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BACKGROUND
A serious drawback to electric vehicles [batteries only is the idle time needed to recharge their batteries. During this period, the car cannot be used. In this challenge, students can develop ideas and concepts for battery change-out at automotive service stations. Such a capability would extend the range of electric vehicles.
THE BATTERY CHANGE-OUT CHALLENGE
This is an interesting challenge because it involves many concerns. Has anyone proposed doing something like this in the past? How can an electric vehicle's batteries get changed out quickly, say in 20 minutes, as though it was getting a fresh tank of energy to run on with the shortest possible delay? Could service stations have racks of recharged batteries just ready to be swapped out?
Consider the technical concerns with the cars themselves:
1. Standardization of how the batteries attach to the vehicle as an integrated unit.
2. A heavy-duty trolley device to off-load the batteries and move them to a recharging area.
3. Location of the recharging area near the vehicle so they can be easily loaded via the heavy-duty trolley device.
4. Standardization of the battery packs for attachment and...