http://www.innas.com/Assets/files/Hydrid%20brochure.pdf
Here is a series hybrid that beats them all, especially if you consider the vehicle they started with.
Hydraulic accumulator-up to 99% efficient
hydraulic motors-up to 95% efficient
Engine-pump-accumulator-wheel drive
Regeneration
wheel drive-accumulator-wheel drive
The key component is the wheel drive. It needs to be 95+% efficient. Most hydraulic motors loose a lot of efficiency when they run at higher speeds. This is why the motor needs to be in the wheel itself.
My design allows infinite variations in displacement in the wheel drive itself. The linked design requires a transformer to control flow and pressure to the wheel drives. Mine requires no transformer, and replaces the friction brakes on an equal weight basis.
In doing so it eliminates all the rest of the power train components.
Power from the engine to pump--- 95% out of the pump---99% out of the accumulator---95% at the tire.
That's 89.3475% of the engine power to the wheel.
Regeneration
Wheel motor 95%---accumulator 99%----wheel motor 95%.
That's also 89.3475% regeneration efficiency
Now you can run the engine at only it's best BSFC, because you are using it to charge the accumulator in every mode of operation, except when you are climbing a sustained grade that would deplete the accumulator.
Take your conventional vehicle and throw away.
Induction system
Transmission
axles
brakes
differential
Starting system
Propeller shaft
Use that weight saved to install an accumulator that allows you one 0-70 acceleration event. The size depends on the weight of the vehicle, but in every case it would be less than what you no longer need, listed above.
The engine starts by using hydraulic pressure from the accumulator. It shuts off when the accumulator reserve is topped off. It starts up when accumulator pressure is at a predetermined minimum that is driver adjustable.
The "engine" could be any form or design that gives you hydraulic pressure.
Electric
Steam
Diesel
Gas
It doesn't matter how you get the pressure as long as you have pressure.
The amount of energy required to stop from 70-0 will run your car almost a mile at 60 MPH. That is all the reserve you need.
In the linked design over the European test cycle, the engine only ran 11.9% of the time the vehicle was moving through the cycle, and only at its vest BSFC range.
Want a big honking engine, I don't care, it would just run for a smaller percentage of the time. Smaller engine, again I don't care, it just runs a longer percentage of the time.
The EPA estimated that fuel consumption could be improved by 80% through power train improvements alone. The INNAS design gives a 100% improvement with the same engine, in the same vehicle, through the same test cycle.
Instead we hypermile cars to do exactly the same thing the INNAS design does without any more driver input than the normal person driving normally.
Make the car hypermile itself.
Every out of system improvement:
Better aero
Lower rolling resistance
Weight reduction
Makes the engine run less to go the same distance and directly improves fuel efficiency.
Pop was a computer systems analyst beginning in 1960. He always told me to blame the system not the people. We all know people will always be the weak link in efficiency. When we make cars "people proof" by making them self hypermiling, we have solved the problem.
The biggest problem I see is that when we do make cars self hypermiling, then we will have to find another obsession!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Two power modules, one pure electric, one pure IC. Switch them when you need to take a road trip, or travel further than your electric only range.
One car does both jobs. When battery technology gets better you use the battery nodule more and the engine module less.
regards
Mech