(AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
On August 24th, 2009 a handful of impressive prototype electric vehicles were shown off at a Japanese press conference, including a unique eight-wheeled car. These vehicles were paraded in promotion of the newly established SIM-Drive Corporation, a venture company aimed at promoting zero-emission, environmentally-friendly electric vehicles and car parts.
SIM-Drive was created by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu of Keio University’s Graduate School of Media and Governance, and is being funded by a small number of other Japanese corporations. Professor Shimizu has reportedly spent around 30 years researching “In-Wheel Motors”, the technology that SIM-Drive will be mainly promoting to car manufacturers and retailers.
“In-Wheel Motors” and SIM-Drive promotion
“In-Wheel Motors” are small electric motors that are directly connected to the car’s wheel. The “In-Wheel Motors” eliminate the need for a large central motor, gears, and shifting mechanisms that are used widely in cars today. As a result of the direct connection between the motor and the wheels, energy loss is reduced and the car is able to travel as much as two times further on the same battery, according to research.
SIM-Drive does not plan produce or sell the parts, but will promote the technology which will come in three sizes, a large size for trucks and buses, a mid-size for vans and luxury cars, and small size for compacts.
The “In-Wheel Motor” parts can be put in new cars, or can be modified into a large number of older vehicles. SIM-Drive aims to have 100,000 cars using the technology by 2013. Professor Shimizu said during the press conference, “The age of electric vehicles has come…there is a need for this advanced technology to quickly become a worldwide standard.”
Prototype electric vehicles on display
The cars on display during the press conference included the eight-wheeled Eliica, or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car, and a remodeled KAZ, or Keio Advanced Zero-Emission Vehicle. Both vehicles are said to have been designed by teams at Keio University. The Eliica design was led by Professor Shimizu himself.
A Japanese news report on the SIM-Drive press conference
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