EV&AE(SINGAPORE’S 1ST solarEV, Singapore Polytechnic's SUNSPEED1 ON PARADE)

[Bruce {EVangel} Parmenter <brucedp@iname.com>]

EV&AE(SINGAPORE’S 1ST solarEV, Singapore Polytechnic's SUNSPEED1 ON
PARADE)
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 --- {EVangel}
 [ http://www.sp.edu.sg/department/ee/solarweb/SolarCar0.htm ]
Singapore's First Solar-Powered Car Built By
Singapore Poly to Parade Down Busy Orchard Road

Singapore's first solar car built by Singapore Poly will parade down
bustling Orchard Road on Friday, 26 February 1999. Together with
another solar car and four other electric vehicles, it will be flagged
off at 11 am at the Polytechnic Administration Building Car Park. This
parade is the first-ever in Singapore and in the region.
 ===

 [ http://www.sp.edu.sg/newz/hot_press/pr1199.html ]
Media Invitation  SINGAPORE’S FIRST SOLAR-POWERED CAR BUILT BY S'PORE
POLY TO GO ON PARADE

The Singapore Polytechnic has designed and built a solar-powered
fibreglass car, which is the first in Singapore and the region.
SUNSPEED1 and five other solar- and electrical-powered vehicles will
take to the road at the Solar/Electric Vehicles Parade at 11.00am on
Friday 26 February, 1999 from Dover Road through Orchard Road and
North Bridge Road and back to the Singapore Polytechnic.

Built by a team of 8 staff and 12 students of the Electrical
Engineering (EE) Department, SUNSPEED1 took eight months to be
completed. It runs on three specially-designed hub motor wheels and
weighs about 300 kg.  Looking like an elegant white bird from the
side, with a little head where the driver sits, it has got solar
panels on its body.

Besides SUNSPEED1, the other five vehicles are:

* SUNSWIFT, another solar-powered car built by the University of New
  South Wales and upgraded and retrofitted by the EE Department in
  collaboration with the university;

* The Electric Van, an electric motor van converted from a Nissan van
  with an ignition combustion engine;

* The Electric Car SP-EV1, originally a Mazda 626 with its engine and
  gasoline-related parts cannibalised to make way for an electric
  drive system; and

* The Electric Bus, a TIBS bus that now has electrical sub-systems
  rather than its original diesel engine and related sub-systems.
   [ http://www.sp.ac.sg/department/ee/ev/main.htm ]

* GP Bat, a brand new electric car from GP Batteries Pte Ltd, that
  showcases how electric cars can be made commercially viable.

All six vehicles will be flagged off at the Singapore Polytechnic,
Administration Building Car park at 11.00 am by Mr Edward Quah, the
Polytechnic’s Deputy Principal (Academic), to the accompaniment of the
SP Daiko Drummers and the EE Club Cheer Team.

The vehicles will move at a speed of about 10 km per hour through
Holland Road, Tanglin Road, Orchard Road, Bras Basah Road, North
Bridge Road, Stamford Road, Orchard Boulevard, Holland Road, Holland
Drive, Dover Road and back to the Singapore Polytechnic. They will
have CISCO outriders to clear the traffic. The two solar cars will be
driven by electrical engineering students.

Dr Philip Chin, Director of the EE Department, said the Solar/Electric
Vehicle Parade is aimed at raising the public’s awareness of using
renewable and environmentally-friendly energy sources like the sun and
electric batteries for vehicles. Petrol is non-renewable and
non-environmentally friendly.

He added: "This is an applied R&D project in which we want students to
delve into alternative sources of energy so that they are better
equipped to contribute to solving energy problems of the future."

An idea originated by Dr Chin a year ago, the solar car is the latest
initiative of the EE Department to focus research on renewable sources
of energy. It started out with retrofitting vehicles with electric
batteries and then moved on to wind turbines.

Members of the media are invited to preview SUNSPEED1 and the other
vehicles at 11.00am, Wednesday, 24 February, 1999, at the
Administration Building Car Park (Gate One, Dover Road).  There will
be a briefing first where Dr Philip Chin and his staff and students
will give more details and answer questions. The briefing is at the
Boardroom, Fifth Floor, Administration Building.  Singapore
Polytechnic.

Care & Community Day
The Solar/Vehicle Parade is part of the EE Department’s Care &
Community Day on Friday 26 February.  There will be a charity drive in
which 500 first year students will fan out into town to sell key
chains. The second, third year and part-time students on the other
hand, have been collecting funds through pledge cards.  All proceeds
will go to the National Kidney Foundation. Mindful of the
Polytechnic’s core value of care and concern, this is the first time
that the EE Department is doing a charity drive on such a big scale.
The Care & Community Day will be an annual feature.
 ===

EV - Business Times (Singapore) (BTMS) Motoring You could be driving
an electric car in 2002  Christopher Tan 02/25/99 Copyright 1999, STP
(1975) Limited

[SINGAPORE] Electric vehicles will be common fare here as early as
2002, predicted Philip Chin, director of Singapore Polytechnic's
department of electrical engineering.

Dr Chin, who heads the polytechnic's electric vehicle and renewable
energy projects, based his forecast on the interest of various groups
here. "When you have Singapore Power and ST (Singapore Technologies)
pushing for it, things will move very fast," he said, referring to the
duo's recent announcements on electric vehicles (EVs).

The Economic Development Board and National Science and Technology
Board are also keen to see the advent of EVs for the high-tech
supporting industries they would spawn. "I know many listed companies
here that are looking at investing in EVs," Dr Chin said. He declined
to name them. "I mean what else can you invest in nowadays besides IT
(information technology)?"

The polytechnic is preparing for such a development.
Dr Chin said the institute offered final-year courses specialising in
the field. The polytechnic is also planning to build a testing
facility for EVs, the first in the country and probably the region.

"We need a new breed of technopreneurs, a new type of workshops," Chin
said, explaining that current expertise and infrastructure would not
be able to deal with a population of EVs.

The polytechnic currently has nine researchers in its renewable energy
department (looking at alternatives such as solar, wind and tidal
power), 20 staffers in its EV department, and eight dedicated to solar
vehicles.

Yesterday, it unveiled its maiden solar-powered creation. Called
Sunspeed 1, the single-seater is also the first to be built in
Singapore. Costing more than $50,000 (excluding labour), the six-metre
300kg vehicle can be made to attain 100-110kmh, although it has only
reached 50kmh on drives around campus.

Dr Chin expects solar-assisted vehicles to be commercially feasible by
2015-20. Before that, a lot of research has to be done. "What's
practical in Germany or the US may not be practical here because of
the humidity," he said, adding that solar cells may not last as long
here.  New breed of cars : Dr Chin (far right) poses with the
solar-powered car Sunspeed 1 built by Singapore Polytechnic
 ...
 http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/  btletter@asia1.com.sg
The Business Times, 390 Kim Seng Road, Singapore 239495
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