Re: [now non-roc]Re: Radiator Fan Question

[Kevin Stoddard <herephydeaux@juno.com>]

On Sat, 11 Mar 2000 06:10:53 -0800 "Brad Sterling"
<bgsterling@earthlink.net> writes:
> <Ryan said>
> How can a motor consume energy and also
> produce it at the same time?
> <end Ryan>

Most alternators work this way, unless they use permanenet magnets.  The
field coils consume energy to create the needed magnetic field, but the
alternator puts out enough current to power the field and charge the
battery.  There's lots of electrical stuff going on, but there's also a
mechanical input to the system.  That's where the drain is.
Yamaha made a 125cc electric start motorcycle that used a unique starter
motor.  When you mashed the starter button the motor drew current from
the battery and turned the engine over.  When you released the starter
button it reverted to behaving like an alternator, charging the battery. 
It wasn't super efficient, but it was cheap.
> 
> I'm not a pro and I don't work on this stuff, but I think I know this. 
The
> Toyota that is using regenerative braking to charge the batteries is  a
> hybrid, not an electric car.  So the same motor is not consuming and
> producing energy.  The small gas engine is consuming the energy, the
> batteries of the electric motor are receiving a charge from the work
the gas
> engine is doing.
> 
> -Brad
> '86.5 Scirocco 16V
> '76 International Scout II
> '86 Yamaha Radian (RIP)
> '89 Yamaha FZR600

The hybrids that I have been reading about work like this,... when the
motors are driving the car they are drawing current from the batteries. 
When they are slowing the car they are putting current back. (Same
motors)  What they put back when braking is less than what they draw when
accelerating or maintaining speed.  The gas engine in the hybrid powers a
generator that's s'posed to make up the difference.

Even though TBerk was speaking "tongue in cheek" regarding the fan
charging the battery at highway speeds, it is possible, but the fan motor
would have to be designed to do it and it would need some sort of control
system to decide when to charge and when to draw.  I think it's safe to
say that this isn't what VW had in mind.  I dunno about the newer VWs but
my old ones turn the fan on whenever the A/C is on,... even if I'm going
70,... so it must not interfere with cooling enough to matter.
-kevin in texas
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