I met Minh Duong at San Diego’s Street Smart a couple of Sundays ago. He was showing off his 3-wheeled electric car named Xe Điện (literally means ‘electric car’ in Vietnamese) among the Priuses, Honda Insights, even a Tesla Roadster. I spent a few minutes with Minh to chat about his creation of the electric car, his passion to start this personal project and what he hopes to achieve in the future.

A little bit about Minh Duong. He’s the Director of Engineering of at PDG Oncore, a local product engineering and development shop. DPG Oncore maintains offices in San Diego,CA and Vancouver, WA. Minh has 11 years professional experience in high efficiency electric vehicle development, product architecture development of a broad range of products, and miniature, precise, multi-function mechanisms for high volume products. He’d worked on various consumer and enterprise projects ranging from ink jet photo printer architecture and automated backup data storage libraries, to high power supply connection for the fusion research center, to motorcycle power car and electric concept cars. Minh earned his BSME from University of California, San Diego.

Xe Dien is a prototype vehicle. It is street legal and has a range of about 20 miles with its current battery pack configuration using Costco batteries. The pack provides 7.1 kW-hr of energy. The vehicle has two wheels in front under a fiberglass fairing, and a single, motorcycle style driving wheel behind the driver. Power to the back wheel is provided by a high performance AC induction motor from HPGC through a motorcycle chain, and a Curtis 1238 controller. The vehicle gets peak power of 35 hp and benefits from a torque of 100 ft-lb (0-2000 rpm.) Xe Dien can take off from 0 to 60 mph in 10 seconds.

All in all, Xe Dien looks to fall in a category called neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV), but it can go faster than 40 mph, so to me it is a full EV. The prototype project took 18 months, with vehicle design started in December 2006 and fabrication began in March 2007. Here are some of the Q&As I had with Minh.

CCT: What are some of the most challenging factors you faced during this project?
MD: The most challenging part to build was the fiberglass body of the car. That alone took 4 months to build – and still there are many cosmetic flaws. It doesn’t help that I did not have any fiberglass experience.

CCT: You mentioned that although this was a personal project, you did receive some sponsorship. What was the split in total cost that came from the sponsor and from your own pocket?
MD: PDG Oncore provided access to free engineering consultation, build material, and shop use. My out-of-pocket expense was around $9k.

CCT: What are some improvements you still like to see to a) improve range? b) improve charge time? c) improve efficiency?
MD: There are two improvements I would like to incorporate. The first is extending the range. My original plan was to use lithium iron phosphate batteries, but cost of the pack delayed my plans. I should have the lithium battery pack installed in two months. I will have 80-100 mile/charge range with a 13.3 kW-hr battery pack. The design objective of my car is to be ultra energy efficient.

CCT: What would it take to commercialize this car and produce in quantity? What design change will it require?
MD: I have no current plans to commercialize the first prototype I built (shown at Street Smart). I have formed a team to develop a more practical 2 seat – 3 wheel electric vehicle. Transitioning our car into low volume kit or rolling vehicle production is pretty straightforward. It would take us 6 months and $300k to complete our first phase development and build 5 functional vehicles. We would have to develop a mold for the body and welding fixtures for the chassis and other weldments during our first phase. Product development/engineering is our core business, so we know how to commercialize ideas. We won’t seek investment money for our vehicle until our vehicle design is ready for prototype fabrication.

I would rather not disclose the list of planned improvements for the next vehicle at this time.

CCT: Will you build one for a paying customer? What would be a ballpark price?
MD: We have not officially formed a business around our electric vehicle yet. If there is sufficient interest, we will accelerate our plans to develop and build vehicles for customers. Initial costing suggests that we can offer the rolling chassis at $10-12k. With lithium batteries and complete AC drive system installed, the vehicle should cost $25k. 

Minh Duong can be contacted directly at minh.duong@pdgoncore.com.

Minh Duong Talks About Xe Dien at Street Smart San Diego 2009

Rear Wheel Area Showing Swingarm, Suspension and Motor/Controller Behind Driver

Below are some photos from Minh Duong’s flickr photostream. View more cool photos at mpduong’s photostream.

Xe Dien Motor and Controller Installation	Electric Car Xe Dien Side View
Minh Duong in His Xe Dien	Electric Car Xe Dien at 2008 Kick Gas Festival

Home-Built Electric Car ‘Xe Điện’ Has 20 Mile-Range on Costco Batteries is a post from: CleanCarTalk

MotorTrend.com Youtube video.

Looks like: Another “cool” looking off-road vehicle for urbanites. Driver sits too low to see front corners. No roll protection. Looks too hard to get in and out of, etc. Probably not for serious off-roaders. Jeep gets points for promoting hybrid technology.

From the official Jeep site: Use Less Fuel … Have More Fun Out There.

The 2008 Jeep® Renegade Concept is a sporty two-seater that is just as equipped to navigate a winding off-road trail as it is to turn heads on the auto show circuit. With its stand-alone, cut-down windshield and doors with their lower sections cut out, it’s a minimalistic, eco-friendly approach to having maximum fun. Plus, it combines a lithium-ion battery pack with and a small-displacement BLUETEC diesel engine, which together help the Renegade achieve a fuel economy of more than 110 miles per gallon.

Here’s the official Jeep press release back in January 2008.

A B-segment Jeep® concept vehicle, the Renegade is a sporty, “minimized” two-seater ideally suited for the all-weather fun of dune-surfing or rock-crawling.

“With an electric motor powering each axle, the Jeep Renegade concept is designed for a ‘hang on and have fun experience,’” said Tony Shamenkov, Jeep Renegade concept principal exterior designer.

Constructed of environmentally responsible materials, sustainability is a key theme of the Jeep Renegade concept.

Renegade is targeted at customers in the “Stylish Green” segment of the marketplace – those who are extremely environmentally oriented, appreciate high-tech and innovation, and enjoy performance combined with style in keeping with their “green” attitude.

Jeep Renegade Concept Technology

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The advanced propulsion system in the Jeep Renegade concept starts with a 40-mile lithium-ion battery pack. A range extender – in Renegade’s case, a small-displacement (1.5-liter, 3-cylinder) BLUETEC diesel engine – allows for journeys beyond 40 miles. In fact, the Jeep Renegade concept boasts a 400-mile range.

Renegade’s BLUETEC diesel engine generates an additional 115 horsepower when needed, while greatly reducing exhaust emissions when compared to standard gasoline engines. Renegade is capable of achieving an equivalent petroleum fuel economy of 110 miles per gallon, which is four-to-five times greater than an equivalent gasoline-only vehicle.

The all-new Jeep Renegade concept’s lightweight aluminum architecture and regen-braking system help to improve overall efficiency, while dual electric 200 kilowatt (268 horsepower) motors propel a very capable 4×4 system – complete with low range and locking differentials — worthy of carrying the Jeep name.

Jeep Renegade Concept Exterior

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The Jeep Renegade concept’s “one-with-nature” personality is emphasized by its large, flaring wheel openings, oversized wheels and tires, and cut-down speedster windshield — all of which combine to deliver on the Renegade’s promise of cross-country fun and agility.

Among the unique exterior details are “deconstructed” rubber-clad headlamps and taillamps, as well as just-for-fun elongated triangular openings in each of the two sculpted doors.

While the Renegade features a roll bar, it has no top. Instead, the cargo deck just behind the cockpit can be fitted with a variety of “lids.” Options include a plain lid, or lids configured to accommodate the gear of a particular outdoor day-trip activity, such as mountain biking or kayaking. Or it can come “as built” — with formations designed to accommodate two matching water scooters with open storage underneath. Fluid-fill caps, a plug-in port and a first-aid kit are also included.

Jeep Renegade Concept Interior

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Sustainability – a ratio between the energy needed to build and ship the vehicle as compared with the impact these processes have on the environment – is a key focus of the Jeep Renegade concept’s interior design.

Materials used in constructing the Jeep Renegade concept were deliberately selected to be environmentally responsible, both in manufacture and end-of-vehicle-life recyclability.

Innovative construction includes one-piece molded soy-based foam seats and doors, a one-piece co-molded instrument panel with a urethane skin, a co-molded aluminum/silicone steering wheel, a one-piece molded chassis created without using environmentally-harmful resins, and a one-piece molded interior compartment “tub.” This environmental care in designing the Renegade’s interior is aligned with Jeep’s “harmony with nature” philosophy.

“The Jeep Renegade concept’s interior — actually the entire vehicle — is designed to minimize the number of parts necessary for assembly and function,” said Scott Anderson, principal interior designer of the Renegade concept. “We designed the Renegade with an eye toward simplification of systems, both in parts and processes.”

The HVAC system, for example, is not coolant-based, while the color, grain and gloss of the interior parts are molded in one piece. Even the no-gloss exterior color of the Renegade’s lightweight composite body is molded in to avoid the use of solvents present in automotive paints.

The dual-cockpit instrument panel is symmetrically balanced for easy “plug and play” left-hand drive and right-hand drive applications. There is no conventional wiring. Instead, the instrument panel features wireless electronics in sealed, self-contained units, removable by the customer. The panel is built about an exposed cross-car beam containing an integrated power strip, and on the passenger side, yaw, pitch and roll indicators (also built into the fluid-fill gauges). The instrument panel itself is hollow, allowing ample open storage below the beam. Separately-configured impact-absorbing vinyl-wrapped knee-blockers “float” beneath the cross-car beam. The thin multi-plane acrylic instrument cluster mounts to the steering column, while the similar but separate center control screen mounts on a swivel base — providing easy access to both occupants.

Located at the intersection of the steering wheel’s T-shaped spokes, the circular LED screen rotates, allowing the driver to select the drive mode, while a flattened rim provides roomier thigh clearance. A driver air bag is concealed beneath the screen. Red or green translucent shift buttons allow Park, Reverse or Drive selections.

The Jeep Renegade concept’s sporty doors incorporate unique canvas-pull remote “handles,” while the rush of the moving landscape visible through the door’s elongated openings enhance the feeling of carefree, open-air mobility.

The Renegade’s contoured, figure-form seats — covered in scuba-like waterproof materials that are both soft-touch and flexible — feature in-seat belts and unusual, hollow, lightweight upside-down “U-shaped” headrests. The seats feature a urethane skin with soy-based foam co-molded with a composite substructure. The integral seatbelts, along with slender accent strips on the seats and instrument panel, repeat the Palm Metallic exterior color.

A “thermal unit” in the center console plugs into the electrical battery pack, permitting food to be either heated or cooled.

“Inspired by the simplicity and functionality of scuba diving gear, we wanted the interior of the Jeep Renegade concept to be weather-tight and durable,” Anderson said.

The Renegade’s wireless interior is designed to be hosed down. It features a drain in the floor, while the formations built into the floor mat are designed to channel water to the opening. Hollow-section billet-formed pedals float above the tub floor.

Fun, functional and fabricated from recyclable materials, the Jeep Renegade concept offers agile, capable performance without sacrificing the environment its drivers seek to explore. Keeping with Jeep owners’ desire to use their vehicles as an extension of their active lives, the Jeep Renegade concept promotes enjoyment of the good things of the earth while taking care of its future.

Jeep Renegade Hybrid – Another “Off-Road” Vehicle For Urbanites is a post from: CleanCarTalk