Sutpid Question #108: Convert to hybrid?
Created May 10, 2005, at 12:13 pm by Anonymous
I love my car and I just paid it off (finally). Unfortunately - I'd much rather be driving a hybrid. Is there any way that a gasoline car can be converted into a hybrid?
I figure that there must be a think tank out there working on this problem right now, and wondering if anyone has any information on the work being done and the progress.
It seems like a great solution, if it can be done. I mean, hybrid sounds great but then there is the question of what to do with the billions, and billions of normal cars on the planet.
I too have daydreamed about a hybrid conversion... but with a twist.Maybe you've already seen internal combustion "pusher" trailers that enable electric vehicles to travel distances beyond their normal electric range.
But what about the reverse: an electric trailer for pushing a conventional internal combustion vehicle. It's something I've Googled high and low, but haven't seen anyone try (and, yes, maybe that speaks to the practicality of the idea).
I'm an aficionado of the often maligned but efficient Geo Metro. I'm sure a 10-15 hp electric motorized trailer, self contained with a batteries included, would suffice for propelling a car its size at low (i.e. suburban) speeds.
At least in my circumstance (I live in a small town), the range wouldn't even need to be that great. I'd be more than happy with 15-20 km.
And when not needed or wanted (e.g. highway trips, snowy winter conditions), it could be disconnected, thus avoiding the penalty of propelling around the added weight of the motor and batteries. It could also be shared between several vehicles in a household, and "follow" its owner who buys a different car.
Depending on the complexity of the design, charging could come from the grid (making it a PHEV trailer), off-grid, or through regeneration.
Of course the challenges are many: it would be suitable probably only for small cars; it would require an extra set of controls in the host vehicle (as do the EV pusher trailers); the driver would have to be comfortable maneuvering a vehicle/trailer combo.
It's not something I'm planning to undertake, although mainly for lack of finances and time than lack of interest or aptitude.
Thought I'd put it out there anyway.
I like the elecric pusher trailer concept to help double my fuel mileage. What do you see as the major drawbacks?
I like the elecric pusher trailer concept to help double my fuel mileage. What do you see as the major drawbacks?
I like the idea, however, having driven a pure EV for 3 year, I see the following issue with this: The pure EV meets over 95% of my normal driving needs, I only really needed my Internal Combustion Engine car (ICE) for occassional long trips. Therefore, I would see that the normal configuration should be the EV, the add-on for those other 5% of the times should be the ICE.
Here is a link to info how to convert regular car
to run not only on gas but also on water
www.e-bargainfinders.com/hybrid
The problem with a pusher trailer is the complexities it adds to the car, both in control of the motor and the difficulties it adds to maneuvering the car. I can't see this as being usable to the average driver who can barely handle the 3 controls a typical car has (brake, accelerator, steering wheel).
JB Straubel, the person who you link to is now the CTO of Tesla Motors. Tesla will soon be delivering their high performance Roadster pure electric car later this month. It should upset the entire automobile world.
Ditto, sometimes active ignorance and mistakes can turn out to be far more beneficial than inactive pessimissism, and I remember back 25-30 yrs. ago the toyota tercel was getting around 50 miles per gallon with a standard transmission, 40+ with auto., how far have we truley come?, also at the turn of the century, electric cars within city were daily lady drivers.
have you developed this idea further? did it prove successful?
well if you did your home work. you would know that yes you can and no it will not take "few thousand pounds of batteries." and no you will not need "(You'd need a new suspension, by the way.) there is a company in CA that will do all the work for you and even make your cars on bord computer work with it "if your car is new enuff" it can cost
look at the pages it will give you an idea about what it might cost!!!
i saw this place on History Channel series Modern Marvels.
www.hybridtechnologies.com
EAA-PHEV.org website (Electric Auto Association - Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
http://www.eaa-phev.org/wiki/Main_Page
(this one has Links to the Companies Offering Conversions)
How to Get a Plug-In Hybrid:
http://www.calcars.org/howtoget.html
this one tell you how to Convert Your Car to a Hybrid for $100 using water (not sure how it works but im going to try it soon)
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/convert-your-car-to-a-hy...
(this site tells all of you people on here being mean that yes it can be done)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle_conversion
this one has some good info on How To Convert Your Car To An Electric Vehicle
http://hybridliving.com.au/news/?p=6385
here is new on a company that will do a gas electric for you it takes 2 days and will cost $7.000
http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14966401/detail.html
have you perfected your plan and converted your saturn? i have a 1990 geo metro convertible that still get 32+ mpg. as the original owner i'd like to bring her into te 21st century by hybridizing her. low cost is important to me. wee you able to complete your project for the projected cost or did it cost more than you expected? i'm also very interested in incorporating photovoltaics into the mix and harnessing the sun to make y rise clean and inexpensive to run. i hope i can find a way to use the electric as main power and gas only when necessary. that would be ideal.
It's not a stupid question - it's an ignorant question. (And I mean that in the technical / nice way: Ignorance is curable, stupidity is forever.)
Yes, you could take the gasoline motor out of your car and put in an electric motor out of a forklift or a jet engine starter cart or whatever. And yes, you could take out your gas tank and put a few thousand pounds of batteries. (You'd need a new suspension, by the way.) And yes, you could put in a smaller gas engine and connect everything mechanically together to make it a "hybrid." But do you have the design capabilities and the construction capabilities and the installation capabilities to carry it off? And do you have the hundreds of thousands of dollars it would take if you don't have those capabilities and you have to hire somebody else? And do you have the time to do all that work?
Or would it be cheaper and easier to just buy a athybrid that somebody has already done all the work on?
This reminds me of the boating adage "If you want to build a boat, build a boat; if you want to go boating, buy a boat."
Converting a common gasoline powered vehicle to a hybrid by removing the existing motor and replacing it with a hybrid motor does not make good economic sense. Converting completely to electric is practical and well-documented, but present battery technology will limit the vehicle to a short-hop commuter car. However, I am working on an idea to add small electric motors/generators to the rear wheels of my front-wheel drive Saturn SW1. This will be for supplementary power only, but I think it might boost fuel economy from my present average of 36 MPG to possibly 50 MPG, and I think I can do it for a total parts cost of maybe $2000. In quantity, kits could be made which could be installed in less than a day. Two bonuses: four wheel drive and an emergency propulsion system if the gas engine dies.
Another point to mention in conversion, besides adding an electric engine & battery bank would be that the Hybrids are designed from the start to be economical in other ways. They're designed with better aerodynamic lines, lower rolling resistance tires, and gear boxes/computers that optimize rpms/fuel usage/power needs.
unless you're already a custom car builder and have the shop and the know-how, it's just not financially feasable to build one, compared to buying a stock hybrid car. Then if you did have the custom shop- it would be like the shoe-makers kids, you wouldn't have the time to take from paying work to do your private project.
I was thinking the same thing recently, too, then I saw an ad for a Civic DX that had a Civic VX (51 MPG) motor in it. That's only slightly worse mileage than a Prius.
http://tinyurl.com/aca7l
A reconditioned Civic VX motor costs about $1500, minus what they'd give you for your old motor (assume $300) - then add in labor.
I'm an idiot with mechanical things, so I don't know if other parts of the car would have to be modified to accomodate something like that. Perhaps someone here with that kind of knowledge can educate us about it.
You could also pick up a VX, a Civic CRX HF, or similar 50+ MPG vehicles pretty cheaply, though tuners are fond of the VX (which both drives up the prices and makes non-modified versions a little hard to find).
The only drawback with those motors is that their emissions will be worse than a SULEV.
Paul,
It is true what you say...
"It's not a stupid question" ..."Ignorance is curable, stupidity is forever."
Passion is another of those things that may just be forever if cynicism and sarcasm don't kill it! And as for ignorance: could that not be a mere matter of perspective - image not having all the details, a full grasp of all the relevant information. It would be terribly unfortunate if one were to berate others before understanding the complete situation
And as few steve (see Topic: Hybrid Conversions for older vehicles?), "~ time for a new car! besides, a new car carries newer safety elements, new smell, new technology in general."
Again, true steve - new safety features are great. New technology is what we are all trying to adopt here. New Smell? funny! but a REALLY good point - cars ARE more than the engine!
and here is the problem - some of us would love to see something other than the run-of-the-mill standard look-like-everyone-else product that drives off 99% of car lots.
Personally, I drive a 1957 MGA, a car of undoubted character (even if i do say so myself and i AM prepared to argue the point!) it is however a car whose days are number based on its original drive system.
and i can hear the arguement: "the dinosaurs died out for a reason." i would argue that the dinosaurs may have died out but here we are still talking about them - and if there was a jurassic park, who wouldn't want to drop in for a look!
the ultimate goal here is to save some history without retiring it to a museum. and if there is a way - could someone other than paul or steve let us know about it!
Of course we all want to preserve the cruising tradition and the character of classic automobiles. Cearly though, petrol products will be something to be collected as well. Frankly I don't like to think about fueling my 1920's model steam engine with a Mickey Mantle baseball card, so surely there must be another way.
An electric conversion can be done for as little as $2,000 in some cases. While regenerative braking and many of the other fine features that today's efficiently designed Hybrid cars offer are in many cases beyond the scope of any conversion, an electric system may be installed and a generator may be included in the installation.
Granted such a conversion is wholly unexplored and simply put, due for some Frankensteinian complications I'm sure, however, let not the Nay-Sayers say Ne! Many electric conversion owners have supplemented their vehicles with solar panels, and a petrol powered generator is along very similar lines. Just keep in mind that you may have to sacrafice the rumble seat.
you don't have to have a high tech. shop to work on new things. You just have to be the shade tree worker of to day. All you have to do is some reserch and thinking and it could take you to the new thing of today. people that want to convert there gas cars to hybrids don't want the new look, or the high econmcal valus, they just want to be abl to drive there once new age car of yesterday. Me I drive a 82 elcamno, there is nothing like it out now. that is why I like it. I am just a guy with 2 years of auto. tech. and a open mind. I am just trying to figure out a why I can drive my own littel peice of history.
So, all of you that say that it can't be done cost effetavly keep a open eye and mind out for me. I will do it. Just so that I can drive my "dinasor"
If you have a BSEE degree then building a hybrid car is a piece of cake.. ( I am going for my BSEE degree).
Paul sounds like a lobbyist for the hybrid car manufacturers. Adding smaller motors to a gasoline powered car to augment its power shouldn't take "thousands of pounds" of batteries. Not even fully electric cars require that much weight in batteries. There should be a system that combines both batteries and lighter super capacitors and required controllers to augment a gasoline engine without costing "hundreds of thousands of dollars" or "thousands of pounds of weight". Hell, I'll build one. Anyone want to help?
Sure. I'd help you build one. Actually I'd really love to drive my '80 dodge pickup more, but sadly with todays rising gas prices not to mention the enviromental impact of driving such a titan....
it's hard for me to anymore.
It'd kick a lot of asses if I could do something to get it from the bottom-of-the-barrel 20 some odd mpg to more like 35 or 40.
and NO! I just couldn't stand to sacrifice that beautiful engine's purr....
there is also a relatively cheap conversion to a 'wood burning' engine. wood pellets are a lot cheaper than gasoline.
I understand it doesnt actually require you to "convert" your gasoline engine, you can rig a switch to run on either fuel.
It requires a litlle research and a lot of elbow grease. THe 1st post that said, 'it would costs hundreds of thousands of dollars', baloney. But few of us actually have the wrenching skill to make it work, and look good.
I don't want to discourage you.
W's new energy bill is giving tax credits to hybrid automobile owners, so there is further incentive.
not an engineer or anything but just wondering if my idea has merit.
Electric mopeds and scooters often make use of wheel hub motors which are apparently highly efficient. Wouldnt it be possible to put hub motors, or simply place an in line electric motor, on each of the front wheels. Replace the alternator with a high amperage unit and these front wheel motors could provide a substantial amount of thrust lowering fuel consumption. The systems doesnt need batteries but if you want to be able to use your vehicle in all electric mode some batteries and control circuits and it may be possible? seems to me once the starter battery is charged up again most of the alternator capacity is just being waste, why not put it back to work?
battery only is purely speculation, but electric front wheel assist could be as simple as swapping your front wheels and a new alternator ie. a few hours and only a few thousand dollars (aprox $2000).
any probs i cant see?
You would still need to upgrade the batteries because whatever electricity you drain from the alternator comes as resistance to the engine trying to spin it, and unfortunately nothing is 100% efficient.
I have been considering designing and building a hybrid myself. I have a firebird that I just can't part with. I would convert it to fully electric except for the range problems. What I was thinking was building an electric vehicle with a small motor for the sole purpose of charging the battery system. At cruising speed an EV only uses about 40 KW of power, so I think it might work. Also, a gas engine is very efficient if run at a high constant RPM while an electic motor is very efficient at lower rpm. So, by running both motors at their peak efficiency, you should be able to increase gas mileage. Also, if you added a charging capability to the battery system, you wouldn't need the gas engine except on long trips when your batteries completely discharged. If anyone is interested, I am willing to collaborate on designe ideas. I am a software engineer, so I may be able to offer assistance in designing/programming the electronics.
Re: Hybrid gas electric scooter
Posted this at another forum but the thread was old and never got a reply, thought this seemed a promising thread to try again on.
I really want to get away from the car because for so much of my commuting it just seems excessive. The australian government in all their infinite wisdom put a blanket ban on any electric powered bike or scooter with more than 200 watt motors. I used to ride almost everywhere i went in Melbourne, but ive moved to Hobart which is a lot hillier. Im seriously considering an electric scooter/moped. One of the great things is here in tassie over 90% of our electricity is renewable (hydro + Wind). There is one thing i wouldnt mind some advice on. My (small) problem with electric scooter/mopeds is that for the couple of longer trips i do a year they dont really yet provide much range. Ive been mulling over the possibility of getting a very small generator and adapting it so for longer trips it snaps on in place of the luggage box behind the driver. this could then be coupled with the batteries and act as a range extender? kind of a plug in hybrid scooter if you will. Your advice is greatly appreciated.
sorry its not a ban, its just that any electric "bike" with under 200 watts power does not need to be registered. Over 200 needs to be registered as a motorbike and can only be ridden with a motorbike license. For me this isnt a deal breaker as im considering a gas moped anyay. But this change has seriously impacted the market for electric assist transport in australia. it was a knee jerk reaction to a glut of poweful harley mini "monkey" bikes last christmas that were causing many problems on the road. legitimate electric bike dealers just get the blow on effect, however with our gas pices here now equating to something over $4 a gallon im sure the demand will be there soon and sensible regulation will hopefully follow.
I have thought about using a golf cart motor or an etek and an electric clutch to ad power at the tranny end of the driveshaft on my Chevy Tracker. It would save gas while accelerating and allow me to creep forward in stop and go traffic without using the clutch.
David Arthur built a hybrid in the 70's using the starter motor from a jet. In 1993 he built a diesl version using a 9 hp diesel. Got great milage, parts cost $1500 to $2000 depending on how well you srcounged. All this is availiable at Mother Earth news. Others have bought his plans and built hybrids. Plans are $25 at MOE, but they are for the 1970 ish version not the diesel. I'm looking for newer plans and that's how I googled here.
There is also the possibility of attaching an electrical charging system on the PTO gear of most modern trucks and possibly some older models.
The electrical charging system could energize a bank of new lithiumion batteries which are more efficient, much lighter and soon very possibly much less expensive than the specialized lithiumions for computers at this point.
It would then require a system that enabled your ignition,powersteering, etc to function under the electrical add on system as well as electric motors connected to the specified wheels.
There has also been experimentation on series cylindering firing. It requires a computer source (possibly a laptop connected to the electrical distribution in lue of a mass manufactured system) to control the firing of the cylinders so that a vehicle only used the series of cylinders required for a range of RPM useage, i.e. 2 cylinders firing for startup, idyl and slow acceleration, then 4 for lower to higher speeds depending on engine size, 6 for mid to higher range, etc.
Anything is possible and the facts are, we have millions of cars on the road. We need solutions for these vehicles. Not everyone can afford a 20 thousand dollar plus vehicle, especially those that can barely afford the horrendous gas prices that will only get worse.
Other options are the bio-diesel as most of you are familiar with. There is also the possibility in the near future of a bio-gasoline, one possible configuration is of a a pure ethanol mixed with a configuration of bio-diesel so that the surface tension will allow not only combustion but decent milage as well. Ethanol and alchohol type combustables allow for hot fast burn, but does not allow for long term burn, but the addition of a "solvent" that lubricates engine seals/gaskets would also allow longer burning times.
This primise is shown on an elementary level at the gas station when a knowledgable driver that pulls into a station with no diesel simply fills his tank with gas and as he does so adds a couple of quarts of oil for librication and firing consistancy. In an emergency this works.
So, in a similar situation experiments are being conducted with the above mentioned environmentally responsible combustibles and the possible additions of bio solvents for proper burn and lubrication.
We are the innovators. Anyone that can imagine can create.
We have come to believe we have to wait for someone else to do the work and then pay THEM for their ideas.
Anyone can invent.
Here is some titilating news about electric Hybrid Conversions. Go To www.sigmaautomotive.com then click on their Electrocharger Link. I think this will give some insight to those people who want to pollute less, but still need to pull a small camper trailer for weekend outings. The electrocharger is a reasonable alternative to really bad fuel economy. And think about this, what if you could install a drive axle under the triailer and an Electrocharger to that drive axle?
I bought my first set of plans for a "hybrid conversion" in 1972 (I think?) from Mother Earth News. Came will a complete parts list and engineering drawings, and was based on an Opel GT 350. It used a jet starter motor, the factory transmission, a battery pack, generator, and a Briggs&Stratton motor.
The same person did a Toyota 4wd pickup truck in 1993. This version replaced the Briggs "gas banger" with a small diesel motor to drive the generator when needed, and more efficient batteries than were available for the Opel.
Both articles are available on their website.
Jim
I can't help but think how far behind we would be in computer technology if some of our reply authors were in charge of bringing microcomputers to the masses. If Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak took such a pessimistic view where would they be, probably bagging groceries or some other mundane occupation. Maybe, just maybe a few folks could get together and find the best car to convert, the best motor, the best internal combustion engine, etc. and come up with a kit or a set of instructions that made wonderful sense. Maybe we could tap some good old American synergy for the betterment of all.
Reply to Bill Jones: You're right about applying our ingenuity. But there *are* people out there working on hybrid vehicles, some with small projects -- check out http://www.futuretruck.com for an example of a University competition. Small teams, big results.
But with something this complex it does require a team. Hopefully Dennis, who thinks it will be a piece of cake once he has his BSEE degree, will learn better and team up with at least a mechanical engineer who knows how to design and specify powertrain components! Both skills are equally important.
So for a real working plan, think about an Open Source Hybrid Vehicle project. Dozens or hundreds of experts could contribute. For examples look to the Linux operating system or the Megasquirt fuel injector controller.
Not so "sutpid" a question. check out www.21ponies.com
he did just what you'd like to do and has a dvd to prove it. tell him pk sent ya.
Hello all -
I too have daydreamed about a hybrid conversion... but with a twist.
Maybe you've already seen internal combustion "pusher" trailers that enable electric vehicles to travel distances beyond their normal electric range.
But what about the reverse: an electric trailer for pushing a conventional internal combustion vehicle. It's something I've Googled high and low, but haven't seen anyone try (and, yes, maybe that speaks to the practicality of the idea).
I'm an aficionado of the often maligned but efficient Geo Metro. I'm sure a 10-15 hp electric motorized trailer, self contained with a batteries included, would suffice for propelling a car its size at low (i.e. suburban) speeds.
At least in my circumstance (I live in a small town), the range wouldn't even need to be that great. I'd be more than happy with 15-20 km.
And when not needed or wanted (e.g. highway trips, snowy winter conditions), it could be disconnected, thus avoiding the penalty of propelling around the added weight of the motor and batteries. It could also be shared between several vehicles in a household, and "follow" its owner who buys a different car.
Depending on the complexity of the design, charging could come from the grid (making it a PHEV trailer), off-grid, or through regeneration.
Of course the challenges are many: it would be suitable probably only for small cars; it would require an extra set of controls in the host vehicle (as do the EV pusher trailers); the driver would have to be comfortable maneuvering a vehicle/trailer combo.
It's not something I'm planning to undertake, although mainly for lack of finances and time than lack of interest or aptitude.
Thought I'd put it out there anyway.
Darin
A few years back I had a "Nuts and Volts" issue that had details on converting a Volkswagon rabbit to either hybrid or all electric. I can't remember but I seem to recall the article spanning several issues. I could try to dig it up...
It might be easier to find here on line.
Hi I like to kwon where i can get the information on how i can convert ny truck into a hybrid, ny e-mail address is , i would apprecated this information as soon as possible, Thank you.
also looking at converting y 19994 geo metro to gas/ec;ectric hybrid-the idea being to have the current alternator charge the batteries for as long as needed to recherge vehicle and run elctric motor through 21 speed gear set as it has now been preoven that todays ne 6 speed automatic transmissions get better gas mileage than the tradional 4 speeds as torque requiremets are less due to closer gear tolrenaces--of course this may mean the batteries may be out of commision while charging for awhile once depleted-i work in the industry and have a bs degree in automotive engineering technoloy-i think u guys have some great ideas and woulkd like to expand on them . i welcome your feedback. thanks
if anyone is ignorant it's you!!! most people are looking for a kit that is already designed and just needs to be installed. forgive me for being dumb but i'm not stupid the hybrid on the market are expensive , and designed to save fuel but not any money and in 3 to5 years when the batters go bad oh!!! that will cost you say 10 to 15 k to replace or they will be out dated and not worth changing also by the way remember bill clinton he gave the big three about three billion dollar about fifteen years ago to develope eletric cars and g.m.'s truck is a real peace of work when cars were first developed gas was a waste byproduct. 70% of the earth is covered by water and the only reason we're not useing it is because they can't figure out how to charge use three bucks a gallon for it... well thats the end of my rant paul have a nice day Dan
Dan, I just figured out that your rant is a reply to my message of last May 11! I would love to buy and install a pre-assembled kit - but it's not there.
Theoretically, it may be possible to have an inline electric motor in the drive shaft for rear wheel drive. This would allow ev mode, battery charging, and ev assist: everything you would expect from a hybrid.
However, you'll need batteries, some electrical stuff, and a computer to run it. If you're going to go that far, you may as well add a regenerative brake system.
If you have a well equiped shop, you're mechanically mided, can program the interaction between the gas and electric motor, and have alot of time on your hands you may be able to accomplish this for under $4000.
note: These are ramblings from the top of my head, take the figures with a grain of salt.
You guys may find my in progress in adding an electricly driven 5th wheel to my Honda Insight interesting.
I have added a 48V booster battery that increases the on board battery capacity as well to allow the MIMA equipped Insight to get some pretty good MPG numbers.
A blog about this modification is at:
http://99mpg.com/TheBestHybridmix/
The thing that is interesting about the 5th wheel, is that it could be made to fit most any car, and doed not involve trying to interface to the rear wheels.
The plan is to only use it to accelerate from a stop to say 25-30 MPH, via pure electric, to avoid the big MPG hit with each acceleration.
I want to convert my 2005 Peterbilt conventional to a hybrid. Will the Prius engine fit where my Cummins 450 hp diesel sets?
Yes the prius engine will fit in there. And with the extra room you can store your pony in the engine compartment as well during trips. Just make sure he has hay for the trip because its going to be a long one!
Yes, there are "little guys" working on this!
I am one. I have a few buddies helping me so we may accomplish something.
I am a car guy with fabrication skills, one friend has 25 years thermoplastic and composite experience, another is a heavy equipt. mechanic and one owns a restaurant.
We have already built a test hybrid that will cover about 45 miles as full electric before we need to switch it back to gas engine. Used as a pizza delivery vehicle!
No on board charging system yet but local university students are working on several VERY inovative
"bolt on" designs for us.
Electric unit is nearly bolt on and recharges overnight.
I started with an old electric luggage tram from the airport and a NiMh battery pack from a muncipal auction.
It is amazing how many of us are out there.
Since a few people learned of our odd hobby I have been approached with electric power steering designs, offers for free and cheap parts...diesel engines, vegetable oil for making biodiesel..
Local solar home system guy even designed a solar garage for it that will also power my house!
Current budget expences are less that $2000 and we have a street legal car that we took on a 300 mile trip round trip with a 7 hour charge at 150 miles.
Calculated average was 67 mpg on a car that had got 36 mpg before we electrified it.
We did this for fun and to see if we could.
If the right deal appears, we may try hub motors,
electric lawn mower, whatever!
To all the naysayers out there.....Shut up!! I'm having fun!
Bruce
that's what i'm talkin' about! conversions would be great! i'm just hacked off at the crappy selections of hybrids and the (relatively) high prices. i just bought a toyota tacoma and, while the fuel efficiency is pretty decent, i'm getting clobbered at the pump. most of my miles are highway anyway, seems like it shouldn't be too hard to add some sort of electric cruising motor to the little guy and kill some of that gas bill! i love my manual tranny and the truck bed for moving awkwardly sized items... there's not a hybrid on the market that fits my pocketbook and my lifestyle. a conversion for highway use would be enough for me and for a lot of people.
i converted a gas to electric car a couple of years ago using 1880s technology.
basically it had a general electric 30 horse power dc motor and sixteen golf cart batteries from sams club. the only techie thing about it was a curtis speed controller (for smooth accelleration). as primitive as that car was it did 50 mph with a range of 50 miles. it was good for commuting but you would need a second car for long trips. i say if you want a green car go all electric
I have an old car, a 1963 Studebaker Golden Hawk Gran Turismo. I would like for it to be converted to a hybrid car. I do NOT want to do my own work. I would like the final product to be a reliable car, with service more or less available. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Does anyone -- anywhere -- do work like that? I just read somewhere on this site that lithium batteries, when they are perfected, will be lighter. Would that make a difference for a car like mine? If no one does this kind of conversion now, will someone be doing it in the future?
I too have daydreamed about a hybrid conversion... but with a twist.
Maybe you've already seen internal combustion "pusher" trailers that enable electric vehicles to travel distances beyond their normal electric range.
But what about the reverse: an electric trailer for pushing a conventional internal combustion vehicle. It's something I've Googled high and low, but haven't seen anyone try (and, yes, maybe that speaks to the practicality of the idea).
I'm an aficionado of the often maligned but efficient Geo Metro. I'm sure a 10-15 hp electric motorized trailer, self contained with a batteries included, would suffice for propelling a car its size at low (i.e. suburban) speeds.
At least in my circumstance (I live in a small town), the range wouldn't even need to be that great. I'd be more than happy with 15-20 km.
And when not needed or wanted (e.g. highway trips, snowy winter conditions), it could be disconnected, thus avoiding the penalty of propelling around the added weight of the motor and batteries. It could also be shared between several vehicles in a household, and "follow" its owner who buys a different car.
Depending on the complexity of the design, charging could come from the grid (making it a PHEV trailer), off-grid, or through regeneration.
Of course the challenges are many: it would be suitable probably only for small cars; it would require an extra set of controls in the host vehicle (as do the EV pusher trailers); the driver would have to be comfortable maneuvering a vehicle/trailer combo.
It's not something I'm planning to undertake, although mainly for lack of finances and time than lack of interest or aptitude.
Thought I'd put it out there anyway.
Darin
I like the elecric pusher trailer concept to help double my fuel mileage. What do you see as the major drawbacks?