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Originally Posted by freebeard
I agree about Hybrid Synergy Drive. Shifting gears is so last century.
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It's not about shifting gears being "outdated" at all but, as long as the technology of batteries evolves enought to make their cost and weight penalties less noticeable, going the HSD route seems to be a cost-effective move for the manufacturers. The planetary gearset is actually quite simple and lightweight compared to a conventional automatic transmission and torque converter setup and has fewer internal frictions to waste energy, even though the electric motors might not be cheap at all. Eliminating the drag and the accessory belt of an alternator is another obvious advantage.
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We will have a data point on an Ecomodder's Prius drivetrain in a [3/4 ton?] truck.
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That project is actually interesting as it leads to a reflection on how the American vehicles in general got oversized through the decades. Some of the most popular JDM commercial vehicles are still as narrow as an early Prius and at the same time retain the same level of functionality of a bigger American full-size truck.
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What could a Lexus V-6 install push down the road?
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Who knows...