Hold up a minute before you start typing all sorts of hate in the comments, because I’d never ask BangShift readers to design the next Prius. No, we are far and away above that. The goal for today’s Question Of The Day is to tap into the knowledge base of a group of hot-rodders, engineers and creative types to out-do the green weenies who swear that driving a car shaped like a suppository is the only way to save the planet. We know the Tesla is a wicked unit of a car, but building those battery packs probably offsets the benefits of the all-electric rocket. Is there another way? The folks at Jalopnik dug up a curious little vehicle I’d never heard about before, and I think that in a way, it’s got a good answer to the problem.
Meet the 1980 Briggs and Stratton Hybrid concept car. Interesting little creation, isn’t it? It’s like an AMC Pacer and a Fox-body LTD had a bastard love child. But in this mish-mash of 1980s looks is an interesting powertrain: a 694cc flat-twin gas engine hooked up to an electrical generator that, combined with the go-kart engine, gave the odd little car about 20 horsepower when both engines were providing power. 50 miles an hour was it’s top speed (yikes) and the rear tandem axle set was needed: the front axle was a driver, and together with the tag axle formed a support for 1,000 pounds of batteries. For 1980, it’s not bad at all, but in 2016 this thing is an overgrown Power Wheels.
But think about this: the basic premise works in large scale…it’s how locomotives work. One engine creates power, and an electric motor provides propulsion. Ford’s 2.3L EcoBoost four-cylinder would make a decent size generator engine and would still be fuel efficient enough to make a difference when hooked to an electrical generator. Could that system work in a people-mover like the Expedition, for example? What’s your take, BangShifters?
3 cylinder diesel engine powering a generator to recharge the batteries batteries
done deal
perkins 400ep
TDI + DSG in the front
EV Motor in rear. batteries low and centered.
Both setup transverse. Should net 60+mpg in most any car and have plenty of power/tq to keep up in traffic. Now if we could just get those to run autonomously…
Pretty impressive for 1980, but that looks like a crazy amount of unsprung weight! Here’s the formula I would use.
Under the hood, a genset with a boosted Kubota three cylinder diesel. This would charge two energy storage banks, a set of Li-Ion batteries for cruising and a set of ultracapacitors for short bursts of acceleration. It would use two traction motors, a small-ish railroad traction motor at the rear (I doubt something off a TGV or Shinkansen would fit, but a motor meant for subway applications might be OK) and a Nissan Leaf sized traction motor up front.
Enormous high pressure(3500-5000 psi) carbon fiber air tank used as central spine of vehicle with suspension bulkheads mounted directly to it. Engine that will run on gas/diesel/liquid schwartz or compressed air to the drive wheels and can be decoupled to charge air tank (with high pressure pump) independently when running on petrol. Plus air ride (of course) so you can lay it out like a Cholo.
Try this:
https://www.motherearthnews.com/store/product/hybrid-car-blueprint
\”Internet-fact\” alert, I think that Briggs and Stratton was a mid-drive, not front-wheel drive.
As soon as you use compressed air as a power source for anything, overall efficiency goes down to a fraction.
Have a small diesel motor run at a continuous output and batteries/electric motor for the varying output requirements, plus use regenerative braking, then keep weight down by all possible means including lightest-possible construction and two-seat capacity only (one look at an L.A. freeway during the day shows that most of car commuting miles could get by with only one seat), and finally have people accept 50mph for commuting to discourage long-distance home/work choices and in light of the fact that 45 is a lot better than the 15mph you\’ll be averaging on the 91 East in the afternoon.
Devote the HOV lanes to these ultra-lightweight cars then, to keep them from having to mix with traditional larger vehicles.
Finally, base most registration and insurance costs on drivers not vehicles, so that you could have a big truck for when you need it, a sports/musclecar for when you want it, but a tiny car for stupid commuting without having to pay a penalty for multiple cars. As it is, people who choose not to pay for more than one vehicle have to just use the biggest least-efficient one, all the time.
Every day, everywhere, all day…millions of cars all going this way while about the same amount go the other way, and all sucking down fuel and blowing out emissions…it\’s just the dumbest thing. Don\’t hate me, it\’s just common sense. Leave some gas for your grandkids.
Whoops I mis-interpreted the front-driver part…writer meant, front of the tandem set.
Yes efficiency goes down. Think of a total system for the home that is wind powered has in-ground tanks. Increase effciency by reclaiming energy from compression and expansion cycle. Heat from the compression cycle could supplement hot water tanks, furnace, pool, ect. Cold from Expansion cycle – freezer, fridge, A/C, meat locker. Store excess hot and cold in insulated tanks. Oh ya fill up your car while you at it. All the tech is availble right now.
Sorry should of prefaced that post. It was a response to my first post about an air powered hybrid. I am pointing out that air is free and being stored it doesn’t wear out the same as batteries and has the byproduct of extreme hot and cold. Plus you can use the air pressure to power generator for electricity and the air to power all sorts of things. I should of proof read it to.
Large tank of gasoline, ANY electric vehicle, and Zippo lighter……
Come on guys – this is Chevy Hatin’ Mad Geordie lookin’ at you and with Herr Trump denying climate change come this time next year there won’t be diddly squat EVs of any kind in the good ol’ USA!
Older one ton pickup. 4 cylinder diesel (80’s vintage VW maybe?) hooked to a generator converted to run on vegetable oil. Large secondary tank in the bed. Bank of batteries in the bottom of the bed. Electric motors driving rear wheels.
An all wheel drive Hybrid. Front wheels are a weak and efficient gas engine with a MANUAL transmission. Rear wheels are powered with an pair of electric motors to allow independent operation for better cornering. Plug in capable.
One of those smaller Tesla electric motors out front and a LS4 out back.
So 150ish HP out front and 350ish HP out back.
Put it in a GM A body looking platform.