Vendor Inquiry for Gigafactory (industrial motor)

[AuroraIM]

My team has reinvented and developed a new form of electric motor that will be a 10X increase in the efficiency of the typical industrial motors which we'd love to engage with the Tesla's Gigafactory team about*. Does anyone have a contact or can direct me to the appropriate protocol to get it in front of the power's that be for consideration for their Gigafactory buildout? (of course this also have viable applications in their existing Fremont factory as well).

*THE PROBLEM “The largest consumer of energy on the planet that few are even aware of!”
Electric motors have gone largely unchanged for over a century. Industrial and commercial motors are some of the largest consumers of energy on the planet, over 49% of all electrical power is used to spin electric motors.

Many thanks for the consideration!

Aurora Values: Imagine a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world with clean air, water, soil, and power economically, equitably, ecologically, and elegantly enjoyed.

 

[Tam]

...a contact...

I assume Tesla has received many claims of technology breakthroughs so I don't think yours would be the first one.

I guess you just have to start with Tesla contact web page.

 

[eleison]

My team has reinvented and developed a new form of electric motor that will be a 10X increase in the efficiency of the typical industrial motors which we'd love to engage with the Tesla's Gigafactory team about*. Does anyone have a contact or can direct me to the appropriate protocol to get it in front of the power's that be for consideration for their Gigafactory buildout? (of course this also have viable applications in their existing Fremont factory as well).

*THE PROBLEM “The largest consumer of energy on the planet that few are even aware of!”
Electric motors have gone largely unchanged for over a century. Industrial and commercial motors are some of the largest consumers of energy on the planet, over 49% of all electrical power is used to spin electric motors.

Huhm... Please tell us about this new technology (you do already have a patent on it, right?). Even better, lets see the prototype. If you don't have a prototype or unwilling to show the world your new technology, it will be hard for people to take you seriously. A lot of smart people have thought about the EV problem...

 

[jelloslug]

Considering that most industrial motors are 80% (for good old PM DC brush type motors) to the very high 90s for AC induction motors, I doubt that there is much to be gained out there. The only real gains there are to be had are from friction and windage losses.

 

[mongo]

Maybe they mean 10X reduction in inefficiency? 100%-80% = 20% loss / 10 = 2% loss -> 98% efficient?

I do so dislike deductions of greater than unity, they make me so negative....

 

[McRat]

Electrodes on hamsters running in a wheel has only been successful on the Prius due to it's low power. HP for Toyota means Hamsters Prodded, ie - 98HP is 98 hamsters with electrodes on them.

 

[AuroraIM]

I assume Tesla has received many claims of technology breakthroughs so I don't think yours would be the first one.

I guess you just have to start with Tesla contact web page.

To be clear, I didn't mean to claim to be the only one with a technology breakthrough, certainly not the first one. Contact web page, check. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Yggdrasill]

Maybe they mean 10X reduction in inefficiency? 100%-80% = 20% loss / 10 = 2% loss -> 98% efficient?

I do so dislike deductions of greater than unity, they make me so negative....

Yeah, current motors are up to something like 95% efficient. With 10 times the efficiency, that's 950% efficient!

 

[Shock-On-T]

My team has reinvented and developed a new form of electric motor that will be a 10X increase in the efficiency of the typical industrial motors which we'd love to engage with the Tesla's Gigafactory team about*. Does anyone have a contact or can direct me to the appropriate protocol to get it in front of the power's that be for consideration for their Gigafactory buildout? (of course this also have viable applications in their existing Fremont factory as well).

*THE PROBLEM “The largest consumer of energy on the planet that few are even aware of!”
Electric motors have gone largely unchanged for over a century. Industrial and commercial motors are some of the largest consumers of energy on the planet, over 49% of all electrical power is used to spin electric motors.

Many thanks for the consideration!

Aurora Values: Imagine a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world with clean air, water, soil, and power economically, equitably, ecologically, and elegantly enjoyed.

Tesla’s motors are 92-94% efficient.
When you say your motors are 10X more efficient, what do you mean?
I can only assume you mean you closed 9/10ths of the gap between 92/94% and 100% efficiency.
I also have another assumption, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt...

 

[jelloslug]

Yeah, current motors are up to something like 95% efficient. With 10 times the efficiency, that's 950% efficient!

Yea, exactly. This better not be some "magic black box" stuck on the side of a motor.

 

[mongo]

To be clear, I didn't mean to claim to be the only one with a technology breakthrough, certainly not the first one. Contact web page, check. Thanks for your advice.

When he was speaking about battery tech, Elon said to send the product to an independent lab, and have the lab send him the results. Or something to that effect.

 

[jelloslug]

Tesla’s motors are 92-94% efficient.
When you say your motors are 10X more efficient, what do you mean?
I can only assume you mean you closed 9/10ths of the gap between 92/94% and 100% efficiency.
I also have another assumption, but I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt...

When I was an electric motor design engineer at my previous job, we would get a person ever six months or so that had some brilliant idea that they wanted to sell that basically involved magic to work.

 

[Shock-On-T]

When I was an electric motor design engineer at my previous job, we would get a person ever six months or so that had some brilliant idea that they wanted to sell that basically involved magic to work.

I bet.
It’s a time saver when the efficiency is >100%.
The old circular file.

 

[jelloslug]

I bet.
It’s a time saver when the efficiency is >100%.
The old circular file.

The best ones were the perpetual motion guys. They would come by wanting to buy scrap magnets so they could make their "free electricity machine" that they paid $29.99 for the plans. It was much easier to give them a magnet than try to explain how the laws of physics won't change for them even though their plans said otherwise.

 

[Shock-On-T]

The best ones were the perpetual motion guys. They would come by wanting to buy scrap magnets so they could make their "free electricity machine" that they paid $29.99 for the plans. It was much easier to give them a magnet than try to explain how the laws of physics won't change for them even though their plans said otherwise.

I suppose the upside is that at least they are having a go, and getting their hands dirty. They might develop an interest in the real science after they get burned a few times by shysters.

 

[McRat]

The best ones were the perpetual motion guys. They would come by wanting to buy scrap magnets so they could make their "free electricity machine" that they paid $29.99 for the plans. It was much easier to give them a magnet than try to explain how the laws of physics won't change for them even though their plans said otherwise.

We had a 'potential customer' meet with us. He said he could not discuss the project on the phone.
He had us sign an NDA. Then he said the project was perpetual motion, and he wanted detailed engineering drawings he could submit to the patent office. I politely told him that the hard part of getting a perpetual motion patent was the fact he must submit a working model along with the drawings.

He never called back.

 

[AuroraIM]

Huhm... Please tell us about this new technology (you do already have a patent on it, right?). Even better, lets see the prototype. If you don't have a prototype or unwilling to show the world your new technology, it will be hard for people to take you seriously. A lot of smart people have thought about the EV problem...

Yes, we have a number of patents on it. A US Patent issued in 2014. The Intellectual Property compendium is owned by the founders and a WIPO PCT application is ready.

We've conducted R&D under teh aegis of the NRC (National Research Council).

Some of the advantages: Dual motion capability, high starting torque, completely independent phases, native, level fault tolerance, fault-recovery, and self-healing capabilities, fluid and future-proof operation control logic, field-programmable core logic via firmware updates, automation, real-time monitoring and remote control, via built-in IOT, Bluetooth, Wi-fi, Ethernet and Lora Alliance. No VFDD, for advanced speed control due to built-i smart power converter (SPC). No permanent magnets required (cost advantage). No dependence on strategic or scarcity-ridden materials (such as rare-Earth magnets). Not exposed to aging effects. Decoupled open-loop torque and speed settings.

Yes, prototypes are built. Again, I'm not claiming to be the only one and encouraged that people (smart ones even!) are thinking about it.

 

[AuroraIM]

Considering that most industrial motors are 80% (for good old PM DC brush type motors) to the very high 90s for AC induction motors, I doubt that there is much to be gained out there. The only real gains there are to be had are from friction and windage losses.

To the contrary, there is a tremendous amount to be gained. It is well documented that a 200 horsepower industrial electric motor costs $10,000USD to purchase but over the course of its 20-year lifespan will consume $1,400,000.00USD in energy alone. Common breakdown cycles also plague the current breed of industrial machines, this industry is primed for a disruption. We envision transmitting wireless telemetry to our trend monitoring system to verify the energy savings per machine.

 

[AuroraIM]

Maybe they mean 10X reduction in inefficiency? 100%-80% = 20% loss / 10 = 2% loss -> 98% efficient?

I do so dislike deductions of greater than unity, they make me so negative....

Haha!! The double negative bites again! Thanks for the clarification

 

[jelloslug]

To the contrary, there is a tremendous amount to be gained. It is well documented that a 200 horsepower industrial electric motor costs $10,000USD to purchase but over the course of its 20-year lifespan will consume $1,400,000.00USD in energy alone. Common breakdown cycles also plague the current breed of industrial machines, this industry is primed for a disruption. We envision transmitting wireless telemetry to our trend monitoring system to verify the energy savings per machine.

I hate to break it to you but the internet of things has already been invented. Remote telemetry of power consumption has been around for a long time also. What duty cycle are you using to calculate your savings? What does your power factor curve look like? What is the service factor? what insulation class are your motors rated at? Are your designs compatible with variable frequency drives?