Solectria Sunrise
Encyclopedia
Electric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
, designed to be as efficient as possible to produce long range from available battery technology.
Created by Solectria Corporation of Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn, Massachusetts
Woburn is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 38,120 at the 2010 census. Woburn is located north of Boston, Massachusetts, and just south of the intersection of I-93 and I-95.- History :...
(now Azure Dynamics Corporation), it was never produced beyond several prototypes, although significant effort was made to make the design worthy of mass-production — including crash testing.
The Sunrise is known for having achieved 375 miles (603.5 km) on a single charge, during the 1996 American Tour de Sol competition. A Sunrise was driven 217 miles (349.2 km) from Boston to New York city "on a single battery charge, negotiating everyday traffic and highway speeds up to 65 miles per hour" (104 km/h) .
Specifications
- Body
- Composite, monocoque unibody shell
- Coefficient of Drag (Cd) approximately 0.17
- Dimensions
- length 176" (447 cm)
- width 74" (188 cm)
- height 52" (132 cm)
- wheelbaseWheelbaseIn both road and rail vehicles, the wheelbase is the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels.- Road :In automobiles, the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the center of the front wheel and the center of the rear wheel...
104" (264 cm)
- Weights
- curb weightCurb weightCurb weight or kerb weight is the total weight of a vehicle with standard equipment, all necessary operating consumables , a full tank of fuel, while not loaded with either passengers or cargo.This definition may differ from definitions used by governmental regulatory agencies or other...
without batteries 1433 lb (650 kg) - payloadCargoCargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
682 lb (309 kg) - GVWR 2979 lb (1351 kg)
- curb weight
- Drive system
- 50 kW Solectria ACAC powerPower in an electric circuit is the rate of flow of energy past a given point of the circuit. In alternating current circuits, energy storage elements such as inductance and capacitance may result in periodic reversals of the direction of energy flow...
induction motorInduction motorAn induction or asynchronous motor is a type of AC motor where power is supplied to the rotor by means of electromagnetic induction. These motors are widely used in industrial drives, particularly polyphase induction motors, because they are robust and have no brushes...
, inverterInverter (electrical)An inverter is an electrical device that converts direct current to alternating current ; the converted AC can be at any required voltage and frequency with the use of appropriate transformers, switching, and control circuits....
, driving front wheels via Geo Metro transaxleTransaxleIn the automotive field, a transaxle is a major mechanical component that combines the functionality of the transmission, the differential, and associated components of the driven axle into one integrated assembly....
- 50 kW Solectria AC
- Batteries
- 24 GMGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
/Ovonic Nickel metal hydride batteryNickel metal hydride batteryA nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel–cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide...
, 12v 90ahAmpere-hourAn ampere-hour or amp-hour is a unit of electric charge, with sub-units milliampere-hour and milliampere second...
- 24 GM
- Suspension
- front: 1994 Geo Metro MacPherson strutMacPherson strutThe MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:...
- rear: 1994 Dodge NeonDodge NeonThe Plymouth/Dodge Neon, sold in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere outside the United States as the Chrysler Neon, is a compact front wheel drive car introduced in January 1994 for the 1995 model year by Chrysler Corporation's Dodge and Plymouth brands...
MacPherson strutMacPherson strutThe MacPherson strut is a type of car suspension system which uses the axis of a telescopic damper as the upper steering pivot. It is widely used in modern vehicles and named after Earle S. MacPherson, who developed the design.-History:... - coil springSpring (device)A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
s with airbagAirbagAn Airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly during an automobile collision, to prevent occupants from striking interior objects such as the steering wheel or a window...
s - manual Rack and pinionRack and pinionA rack and pinion is a type of linear actuator that comprises a pair of gears which convert rotational motion into linear motion. A circular gear called "the pinion" engages teeth on a linear "gear" bar called "the rack"; rotational motion applied to the pinion causes the rack to move, thereby...
steering
- front: 1994 Geo Metro MacPherson strut
- Brakes
- manual, Geo Metro front disk, Dodge NeonDodge NeonThe Plymouth/Dodge Neon, sold in Europe, Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere outside the United States as the Chrysler Neon, is a compact front wheel drive car introduced in January 1994 for the 1995 model year by Chrysler Corporation's Dodge and Plymouth brands...
drum rear - regenerative braking
- manual, Geo Metro front disk, Dodge Neon
- TireTireA tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s- 13" Geo Metro tires
- Performance
- 0-30 mph: 6 seconds
- 0-60 mph: 17 seconds
- range, Nickel metal hydride batteryNickel metal hydride batteryA nickel–metal hydride cell, abbreviated NiMH, is a type of rechargeable battery similar to the nickel–cadmium cell. The NiMH battery uses a hydrogen-absorbing alloy for the negative electrode instead of cadmium. As in NiCd cells, the positive electrode is nickel oxyhydroxide...
: 400 miles (643 km) at 30 mph (48 km/h), 200 miles (321 km)at 60 mph (96 km/h).
Kit version
In 2005, a single prototype as well as the moulds necessary to produce the composite chassis and body were sold and now belong to a hobbyist-led project to produce a similar vehicle as kits, to be known as the Sunrise EV2. See Sunrise-ev.com.See also
- Battery Electric Vehicles
- Solectria ForceSolectria ForceThe Solectria Force is a Geo Metro, professionally converted from a new, motorless vehicle to become a battery electric vehicle. Converted by Solectria Corporation of Wilmington, Massachusetts , it is no longer in production. Approximately 400 vehicles were converted...
, a "conversion" vehicle from the same company. - Freedom EVFreedom EVFreedom EV is an open source hardware electric vehicle designed by the EVProduction club. It is a 3-wheeler "tadpole" EV with 2 steerable front wheels, 1 driven rear wheel, and 2 side-by-side seats.-Latest progress:...
, an "open source hardwareOpen source hardwareOpen source hardware consists of physical artifacts of technology designed and offered in the same manner as free and open source software . Open source hardware is part of the open source culture movement and applies a like concept to a variety of components. The term usually means that...
electric vehicleElectric vehicleAn electric vehicle , also referred to as an electric drive vehicle, uses one or more electric motors or traction motors for propulsion...
" using similar methodology to the Sunrise. - Aptera Motors, whose Typ-1 uses a drivetrain made by Azure Dynamics.