Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - How much power does it take to spin a 1.0l geo engine?

Stubby79 · 01-28-2013, 12:21 PM

As the title says:
How much power(in watts) does it take to spin a 1.0l geo engine?

Not that I think anyone will have an exact figure.

I'm pondering ways to hybrid. I want to run the electric motor through the trans but want to retain the ICE. I notice that the Geo ICE, using engine compression to slow it down, barely does anything, so I found myself wondering how much electrical power would be wasted if the electric motor ran sraight through the crankshaft, making the engine spin at the same time.

Yes, it would be wasting power on friction and on compression, but there are benefits...such as you'd have vaccuum for braking and when you turn the ICE back on, it would be seamless because it would already be spinning at the same speed as the motor. This means you could go back and forth between battery power and gas power a dozen times in a minute and never notice. You'd have no reaon to idle, because the electric motor could start you off. It'd drive just like a normal car because all the power goes through the clutch.

There are a numbe rof benefits. The drawback is in how much power is going to be wasted spinning the engine. It would be completely pointless in a normal car with lots of displacement and high compression, but I can turn the geo engine over by hand. So, again...how much power does one think would be wasted doing it this way?

My only guesstimate is going off of the starter motor's rating of 1.2kw. That is a lot to waste, but might be worth it. Bear in mind I'm looking for a figure based on an already spinning engine, not the added surge needed to get it spinning in the first place.

01-28-2013, 12:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
Stubby79 Master EcoModder Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Victoria, BC Posts: 1,747 Firefly EV - '98 Pontiac Firefly EV 90 day: 107.65 mpg (US) Little Boy Blue - '05 Toyota Echo 90 day: 33.35 mpg (US) BlueZ - '19 Nissan 370Z Sport 90 day: 17.19 mpg (US) Thanks: 75 Thanked 577 Times in 426 Posts	How much power does it take to spin a 1.0l geo engine? As the title says: How much power(in watts) does it take to spin a 1.0l geo engine? Not that I think anyone will have an exact figure. I'm pondering ways to hybrid. I want to run the electric motor through the trans but want to retain the ICE. I notice that the Geo ICE, using engine compression to slow it down, barely does anything, so I found myself wondering how much electrical power would be wasted if the electric motor ran sraight through the crankshaft, making the engine spin at the same time. Yes, it would be wasting power on friction and on compression, but there are benefits...such as you'd have vaccuum for braking and when you turn the ICE back on, it would be seamless because it would already be spinning at the same speed as the motor. This means you could go back and forth between battery power and gas power a dozen times in a minute and never notice. You'd have no reaon to idle, because the electric motor could start you off. It'd drive just like a normal car because all the power goes through the clutch. There are a numbe rof benefits. The drawback is in how much power is going to be wasted spinning the engine. It would be completely pointless in a normal car with lots of displacement and high compression, but I can turn the geo engine over by hand. So, again...how much power does one think would be wasted doing it this way? My only guesstimate is going off of the starter motor's rating of 1.2kw. That is a lot to waste, but might be worth it. Bear in mind I'm looking for a figure based on an already spinning engine, not the added surge needed to get it spinning in the first place.