Idea: Site to facilitate development of open source green vehicle projects

Go for it. I think it's a great idea. I'd love to collaberate on some ideas I have. First on my list is a general purpose sensorless controller. Freescale has a reference design for a controller that doesn't require hall sensors in the motor. It uses back EMF on the third phase line to the motor to detect rotor position. Getting rid of the hall sensors would make EVs more reliable. I also would like to put the power switching components in a separate module that would connect to the controller through a standard set of control lines. That way one standard controller could handle any motor size and upgrading or repairing blown mosfets could be done by replacing just the power module rather than the whole controller.

Second on my list is a two wheel front fork.

My end goal is a fully enclosed 35mph commuter scooter. All electric transport for one.

John

You mean like this? www.diyelectriccar.com

reikiman - you might want to look at Trac. It's an open source project collaboration tool: http://trac.edgewall.org. If you want "Open Green" then you might not want to host it on V, after all EV's aren't the only green tech ;-) I'd encourage throwing the net open wide - it would be cool to become the sourceforge of green tech! I'd certainly upload my ramblings on a backyard (or basement) algae bio-reactor. Don't worry I won't post the water fuel cell stuff - don't want to ruin your reputation ;-)

I think it's a cool idea - I hope you do it.

LaThala - that controller sounds like an awesome idea, if ever you want to develop that idea further count me in.

I've a forum with nothing (I mean nothing) on it that's waiting for some goal in life, if anyone is interested in a new place to hang out and start fresh.

I had this idea several years ago and tried to get people involved but nobody cared.

http://www.greenenergyproject.org

I wanted to get real engineers who've worked on projects to give their advice and explain to the public how these things work and why they don't. I have a hosting company, I'll be glad to put this site back up if you like. It's nice to see people seem to actually give a crap about this kind of thing for a change. I was feeling so extremely alone.

I'll see if I can hunt down some information on lithium batteries and how they are made as well and how to make them, perhaps in my office lab. These damn patents are what is stalling progress, that's a fact.

Here is a nifty video on how lithium batteries are made. I'm wondering if the narrator is David Schwimmer. NiZn batteries are easier to make. I suspect all the materials to build them can be found locally. If you read the patents, the tricks to getting them to function great can be done at home too.