WEBVTT

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I’m Andreas Deschka. I am studying mechanical engineering

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at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts.

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My name is Alexej Tkacenko. I’m studying a mechanical engineering

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at Faculty Two at Hanover University, currently in my sixth semester.

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The initial idea was to turn a regular car into an electric car.

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We wanted to replace the combustion engine with  an electric engine. 

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The goal was  to create a purely electrically driven car 

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which could be driven in normal traffic without any problems.

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First we had to find a suitable car to convert.

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We opted for the VW T3, as it provides enough room for 34 batteries.

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The van meets our space requirements. The electric motor and power electronics

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can be easily and safely fitted into the engine compartment.

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That’s why the T3 was the perfect choice.

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The project has been running for 4 semesters now.

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We started on a half-finished car handed down by previous teams.

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Many components were already on site, some of them even installed.

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The first challenge was getting acquainted with the project’s current

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status which is crucial in the installation phase.

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Another challenge was integrating all these components in the van to ensure

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it had a purely electrical drive and was properly running on electrical power.

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Professor Gusig and my company are the founding fathers of this project.

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I was just curious to find out how complex the topic of electric mobility really is.

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He approached us, asking if it was possible to turn a

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combustion engine vehicle into an electric car.

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This is definitely an exceptional project.

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It challenges students to put their knowledge into practice on a vehicle

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in an expensive project and to just give it a try. 

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We’ve come a great deal closer to our goal.

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We’ve managed to run the van solely on electric power.

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Yes, it’s amazing. I’ve got an old VW van, myself.

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This new electric drive is definitely faster than my old diesel engine. It’s quite speedy.

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Currently, it’s still equipped with a small 44kW motor that provides sufficient acceleration

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on this parking lot to ensure we’re not holding up traffic.

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Driving the van on the streets was fun.

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It’s great to know that the project will be continued successfully.

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Most components have been installed by now,

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even if to some extent only in a makeshift manner.

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The next step is getting a road approval. So our challenge

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is making this van safe and technically sound.

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I’m really proud of the students’ accomplishments.

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Achieving this objective is a big deal. We weren’t sure

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it would actually work out. But I’m glad that it did.