Comments (0) eLIMO represented Marquette at the 9th Annual Green Vehicles Workshop at Milwaukee Area Technical College. We shared the display area with an impressive variety of all- electrics, hybrids, CNG, and propane-powered vehicles.
I am living in Phoenix, AZ the last 2.5 years and will back in Chicagoland for the 4th of July. I would certainly like to see it [eLIMO] next time I can make it – I will try to give you an email or a call.
Did I mention I now work for a company (http://www.ecotality.com/) that engineers battery chargers for electric vehicles? 
No doubt the eLIMO project helped there.
Thank you for guiding this day dream of an idea into a wonderfully rewarding journey. I have enjoyed seeing the progress the teams have made and hope that the project has inspired other engineers, and the community to think big and embrace alternative energy.
Based on VERY LIMITED DATA:
Full charge: 28 – 40 KWH. 220v uses less power than 100v.
Range on 90% charge: 52 – 64 mi. Temperature matters.
Efficiency: 1.7 – 2.0 mi / kwh
These measurements depend on % charge remaining readings from the battery controller, times and distances from my iPhone, charging power from a Kill-a-Watt (110v) and the official meter (220 v) in the home structure.
For reference, one owner of a Nissan Leaf reported 4 – 5 mi / kwh.
EPA uses 34 kwh / gal to compute MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) to ROUGHLY compare electric to gas mileages. eLIMO gets 57 – 71 MPGe.
NOT BAD FOR A BIG OLD VAN
– G. Corliss
eLIMO was invited to the 6th Annual Advanced Technology Vehicle Show at UW-Whitewater, which is about 60 miles from Marquette, further than our range. The plan was to drive to my daughter’s house in Eagle (40 miles) and recharge for the night. I screwed up switch settings, so it failed to recharge overnight. With James’ help, I got it recharging for safe return, but eLIMO missed the Whitewater event. (I made it though. Recommended. eLIMO WILL be there next year.) The pigtail adapter Prof. Jacoby made for 50 amp –> 20 amp 240v worked fine. Thank you, Frank!
Operator error aside, eLIMO performed well: 40 miles on 66% charge, 23 miles on 37% charge. I am confident to claim range > 50 miles in good conditions. — G. Corliss
eLIMO transported 13 members of the MU women’s club basketball team to St. Hyacinth Food Panty on Beecher for a day of helping pack food and other duties. The van rides more smoothly loaded than empty. – G. Corliss
Some eLIMO team members and a team advisor. From left to right: Dr. George Corliss (advisor), Scott Sullivan (year 4), James Lubow (year 4), Dex Delfrate (year 4), Alex Felhofer (year 4), Justin Thompto (year 4), Brian Krische (year 3), Nick Schretter (year 3)
The eLIMO made a special appearance Friday October 7, 2011 at Marquette’s official opening of Engineering Hall. While only a small part of the celebration, the eLIMO generated a lot of interest amongst the 700 guests in attendance including former students who worked on the project. The eLIMO was featured in the Large Projects Lab, a space that all teams wished they had while working on the project, during a tour stop of the new building. Former team members were present to tell the eLIMO story from the conception of the project to the dirty, hands on, work of detected students.
Since the end of the last school year, the eLIMO was taken out for a full test drive. During this test in mid June, the eLIMO traveled 40 miles using only 70% of a charge. Marquette’s Department of Public Safety has since taken control of the vehicle and have given the eLIMO a new look. From new paint to decals and even a cool looking license plate, the eLIMO is ready for the road.
To top off the week, we got word earlier today that the eLIMO was assigned a route for the first time after the opening festivities on Friday. This first shift as part of the student safety fleet lasted for 3 hours while transporting a total of 87 students!
The eLIMO has now been successfully insured by Marquette and has now been re-registered by the state of Wisconsin as of May 4, 2011.
With this major milestone complete, real-world testing is anticipated by the end of the week. Soon we will also be organizing a roll-out ceremony for the eLIMO. Stay tuned to the blog for more details.
The eLIMO’s User Interface was finished yesterday evening by team members Dan Chrostowski and Dex Delfrate. Displayed on a 7-inch LCD monitor embedded in the dashboard are a digital speedometer, odometer, and battery charge gauge. Also included with the UI are several warning indicators which appear in the upper left and right-hand corners if triggered by the Battery Management System or Motor Controller. The triggers detect events of component overheating and/or low battery charge and display them accordingly.
The interface was coded using the C and Java programming languages. It works by reading in data via CAN protocol through a netbook computer mounted inside the vehicle. Information from the Battery Management System and Motor Controller is then analyzed, interpreted, and finally outputted to the graphical user interface shown on the monitor.
Below is a video demonstration of the User Interface in action.
With the vehicle now running independently of a tethered power source, reception at the University has been high. Earlier this week, we sat down with the team at the Marquette Tribune and they were kind enough to publish an article detailing our efforts. You can look for it in the print version, or read the full article online at the following link:
After almost 4 years of hard work from at least 40 different students, a number of Marquette University Faculty members, help from MATC, MUSG, National Wildlife Federation, Wisconsin Office of Energy Independence, and Wisconsin Clean Cities, the eLIMO now runs on its own!
With this major milestone now behind us, the team’s primary focus now shifts to the User Interface. While our team has been working this problem since the beginning of the year, actual testing could not be done until power was applied to the van. Now that the van runs, integration and testing of the UI can be completed.
In the upcoming weeks, the rest of the team will now be focusing on getting power steering back into the van, final sub systems connections, working through the certification process, creating a vehicle skin, and putting maintenance and users manual documentation together. While these items might not produce as much excitement upon each tasks completion, the following are all essential to creating a working vehicle to be reintroduced into Marquette University’s DPS Student Safety LIMO fleet.
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