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I've thought about both these options. The series hybrid or ghetto volt (EV with a generator mounted somewhere) and the parallel drive idea.
Both have their advantages. The series hybrid is simple and would work great when extended range is rarely needed. I think a gas gennie would work best as power to weight ratios are important.
The parallel hybrid would be cool as well. The simplest way to go would be with a vehicle that has AWD as an option. Most of the small SUVs fit this description. That way you get one with FWD and go to the boneyard for rear drive parts from an AWD version.
Of course, these vehicles aren't the lightest out there, so going with a lighter FWD rig would probably be better. It would just require some fairly decent fabricating skills for the electric rear axle.
I really think this parallel idea should be done by automakers. Someone with a lot of AWD experience like subaru would be perfect. I believe such an AWD system would be more efficient than a traditional AWD system.
I also think ther could be a market for a well done kit which could be installed on existing FWD cars, giving them the advantages of AWD and hybrid economy.
For batteries, I think NiMh might be the way to go. Lead acid is cheap, but, so damn heavy. I think NiMh gives the best bang for the buck regarding weight/cost.
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