Quote:
Originally Posted by Old Mechanic
In my opinion you want enough capacity for a single 0-70 acceleration event, as well as the capacity to recover the same energy in a single panic stop.
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You know, I think you just made my argument for me :-)
Honestly, storing energy for just one acceleration just isn't going to cut it in a normal passenger car. Even the first generation hybrids could do a dozen accelerations, and nowadays you'd want 10-40 miles or so of non-petroleum range. Normal car drive cycles are also accelerate to speed, and drive for extended time with variable amounts of assist/regen climbing & descending hills, etc. Hydraulic hybrids are a bad match for this, just as they are a great match for the stop&go cycle of delivery trucks.
Also, your panic stop scenario is unrealistic. It is a rare event (or should be for a competent driver). so it'd be acceptable to waste the braking energy. But I do want to be able to climb a mountain - maybe not Pike's Peak, but say 4500 vertical feet - using reasonable assist all the way, and recapture much of that energy in the descent. The Insight doesn't quite manage that, but with 2-3 times as much battery storage, it would. A reasonable HH wouldn't even come close.
PS: For me, a panic stop might happen once a year or less, but significant climb/descent cycles - say 2500-4500 ft - happen several times a week.