|
elhigh- you said EXACTLY what I neglected to mention. It would be my plan to have the diesel engine power the batteries ONLY, and never actually use the engine to move the vehicle. My thoughts on the efficiency are from experience...I used to work at a heavy diesel shop that rented excavators, bulldozers, etc. Now these machines get fantastic fuel economy. Not by how many MPG, but they are rated at gallons per hour, or liters per hour. And the engines are always being at WOT, and they move the hydraulic fluid, which actually operates the machines. So instead of moving hydraulic fluid, I am thinking of using the engine to keep batteries charged, which THEY would operate a car.
Its actually an easy setup to DIY. The only part I'm not experienced with is the electric motors, and controllers. Not really sure how to incorporate that into a vehicle, but I'm thinking of starting this as soon as I sell one of my cars. A rolling body should be cheap to buy, and those engines brand new from northern tool aren't too bad actually, although I would have to do some math to figure out how much power I would need in a diesel engine to charge some batteries.
I also like the idea of solar on the car too, I was even thinking of putting a removable helix-style wind turbine on it too. Obviously it would be a tiny guy, but it would add up.
|