|
Weight is about the same as the brake components it replaces. Durability should be great when you consider the two 4+ inch diameter bearings are rated for 6000 pounds each, since you have more force applied outward to the area of the lug nuts which will be much further away from the centerpoint than conventional, very similar to the older VWs and my 37 Ford, where the rim bolted to the outer edge of the brake drum.
The system would function 20 feet under water without issues.
When Virginia Tech looked at it they did not see reliability as any issue since the bearings would be capable of supporting the front wheels of a tractor trailer.
The accumulator adds weight to the vehicle, but that is more than offset by the elimination of the powertrain components from the flywheel to the drive axles. In a Nissan factory shop manual those components constitute 60% of the shop manuals reapir processes. In a Nissan Frontier 4wd truck the powertrain components are close to 1/3rd of the total vehicle weight. A HH system would weight far less than that.
Guys and gals, I have spent a lot of time trying to find the achillies heel of this system, and consulted with many people in engineeering and hydraulics. Watch a hand held hydraulic jack bend the frame of a diesel truck, powered by just your arm and hand and you understand the energy density of hydraulics.
The Kers systems have brought the advantages of short term high capacity energy storage. How much energy do you store in a pulse when hypermiling. Being able to travel about 1 mile on stored energy without any engine operation should cover MOST circumstances. In the scenario james offers, the best vehicle would be a Toyota Echo. Light, geared for climbing grades in higher gears, decent aero, with low sectional density that would mean less terminal velocity downhill.
There will always be a scenario where a hybrid will not offer any advantage.
Manufacturers are interested in the 99% not the 1% in volume production.
regards
Mech
|