Hotzenblitz

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Hotzenblitz
Hotzenblitz.JPG
City (with doors) / Buggy (without doors)
Production period: 1993-1996
Class : Microcar
Body versions : Cabriolet
Engines: Electric motor :
(12 kW)
Length: 2750 mm
Width: 1480 mm
Height: 1500 mm
Wheelbase :
Empty weight : 830 kg
interior
Hotzenblitz in the most common “buggy” version with GRP body, open top and removed fabric doors as a convertible
Electric car Hotzenblitz "Buggy" with a rare ABS body and closed fabric doors and hood

The Hotzenblitz is a German electric car that was produced from 1993 to 1996. It was developed by Hotzenblitz Mobile GmbH & Co. KG in Ibach im Hotzenwald , founded in 1990 , and produced by Hotzenblitz Thüringen Mobile GmbH in the production halls of Suhler Fahrzeugwerk GmbH in Suhl , Thuringia .

It is the first, and until the BMW i3 went on sale in November 2013, it was the only passenger car that was exclusively developed as an electric vehicle, mass-produced and sold to customers in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Company and model development

In 1989, some of the Hotzenwald engineers led by master electrician Thomas Albiez decided to develop a modern and environmentally friendly electric car. In 1990 the company Hotzenblitz Mobile GmbH & Co. KG was founded with Thomas Albiez as managing director.

The first prototype was roadworthy 19 months after the start of development. The Swiss company Schwaller Motorsport developed the frame and chassis. The company MesDes Industrial Design was significantly involved in the development to series production. For an electric car of this size, the passive safety was exemplary. The auto magazine auto motor und sport praised the detailed solutions. In July 1990 Alfred Ritter participated in the financing.

In preparation for series production, the small lens headlights of the prototype were replaced by headlights from Hella . The futuristic cockpit was redesigned and equipped with a conventional speedometer display and dashboard parts from Ford as well as a liquid crystal display that was very advanced at the time . The standard version of the Hotzenblitz received sliding, molded seats with foldable backrests.

In 1993, Hotzenblitz Thüringen Mobile GmbH started production in Suhler Fahrzeugwerk GmbH, which was founded in 1992 . The Hotzenblitz was exhibited in September 1993 and 1995 at the IAA in Frankfurt and in spring 1994 and 1995 at the Geneva Motor Show.

The body of the first vehicles consisted of hand-laminated glass fiber reinforced plastic parts (GRP) that were traditionally painted. In order to reduce costs in series production, Maucher Formenbau GmbH & Co. KG in Friedrichshafen developed a body made of thermally deformed, colored plastic ( acrylonitrile butadiene styrene / ABS). The second, tinted window above the windshield was replaced by an ABS body part in the vehicle color or black. These body parts could be made by machine and no longer had to be painted. Although both versions are very similar on the outside, the original GRP version can be recognized by the closed front section and a seam above the front wheel arches, which allows the entire front to be opened for maintenance purposes. The ABS version, on the other hand, has a small engine hood with two seams in the front. The dashboard received modified air nozzles as well as a rounded, deep-drawn cutout for the LC display instead of the previously attached frame.

In June 1996, production had to be stopped before the start of (partially automated) series production due to financing problems. In the Thuringian vehicle plant in Suhl, a total of around 140 vehicles were manufactured in small-scale manufacture, mainly of the Hotzenblitz Buggy (EL-Sport) type. The production carried out in this way had a "pre-series character".

The meeting future GmbH & Co KG took over the project, as well as many items from the bankruptcy estate as in autumn / winter 1997 / early 1998 and financed about new private investors. In 1998 an attempt was made to implement series production of the Hotzenblitz with the support of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and financing through Euroimpuls BeteiligungsAG. A revised version was to be produced based on the experience of the first 140 pre-series vehicles. However, there is no evidence that even a “new” Hotzenblitz was actually made from newly produced parts. The companies Treffpunkt Zukunft and Meeting Point Future tried to develop an improved model from the test vehicle series from 1993 to 1996 and to win over investors to resume series production - so far without any demonstrable success. The establishment of a new Hotze Flash (frame 148), however, is busy and well documented from residual and spare parts through the company's powerful slightly in the year of 2010.

For the revised model, it was announced that this is again a two-seater (with space for two jump seats ) and weighs less than 800 kilograms with modern battery systems. It has the working title "E-Mo" or "E-Mobil". The improvements mainly related to details. There is no evidence of the implementation of new battery concepts that have been announced several times or of an announced portable range extender . There was no renewed series production after 1996.

Because of its consistent lightweight construction and electric drive, the Hotzenblitz was used several times as a test vehicle for other projects. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) developed the Hotzenblitz Hylite with fuel cell hybrid drive. The front of the vehicle also had to be adapted for this. This vehicle also took part in the first Hotzenblitztreffen in August 2004 in Dogern. At the eCarTec 2009, a Hotzenblitz with an extendable solar roof was presented.

In 2007, the company Kruspan Engineering in Switzerland installed lithium-ion batteries with a high energy density and a nominal capacity of 39kWh in a Hotzenblitz. In the vehicle tests carried out, high ranges were achieved. The initiative for the conversion or further development of the Hotzenblitz with the frame number 126 came from the companies Kruspan Engineering and MDW-Temperatursensorik GmbH , but not from the company Treffpunkt Zukunft .

The Hotzenblitz from Kruspan Engineering from 2007 with its more powerful motor with Brusa control AMC325 as well as a Brusa charger, a braking system with servo assistance and the fully electric range of 350 km as well as a revised rear section represents the highest documented technical development status of a Hotzenblitz up to that point This Hotzenblitz took part in 2011 as "Team 9 Faraday USA" with Roger Miauton, Mark Fuller and Mike Collier in the Wave2011 ( World Advanced Vehicle Expedition ), a tour of 3000 kilometers in length, which led through eight countries.

In 2011, the Kendrion Linnig company tested a modern drive system consisting of two electric motors with electronic differential, also using the Hotzenblitz.

technology

Hotzenblitz battery box with 56 ThunderSky LPF60AH lithium iron phosphate battery cells under the seats, BMS module for each individual cell and bus cabling
Traction battery with NiMH batteries 14x12V-78Ah (type: 10 / GP80EVS) in Hotzenblitz

The Hotzenblitz has a light, stable tubular steel frame and an aluminum floor pan in a sandwich construction. The frame is planked with a plastic body. The panes are glued in place.

The Hotzenblitz is driven by a three-phase asynchronous motor. When braking or driving downhill, the motor can act as a regenerative brake in generator mode and feed part of the kinetic energy back into the drive battery as electrical energy (up to around 11 kW). Using recuperation increases efficiency and range. The engine has a nominal output of 12 kW (16 HP) and a short-term peak output of 16.5 kW. The car reaches a top speed of around 100 km / h. The Hotzenblitz has disc brakes on the driven front wheels and drum brakes on the rear axle . Since there is no brake booster as standard , the pedal forces are quite high.

The original traction battery of the Hotzenblitz consists of 14 maintenance-free lead-gel batteries with 12 V, 60 Ah each, which together produce a traction voltage of 168 V and a nominal energy content ( nominal capacity ) of 10 kWh and weigh around 350 kg. A battery management system called BADICHEQ (BAtterie DIagnostic and CHarge EQualizing) monitored the 12V battery blocks and provided the driver with information on the range and battery status via the LC display in the dashboard. No comparable BMS for lead-acid batteries is known from that time. The BADICHEQ module was installed in the double floor in front of the passenger seat and could be connected to a personal computer for service and monitoring work via a serial interface . With the lead-gel traction battery, the vehicle has a range of up to 70 km at around 25 ° C. The range depends on the driving behavior and the outside temperatures, since the nominal capacity of a battery can never be taken from a battery with high discharge currents and lower temperatures. The Hotzenblitz consumes around 12 kWh to 15 kWh per 100 km (from the socket). The charging time at the normal Schuko socket (230 V / 16 A) with the on-board charger (charging current 8–10 A, approx. 2000 W) is around 5–6 hours.

In revised versions, the Hotzenblitz was equipped with other types of batteries such as nickel-cadmium batteries , nickel-metal hydride batteries , lithium-ion batteries or lithium-iron phosphate batteries and thus achieved ranges of 100 to 150 km on the country road. The LC display in the dashboard is usually exchanged for a suitable display for an adapted BMS . The curb weight drops by 70 to 200 kg, depending on the type and size of the traction battery , which improves driving behavior . Thanks to the improved battery technology, motor and charging electronics as well as more efficient recuperation, the energy consumption from the socket is also reduced (including losses on the charger and battery). By additional three-phase - Chargers loading can be accelerated in modern traction batteries and the charging time will be reduced to about one hour. In the Kruspan version with high-quality lithium polymer batteries from Kokam with a significantly higher energy content of the traction battery, up to 350 km without recharging and a higher top speed are achieved.

The interior is warm enough in winter thanks to a diesel heater ( Webasto AirTop). However, the ventilation is not particularly powerful, which can lead to the large windscreen misting up. In order to prevent the use of lead-acid batteries from being restricted at low temperatures (reduced power output), the Hotzenblitz has an electric surface heating system with around 100 W heating power under the traction battery in the battery tray, which is automatically switched on by the charger below 15 ° C. This increases energy consumption in winter by 1–2 kWh / 100 km, depending on the usage profile.

General

Hotzenblitz "Buggy" (GRP) with the hood open and the trunk drawer pulled out

The Hotzenblitz has two seats and an additional two emergency seats as a padded bench above the trunk drawer. As an option, there were individually foldable backrests for the emergency bench. With 350 kg lead accumulators (14 pieces 12 V / 60 Ah) it has an empty weight of 830 kg and a permissible total weight of 1240 kg.

The vehicle is intended for city traffic. It is available as a buggy with zip doors and a flat fabric hood . Some examples received fixed doors in different designs or a raised fabric top with folding bars and two rear seats with folding backrests as the City model. A hard top with a fold-out rear window can be fitted in place of the fabric top. Because of its low center of gravity, the Hotzenblitz is excellent on the road.

The price of the hand-made vehicles in the pilot series was 32,000  DM for the basic buggy model and 54,000 DM for the City model with doors, hardtop and four seats.

After its production cessation, the car enjoys cult status among electric vehicles and is in great demand.

See also

Web links

Commons : Hotzenblitz  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The story of Simson: MZA portal, 1991-2000
  2. ↑ a b c Ralf Wagner: Hotzenblitz: The first press presentation www.elweb.info Internet portal
  3. ↑ Vehicle construction and design company website MesDes Industrial Design, accessed January 12, 2012
  4. ↑ Der Spiegel 13/1994: Triumph eines Tüftlers Website and PDF edition of the article on the Hotzenblitz
  5. ↑ Maucher Formenbau GmbH & Co. KG: Company website with a picture of ABS-Hotzenblitz Buggy , accessed July 9, 2012
  6. ↑ Pforzheim University: Article in the Pforzheimer Zeitung from September 26, 2001: Solar mobile dolphin and Hotzenblitz in Pforzheim with a picture of ABS Hotzenblitz with the hood open
  7. ↑ E-mobiles with a range of only 60 km found no market acceptance - Thuringian plant applied for full execution. "Hotzenblitz" on a crash course. VDI-Nachrichten, "Environment" section, August 9, 1996
  8. ↑ Hotzenblitz ( memento of October 10, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) www.elektroauto-tipp.de Internet portal
  9. ↑ New chance for the “Hotzenblitz” world online from September 9, 1998, accessed January 11, 2012
  10. ↑ FAQ: Questions and answers about us and our E-Mobil Treffpunkt Zukunft GmbH & Co KG online (PDF; 31 kB)
  11. ↑ Hotzenblitz - first assembly 2010 ( memento of the original from August 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Company website powerfully light , accessed January 11, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.kraftvollleicht.de
  12. ↑ E-mobiles from 16,500 euros: the successor to the Hotzenblitz can already be ordered from www.energie-info.net-Internet portal, section "KFZ", (Article must have been written around August 2008).
  13. ↑ heise autos: Research Hylite: Prototype with a new drive concept 2005: Hotzenblitz as a fuel cell hybrid from DLR, accessed January 15, 2012
  14. ↑ DLR: Prototype construction: Development and realization of body parts ( Memento of the original from February 7, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Development vehicle front for Hotzenblitz Hylite, accessed January 15, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dlr.de
  15. ↑ bsm: Solarmobil-Mitteilungen Nr.54, October 2004 Arrival and report from the 1st Hotzenblitztreffen, accessed January 16, 2012
  16. ↑ Hotzenblitz as a test object  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Hotzenblitz with an extendable solar roof at eCarTec 2009, accessed January 15, 2012@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / solar-sicherheit.de  
  17. ↑ Markus Pflegerl: Conversion of a Hotzenblitz to Lithium Polymer from Kokam ( Memento of the original from December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Watt gehtab Internet portal, November 20, 2007 (English) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.watt gehtab.com
  18. ^ Company MDW-Temperatursensorik GmbH: "Hotzenblitz" in use from 1996 to September 2010, subsection solar energy, accessed January 12, 2012
  19. ↑ Solar and electromobile news: Hotzen flash with lithium polymer batteries Article on the conversion project by Kruspan Engineering and MDW-Temperatursensorik GmbH
  20. ↑ a b Kruspan company: Hotzenblitz with a range of ~ 350 km Website Kruspan company, accessed January 7, 2012
  21. ↑ Organizer website : Teams of Wave 2011 ( Memento of the original from January 15, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed January 7, 2012 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / wave2011.net
  22. ↑ "e-drive", the direction is right - information on the conversion of Lupo and Hotzenblitz with a new electric drive module in CO2-Null.de, accessed May 8, 2012.
  23. ↑ ELenkrad magazine 4/93, p. 36.
  24. ^ Mechanical engineering company powerfully light , accessed January 7, 2012