- #1
MBellRacing
- 2
- 0
My dad is an electrical engineer, I am not. I am just a dumb race car driver. That said, I want to not ask him too much about all this stuff since I want to not look like a complete idiot. I feel that some of this stuff should be somewhat common knowledge, but alas, I am drawing a blank.
I am exploring the possibility of converting an unfinished Datsun 510 race car into something a little different. I'm thinking an "extended range" endurance race car-- that is to say there is a gasoline engine generating electrical power to be used by a motor, propelling the car. In this way the inefficiencies associated with change in load and RPM of the ICE will be minimized. Plus, some energy would be returned to the system through regenerative braking. In an endurance race, this could mean that I will have to stop for fuel much less often since fuel capacity is limited but usually similar between all the cars, say 10-15 gallons.
I've got a lot figured out as far as the probable electric motor(s) to use and the gasoline engine, even the transmission and engine controller. My question comes down to a generator. I figure I can just use a similar one to the kinds powering the car, but want to know what I need specifically.
How do I figure out how much power would be generated? If I have a gasoline engine that will produce around 100hp at probably around 6000-7000rpm, what sort of DC motor would I need to spin to efficiently transfer a majority of that back to the batteries? What do I need to know about running a DC motor in reverse to create electricity? I get that voltage usually shows how much RPM will occur powering a motor, and amperage will usually dictate the torque, but how do these things work as generators?
Again, sorry my questions are vague and bit noob-ish, I just am having a time trying to wrap my head around what the numbers. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
-Matt
I am exploring the possibility of converting an unfinished Datsun 510 race car into something a little different. I'm thinking an "extended range" endurance race car-- that is to say there is a gasoline engine generating electrical power to be used by a motor, propelling the car. In this way the inefficiencies associated with change in load and RPM of the ICE will be minimized. Plus, some energy would be returned to the system through regenerative braking. In an endurance race, this could mean that I will have to stop for fuel much less often since fuel capacity is limited but usually similar between all the cars, say 10-15 gallons.
I've got a lot figured out as far as the probable electric motor(s) to use and the gasoline engine, even the transmission and engine controller. My question comes down to a generator. I figure I can just use a similar one to the kinds powering the car, but want to know what I need specifically.
How do I figure out how much power would be generated? If I have a gasoline engine that will produce around 100hp at probably around 6000-7000rpm, what sort of DC motor would I need to spin to efficiently transfer a majority of that back to the batteries? What do I need to know about running a DC motor in reverse to create electricity? I get that voltage usually shows how much RPM will occur powering a motor, and amperage will usually dictate the torque, but how do these things work as generators?
Again, sorry my questions are vague and bit noob-ish, I just am having a time trying to wrap my head around what the numbers. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
-Matt