At the LIINES, we have been conducting research on Transportation Electrification for quite some time.
At heart of the research is the electric vehicle, and its challenge is that it is both a transportation artifact that exists on our everyday roads as well as an electrical artifact that must connect to the power grid. In the first full-scale case study of its kind, we have shown in Abu Dhabi that managing this dual nature means ensuring vehicle availability through charging while not imposing overly heavy demands on the grid.
One main challenge of electric vehicles is their driving range. Many commercially available EVs only have a range of 150km — thus requiring charging once or twice a day. With charging times of several hours, this means that a typical driver has to think very carefully how and when this EV will be practically used.
In contrast, a recent Turkish Electric Car developed at Istanbul University has demonstrated a 500km driving range in a tour from Istanbul to Ankara. The “T-1” as the vehicle is called weighs a mere 500 kilograms and has a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. And while the vehicle looks sporty sleek, it has not neglected practicality with four seats and enough room for luggage.
With the T-1, the development team builds upon earlier successes including their 8th place finish in the 2009 global electric car competition held in Australia.
LIINES Website: http://liines.net
