Revolo

Key takeaways

Revolo belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Revolo to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Revolo from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Revolo is a plug-in parallel hybrid technology that can be retrofitted in both existing and new cars. This technology can also be used in buses and trucks. The technology was developed by KPIT Technologies and the product will be manufactured through a joint venture between Bharat Forge and KPIT. As part of the joint venture, KPIT will license the hybrid technology while Bharat Forge will provide manufacturing, assembly, and integration. Pre-compliance tests conducted at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI), Pune have confirmed that the technology provides fuel efficiency improvements by over 40 percent and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by over 30%. The technology is to be marketed to OEMs and individual vehicle owners through a network of dealerships.

Background

Planning and concept The idea of Revolo first occurred to Tejas Kshatriya in 2008 when he was stuck in Mumbai traffic en route to Pune. KPIT sanctioned a team of four engineers for the project, which was kept separate from CREST, the research and development center at KPIT. It took 2 years of research and a budget under US$2 million to evolve the idea through trial and error and several failures, including the inability of the system to withstand a sudden surge in power when brakes were applied. The research and development team studied the firing pattern of internal combustion engines and identified the weak spots that lead to fuel waste and created a technology that can convert a passenger car to a hybrid that is environmentally friendly, cheap, fuel-efficient, and at the same time offers good performance. Revolo is designed to work in typical stop-and-go city traffic and allows cars to cruise at about 30 km/h in the third gear without straining the engine.

Latest developments KPIT continues the road tests of pilot vehicles as well as consumer trials with results so far having validated the pre-announced performance results. The team has further reduced the overall weight of the solution, improved its durability, and standardized many components across multiple vehicle platforms. Construction at the assembly and manufacturing plants continues. It is expected to be operational by March 2014. The company will test various vehicles, including passenger cars, with engine sizes between 800 ccs and 2,500 ccs. Production of limited hybrid kits is planned to start by the first half of 2012. The commercial production would begin in 2012–13.

Technology

Revolo technology details The Revolo kit is similar to a retrofit compressed natural gas (CNG) kit which contains all required mechanical and electrical components in the package. The kit can be installed in both petrol and diesel vehicles within 4–6 hours by trained technicians who will be trained by a joint venture that KPIT has formed with Bharat Forge. The Revolo kit comprises a 7.5 to 10 horsepower electric motor developed and patented by KPIT, an electronic motor controller, lead–acid battery pack, mechanical assembly, and coupling, proprietary software for control algorithms of the motor and batteries, and battery management system. As a parallel hybrid, the motor and engine will work simultaneously and as a plug-in, the vehicle can be charged through a standard external electricity source such as a domestic power outlet. Unlike an electric vehicle, the vehicle will operate as a conventional fuel vehicle even if the batteries are completely drained.

Plug-in parallel hybrid conversion kit The conversion kit is a lot less complex and light in weight in the context of the moving engine components which effectively enhances the fuel efficiency to twice as compared to existing solutions. Battery specifications: The solution is battery agnostic. It can be adapted to work with various types of batteries such as lead–acid batteries or Lithium-ion batteries. The solution typically produces 60 volts from five valve-regulated, lead–acid batteries, and can be recharged from the standard Indian household current of 230 volts in 4 to 6 hours. Revolo also consists of an in-built device that recognizes driving patterns and self-adjusts them to provide optimum efficiency in stop-and-go traffic situations.

Pricing Revolo is said to be 80 percent cheaper as compared to the after-market hybrid car kits available in the United States which cost around US$20,000. It can be retrofitted into any vehicle at an average cost of Rs. 100,000.

References

External links Revolo Website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Revolo

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Revolo claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Revolo before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Revolo ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Revolo

In research: Revolo appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Revolo in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Revolo is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electric vehicle organizations, Joint ventures, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Revolo outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Revolo in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Revolo means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Revolo out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Revolo in simple terms?

Revolo is a plug-in parallel hybrid technology that can be retrofitted in both existing and new cars. This technology can also be used in buses and trucks.

Why does Revolo matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Revolo?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Revolo.