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August 18, 2006
On Friday August 18th, 2006 I was invited by Earl Cox (via Alexandra Paul and Plug In America) to attend a casual demonstration in Santa Monica by Tom Gage (President and CEO) of AC Propulsion's first eBox, a battery plug-in electric conversion of a (Toyota) Scion xB. Up until this day I had been searching without much success for any information about AC Propulsion's xB EV conversion efforts. Knowing that AC Propulsion is the "father" of the modern electric car (beginning with the EV1 prototype, the Impact), their AC-150 Gen2 Drivetrain is the most advanced EV drivetrain available, and that AC Propulsion has licensed their EV technology to Tesla Motors, I was extremely excited to have the magic opportunity to view their latest EV conversion.
Without going into a dissertation on the vehicle itself, I came away from the demonstration completely impressed, awestruck, amazed, you name it. You can view pictures of the AC Propulsion eBox Preliminary Specifications at the bottom of this page. The eBox has a 140-180 mile range on a Lithium Ion battery pack (comprised of 5,300 18650 Li-Ion cells), accelerates 0-60mph in under 7 seconds, has an electronically limited top speed of 90mph, and is propelled by a 120kW AC Propulsion drivetrain. The power steering and air conditioning are fully functional. The Scion air conditioning system was left completely intact and the compressor is now driven by an accessory electric motor selected by AC Propulsion. I was seriously impressed how quiet the air conditioning system was while operating. Tom had left the air conditioning running while the car was parked and you could barely hear the compressor and condenser fans while the interior stayed pleasantly cool. Imagine being able to keep the interior of a car cool on minimal power without having to run a noisy and polluting ICE (Internal Combustion Engine). Phenomenal! I was impressed to see the power steering was also fully operational even though the standard gas powered xB has a hydraulic power assisted steering rack. The next generation Scion xB may move to an electric power assisted steering rack (like the new Honda Fit) eliminating another accessory motor.
To be honest, I haven't been a huge fan of the boxy Scion xB shape but I came away thoroughly impressed with how spacious it is inside (you can sit five big adults with plenty of room and the eBox still accelerates vigorously). I got a chance to ride in the backseat of the eBox for a couple of demonstration drives and then I got to take a test drive of my own! I can't describe in words just how excited I was to have the privilege of test driving this spectacular vehicle. The interior of the eBox is virtually unchanged from the gas powered Scion xB save for an AC Propulsion LCD digital information panel mounted on top of the steering column and a programming knob/switch in the center console (for testing/data gathering purposes only). You insert the ignition key like any other vehicle but stop when you reach the ignition position (no need to go to the "start" position...there is no engine to start, no power being wasted). A small lever to the right of the LCD panel is your Reverse, Neutral, and Drive selector. To the right of the driver on the dash just left of the stereo is the Regen lever. The Regen lever controls how much regeneration is present when you let off the accelerator (go pedal). Regeneration means capturing the kinetic energy of the vehicle by recharging the batteries via the electric motor operating as a generator. I drove with about 90% regen selected, a position Tom prefers and I found very pleasing. I really enjoy the fact that the eBox gives you control on how much regen is possible. This system eliminates having to do any brake system conversions (other than an accessory electric vacuum pump for brake boost since the ICE is gone). As a driver you truly understand when you are "braking" allowing you to tailor your driving habits to maximize regen. At 90% regen the eBox decelerates faster than most people brake anyways. I drove the entire 2 mile test drive without ever touching the brake pedal except for the last 2 mph to hold the car still. Imagine being able to accelerate like a rocket and "brake" but never having to waste braking energy as heat through brake pads. Instead the regen (braking) is recapturing as much of the kinetic energy of the vehicle as possible and storing that energy back in the battery pack extending your range and maximizing the efficiency of the vehicle. You can seriously drive this car without every having to use the brakes except for an emergency situation. Imagine how long you can go between brake system service (new pads, rotors, etc...). Of course you should always consider flushing/bleeding your hydrualic brake system with brake fluid once every 2 years (since brake fluid is hygroscopic and the service is a chance to flush out contaminants).
In case you are wondering about aggressive regen and notifying drivers behind you of your deceleration via brake lights, don't worry because AC Propulsion has already figured this out. Their motor control samples motor speed at something like 10Hz, and since the motor drives through a fixed ratio, motor speed is an unambiguous indicator of vehicle speed. So, by continually sampling speed one knows when the car is slowing down, and the brake lights are turned on automatically if the deceleration exceeds a low threshold. It works in reverse too. The brake lights also come on with actuation of the brake pedal as in a normal car. Interestingly, you can be using quite strong regen holding speed steady on a downhill and the brake light will not come on.
The eBox like the Tesla Motors Roadster represents the future of the personal automobile. The astonishing thing is the future is available now! The technology and know-how is here today and has been for the past several years. Driving electric makes sense on so many levels. First of all the electrical power to charge the car results in a cost per mile of about $0.02 compared to $0.20 or higher of your average gasoline powered vehicle. A plug-in EV is fully charged every morning. There is no reason to visit a gas station where you waste time and inhale gasoline fumes. Instead, go to Starbucks directly! When sitting at stop lights, stuck in traffic, or visiting drive-thrus you aren't wasting any extra energy than what you need to run accessories (for instance, the air conditioning and the stereo). The eBox and any other modern EV has incredible acceleration performance. The majority of cars on the road won't be able to keep up with you from the stoplight having to waste time changing gears. The eBox has only one forward gear. At 0mph the electric motor has its highest torque output capability (exactly where you want it so you can get moving quickly). The eBox is pleasantly silent with a faint high-tech whir of the marvelous electric motor whisking you along cleanly, efficiently, and effortlessly. From a national security perspective, driving electric removes your transportation "hit" on the nation's need for oil. Utility electricity is generated by other means, many of them clean. You can even generate all the power required by your driving habits by installing a residential photovoltaic solar array (Solar City, Rec Solar, EESolar, SunPower). Even if we were to burn the oil in an electrical utility generation plant that you would normally consume as gasoline in your standard ICE automobile, the powerplant would be far more efficient since plants operate at 60-70% efficiencies compared to the 15-25% (at best) efficiencies of your ICE automobile. Pollution is far easier to control and maintain at electrical powerplants which removes the need to penalize the end citizen with time consuming, buearucratic, and costly smog checks. There would be a reduction in gasoline distribution by smog polluting diesel trucks not to mention a reduction in gasoline evaporation pollution which occurs whenever the fuel is dispensed (one can always smell fuel vapors and see gasoline drops at any gasoline station). Lastly, the "infrastructure" to support charging of electrical vehicles is already in place. Every home (and business) can charge EVs. The adoption rate will take time giving any requirement for increased electrical utility power generation time to adapt although most charging takes place at night during off peak usage.
Electric vehicles are also fabulous resources in emergency disaster situations. Remember all the motorists who ran out of gasoline while trying to evacuate Texas during the 2005 Hurricane season? Their vehicles were running out of gas while idling on clogged freeways for dozens of hours. A battery EV wouldn't run out of power sitting still and only a marginal amount of power is required to keep the vehicle interior pleasant via the electrically operated air conditioning. The eBox (like the Tesla) incorporates AC Propulsion's Vehicle to Grid (V2G) technology. While electrical utility infrastructure isn't yet setup to benefit from the load balancing capability of battery EVs, as a homeowner you could use your battery EV to provide emergency power to your house during times when the electrical utility grid is offline. I like to call this V2H (Vehicle to House). A battery EV represents a good week's worth of house power just sitting in your garage. If you have installed a photovoltaic solar array on your house, coupling this with your V2G EV you can weather any utility power outage even if it lasts several weeks. The solar array provides power to your house utilizing your EV's battery pack as a load balancer while also charging it. When the sun goes down the EV's battery pack would be the sole source of power to carry your home's power needs through the night. The beauty is you've already invested in the battery EV. Why not use it during emergency power outages instead of having to maintain another house backup bank of batteries. EVs allow your future power needs to be provided for more reliably than is possible today (without one).
The eBox is a fantastic drive and a wonderfully executed effort by AC Propulsion. It currently is the state of the art for modern EVs in utility, convenience, range, and performance. Be sure to read Forbes Bagatelle-Black's EVWorld 2006.08.18 Article: First Peek Inside the eBox. Thank you Tom, Alexandra, and Earl for inviting me to experience the eBox! We all need to be driving electric!
Video: First Peek Inside the eBox
(Select your preferred viewing format below)
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Click on the below for a higher quality 640x360 H.264 QuickTime video of the eBox First Peek.
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| 2006.08.18eBoxFirstPeek.mov (65Mb - 10minutes) | ||||||||||
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Download the "First Peek Inside the eBox"
for your iPod Video! |
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Pix by Paris:
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| Butch Pash, Tom Gage, Stefano Paris, Alexandra Paul, Forbes Bagatelle-Black, Earl Cox | First look at the AC Propulsion eBox. | Notice the green colored exhaust cap. Zero Emissions! |
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| A late 90s AVCON conductive EV charging station. | ||
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| eBox chargeport. | AC Propulsion 120kW power electronics drivetrain. | |
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| Note addition of the AC Propulsion LCD Digital Information Panel. | Standard untouched interior. | Closeup of some of the connections to the 120kW "amplifier". |
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| Taking a peek under the hood. | ||
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| Tom Gage (President and CEO of AC Propulsion) explains the eBox Preliminary Specifications to Alexandra Paul. | ||
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| More discussion prior to the fun filled test drives! | ||
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| Super lightweight Volk Racing TE37 rims. | ||
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| Alexandra's Toyota Rav4EV | ||
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| Who Killed The Electric Car? sticker | ||
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| Alexandra is the first to go for a test drive. Check out her EV Smile! | Butch takes an eBox test drive. here we are stopped at a light totally silent. | Self-pic of Stefano and Alexandra sporting eBox EV smiles while cruising Santa Monica. |
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| Time for Stefano to take a test drive. | The eBox is one e-ticket ride! | |
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| Through the windshield pic of Tom and Forbes discussing the LCD digital information panel. | ||
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| Alexandra labels the eBox "Geek Chic". |
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| Virgina Avenue Park in Santa Monica. | eBox Preliminary Specifications page 1 | eBox Preliminary Specifications page 2 |
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| eBox Preliminary Specifications page 3 |