voltage and monitors the engine load in order to coordinate electric motor power addition to the engine. The MCU is user programmable in order for software updates to be installed and to enable the ElectrochargerTM system to be customized and tweaked by the consumer who is more sophisticated in vehicle performance tuning. The MCU is connected to the SCBP and electric motor via color coded connectors to ensure proper connectivity.


Home Performance Electrical Electrocharger :  
 (#ETCEC)   Electrocharger - coming in 2009 $0TBA
 
 NOTE: Please do NOT call/email us for additional info on this device, all that we know of are already posted here. You may email us to request to be put on the Electrocharger waiting list. We are also waiting anxiously to hybridize our SUV. Thank you for your understanding & patience. Keep checking this page for latest updates.
 AVAILABILITY: Some time in 2009.
 WANT MORE? Browse Earthority.com for more green/renewable energy news.

 Nov 26th, '08: From inventor to us: "We have made substantial progress on the Electrocharger for the fleet market. I have attached several pictures for your use and we expect to have the first production kits ready for sale by early 2009. Thank you for your efforts at helping keep the Electrocharger alive and as you will notice the Electrocharger is now a Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) conversion kit with a 72 volt, 20 kW SR motor drive and a 6.25 kWh battery pack on-board."
 Oct 29th, '08: Excerpts from a recent Forbes Auto article. The $4,000 Electrocharger, due in 2009, also works with any conventional car, including ones whose engines have a turbocharger or supercharger — good news for car enthusiasts, who seek out such engines for the added power and acceleration they bring. The Electrocharger improves fuel economy in city driving by almost 60 percent by replacing a vehicle’s alternator with an electric generator, says the inventor, who is based in Texas. Although the Electrocharger will be cheaper upfront than the Poulsen plug-in hybrid system, it will cost from $3 to $5 to juice the Electrocharger for a 50-mile range. The Electrocharger can be installed by any mechanic, its inventor says. "The connectors are color coded and unique for each connection. Our plan is to work with licensed installers who have been educated on all aspects of the system. Since installation takes about 3 hours, most professional service shops would charge about $180 to $225 for the install."
 November, '07: The maker signs intellectual property license agreement with Honeywell Incorporated.
 April 18th, '07: Revised text with a yellow 2007 UPDATES box above.
 Jan 24th, '07: From the Inventor: We have been awarded a grant from the State of Texas to develop the Heavy Truck system and the prototype will be ready by the end of August. We are also expecting another grant from the State of Texas on the Mild Hybrid kit and our first fleet customer will get to test our Plug-In hybrid kit soon. There's alot of things going on and we are getting closer to the launch date for the general public.
 July 17th, '06: From the Inventor: What we have been doing is the following. In 2003 and 2004 we were using DC motor and controller technology, and during our extended testing we started having failures with the motors. The motors couldn't handle the high rpms or the heat and vibration of the engine compartment. We had to find a superior technology and that led us to the switched reluctance technology. We also secured 6 patents on the hybrid system and the switched reluctance technology along the way. The next step for us was to increase our capital because the switched reluctance technology is expensive to develop, but inexpensive to produce in volume. ETA for the fleet version is around 18 months. A lil' longer for the consumer version.
 Jan 17th, '06: The Electrocharger maker has just merged with another company and they are working to demonstrate a working hybridized vehicle at the 2006 SEMA in Nov. There will be an official announcement in 1 month.
 Sept 7th, '05: Technically, the maker is ready to launch this device but their hands are tied until the programmer is done refining the software. Please be patient.
 July 14th, '05: We have some guys that are working diligently to have our Fleet version out (ie: for trucks & larger SUVs w/ V8 engines). Originally we had been steering towards the Performance aftermarket, but it looks as though the Performance aftermarket may have to wait a bit longer.
 Jan 19th, '05: Electrocharger is to be retrofitted onto a US-spec. Mitsubishi EVO VIII for testing purpose. Tests will be performed in Japan concurrently.
 Nov 15th, '04: Electrocharger looked more real than ever at the SEMA show. It didn't just make the Germans turn heads, now even the Japanese showed tremendous interest in importing this device. One ver. will be targeted towards SUVs while another for compact sports cars. Once we have more info, we will post it here. Please be patient.

 Nov 1st, '04: New BMW hybrid has 1,350lbft torque! - Where did they get that technology, huh? ; ) Also read BMW X5 hybrid.
 Oct 1st, '04: The Electrocharger is being engaged in a new vehicle program for BMW.
 Sept 1st, '04: Electrocharger will be unveiled at the '04 SEMA Show in Las Vegas on a '05 Pontiac Vibe GT courtesy of GM & the Pontiac Division.
      

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