New tech!!

Grantmac

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https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/26/linear-labs-next-gen-electric-motor-attracts-4-5-million-in-funding/amp/

This came across my news feed. If they can hit the promised numbers it could be amazing. Plus they want to market direct to customers at a size suitable for ebikes/light motorcycles.

-Grant
 
I looked over the company's webpage and there are a lot of questionable things going on here.

There are exceedingly few facts or figures, except a claim that they beat the DOE's power density goal ( but they fail to state what that claim is and how they compare to competitors )

Another image seems to imply that their system can run on half the battery than their competition..

This is what really gets me..

The LL motors use the same inverter as conventional electric propulsion drives and operate at lower dc link voltage which allows for smaller dc link capacitor and reduced switch ratings. This results in a more compact and low cost power electronic converter at the required power ratings used in commercial propulsion units.

Given that their peak efficiency claim is 97%, and most commercial EV motors peak out somewhere in the 90%'s, i doubt that the controller can shrink very much ( unless the low RPM efficiency boost is really as high as they claim )

Another thing is that low voltage, high amp setups typically result in larger controllers.

The car industry goes with high voltage, low amp setups in cars because of the space restraints and thickness of wiring & power bus, which makes absolute sense. I have a feeling that this company doesn't understand this aspect of engineering ( coincidentally, they're hiring a power engineer ).

The claim about not needing a gearbox on a motor that makes it's peak power at 3000rpm is a little questionable because at highway speeds, most cars' wheels are spinning at around 1000rpm.

Also, sometimes they claim 3x the torque, other times they claim 100%. And some wording doesn't even make sense..

Would be nice if this is real. But i have my doubts.
 
It seems as though the implementation will feel much like a CVT, except the variation is happening entirely electronically.
Direct drive with a massive RPM range is the electric motor dream.

As usual I'm sure it's a realistic 10 years out.
 
neptronix said:
I looked over the company's webpage and there are a lot of questionable things going on here.
Maybe look over their patents then, like this one: https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2017070403A1/en?oq=2017%2f070403

If one reads their website objectively I don't think they come up with your criticisms.
 
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