Frequently Asked Questions - Technical

Yes, range is a function of battery capacity, vehicle efficiency, and overall reliability. The main drawback of using Lead-Acid batteries is that they are much heavier than other chemistries, and this must be compensated for in terms of range by adding battery capacity.

All of the major electronic and motive systems are properly ventilated and utilize forced convection (fans blowing).

Battery life will be dramatically extended if you keep the batteries as charged as possible at all times. Therefore, it is better to top off the charge on your vehicle whenever possible rather than continuously drive it to zero. Also, it is better for the batteries if you store the vehicle fully charged rather than with the batteries depleted.

Yes, our lead-acid batteries are 97% recyclable.

No, our analysis of regenerative braking has led us to conclude that improving the efficiency of other aspects of the vehicle and/or adding additional battery capacity wins out in a cost-benefit analysis.

The Pulse obtains its best efficiency at lower speeds. Additionally, the motor has no idling state while the vehicle is at rest, which makes stop-and-go driving significantly more efficient than in an ICE vehicle.

Round trips of over 50 miles can be accomplished by plugging the vehicle in at work, in public parking lots, or at other households. The vehicle can be fully charged in 6-8 hours. Incremental charging for shorter periods of time will also help extend the range and battery life of the vehicle.

We plan on including an auto-switching 110/220 charger in our production vehicles. Each vehicle will come with a power cord and this integrated charger.

We have chosen to use lead-acid batteries in our base model due to their stability, recyclability, and cost to our customers. We are also planning to offer lithium-ion battery pack upgrades to extend the range of the Pulse when it is released. These upgrade packs will be priced based on current market rates, and we look forward to the increased adoption of Li-ion batteries in many industries, which will make them more affordable into the future.

We are using AGM Lead Acid Batteries. These are military spec batteries that have been tried and tested in the toughest of conditions. Additionally, the batteries are solid state, meaning that there is no battery acid present that could potentially leak in the event of a collision or otherwise.

First, the Oregon gets over 60% of it's electricity from hydroelectric power and only 8% from coal. Nationally, nearly 50% of our power comes from coal with only 6% coming from hydroelectric and 20% from nuclear. So, Oregon's energy sources are in general much cleaner than the national average. Second, even in the parts of the country that primarily use coal as an electricity source, electric vehicles reduce overall carbon emissions significantly. This is primarily due to the inefficiency of internal combustion engines as well as the relative overall efficiency of electric vehicles (electric motors, light weight, aerodynamic).

The motor is 62 horsepower with 80 foot-pounds of torque. Our electric motor is about 85% efficient on average compared to 25-30% for a typical IC engine.

Despite recent advancements in automotive flywheel technology, they are still very expensive to implement and present more hazards than typical batteries do. Some F1 racecars utilize flywheels to provide quick bursts of acceleration, but extreme current dumps are not required in our application.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to recapture energy that is not being expended in the first place. In general, energy recapture is possible anywhere that heat is being generated in the vehicle. Internal wind turbines would actually add to the vehicle's overall aerodynamic drag, causing it to lose more energy than would be gained.

Including solar panels on the roof is not currently a cost-effective method of capturing energy. Solar panels have a more attractive payback time when they are placed on a rooftop, where they have a significant surface area and can be utilized whenever the sun is shining. This energy can be used to charge the vehicle or to deliver clean, renewable energy back to the electricity grid.

No, there is no oil to change.

Three wheel vehicles handle extremely well, especially in the reverse trike configuration (two wheels in front, one wheel in back). In this configuration, there is no loss of stability during emergency braking, when the largest g-forces usually act on the car.