Hiroshi Shimizu (car designer)
Hiroshi Shimizu ( Japanese 清水 浩 , Shimizu Hiroshi ; * 1947 ) is a Japanese car designer and professor at the Japanese Keiō University , Tokyo , and developer of electric cars .
His best-known work is his eighth electric car, the Eliica electric super sports car, which has been developed since September 2003 and has an output of over 440 kW and which should ultimately reach 400 km / h. So far (2007) the prototype reached 370 km / h. Each of the eight wheels of the vehicle is driven by a small 59 kW electric motor.
The Keio Advanced Zero-Emission (KAZ) model is also noteworthy .
history
At the beginning of his career, Hiroshi Shimizu worked for the Japanese Environmental Institute. For this he constructed a laser to measure the air pollution over Tokyo . The results of these measurements led him to believe that finding a solution to air pollution was more important than measuring devices for air pollution. Shimizu saw the potential for environmentally friendly mobility in electric cars.
His first electric vehicle was an old small car given to him by a friend, whose engine he removed and replaced with an electric motor.
Initially, he received no support from the auto industry in his development work. Even when he developed and presented more sophisticated solutions, the Japanese car companies showed no interest. This changed since 2003 with the construction of the Eliica. 35 Japanese companies are now working, including battery manufacturers, electrical companies and companies in the automotive industry.
Web links
- Homepage of Prof. Shimizu's project Eliica
- English-language website about Prof. Shimizus Kaz
- Another video showing an interview with Professor Shimizu.
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Shimizu, Hiroshi |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | 清水 浩 (Japanese) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Japanese car designer and university professor |
DATE OF BIRTH | 1947 |