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The SIM-Drive Corporation (headquarters: Shinkawasaki, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki-Shi) establishes joint development projects for the mass production of electric vehicles (EV) using their vast experience and accomplishments in EV research. Hiroshi Shimizu, the pioneer of EV development in Japan as the Professor in Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University, heads the research and development as the Chairman of the SIM-Drive Corporation, a venture company. Osamu Shimizu from the In-Wheel Motor Propulsion Development Division related to the development of motors for electric vehicles discusses the current trends of EV development and how the SIM-Drive Corporation uses JMAG.
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Unique Open Source Development System
- The SIM-Drive Corporation is known for furthering the development of electric vehicles as its business model. How does this business model work?
Mr. Shimizu
Hiroshi Shimizu, a Keio University Professor and Chairman of the SIM-Drive Corporation, has made it our mission to provide the best technology and information for electric vehicles based on more than 30 years of knowledge and research for electric vehicles to related industries at the lowest possible price. We use an open source method to achieve this goal.
In other words, we establish joint development partnerships for a fee of 20 million yen for each development project we undertake for new electric vehicles. Our joint partners can be involved in all aspects of prototyping for the project and we provide the specifications, basic plans, and official copies of the testing results after the vehicle development is complete. Our joint partners are able to reduce their lead time and have access to the latest technology while we can devote ourselves to the technological development of electric vehicles.
34 companies and organizations invested and participated in our Advanced Development Project 1 that started in December 2010. Our first vehicle was completed in March 2011. Our second Advanced Development Project started in January 2011 with the support of 34 companies and organizations.
- What is Professor Shimizu's development philosophy and what points of technological development does he focus on?
Mr. Shimizu
The name SIM-Drive comes from the first letter of each word in the phrase "Shimizu In Wheel Motor-Drive." SIM-Drive includes all of the components and technology revolutionized for electric vehicles that have been developed by Professor Shimizu. More specifically, the SIM-Drive Corporation researches and develops drive systems composed of high performance in wheel motors, inverters, and batteries for component built-in frames. These technologies are not only limited to ground up models developed from scratched, but also focused on technology that can be applied to existing vehicles. The electric vehicles using components approved by SIM-Drive are identified as by SIM-Drive or platform by SIM-Drive.
The Advanced Development Project 1 that used this type of drive technology ran for 333 km on a single charge, which cleared our goal of cruising more than 300 km (JC08 mode = standard driving in a city for Japan). The capacity of the batteries that are used is almost the same as the capacity of the batteries used in EV on the market today, 24.9 kwh,. The AC electric power consumption of 77 Wh/km (watt hour/km) is equal to 1 litter of gasoline consumption, which corresponds to the energy consumed to run 70 km.
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