Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky
Some reflections:
A bolt-on altermotor system will be cheaper than something custom or requiring fabrication. I don't think you started the thread wanting more power and AWD, just more economy in a car you plan to drive every day, so the bar for what you're expecting to get out of it (and the costs) has moved.
I'm still going to propose that simply bolting a small motor on in place of your alternator and putting a small battery in the trunk will give you more power and better fuel economy, and won't require a shop to do a lot of expensive custom work.
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Just as I have learned much from inquiring in other car forums about how to improve my LT1 with my notion of "performance", squeezing out more torque down low and in the mid-range with the least amount of fuel consumption, I have learned a great deal about hybrid technology and electric motors in this forum. I still have a lot more to learn but the way I operate is I ask about it and take my time learning the options I have until I narrow down the perfect build set-up per my criteria. If my car is going to be equipped with a larger version of the lithium battery, I might as well use this battery for start-up and running the block heater while deleting the alternator. I just have to figure out how to get an altermotor set up to work within the confines of my engine compartment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky
You can get basically the same economy out of just changing your driving habits. funkhoss has proven that using an engine kill switch frequently, being very gentle on the throttle and driving conservatively can deliver phenomenal economy, even in a car with a big motor like yours, but in my opinion hybridizing is having your cake and eating it to. I think if you keep it simple it's a very realistic goal, and would caution you that while min/maxing is interesting, you may find that in practice it becomes too expensive or complicated to be reasonable. Having a university do custom hub motors is not going to be cheap.
What I'll advise really depends on how much money you want to spend, and what you're hoping to achieve.
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I like to keep my RPMs down low and I quick shift my 6-speed to remain at an idle that doesn't lug the motor. I already drive conservatively but my engine does need to be refurbished because something is not quite right with it. I assume it has a bad tune and I also noticed a possible mechanical problem with the heads, oil leakage out of one of my exhaust ports. Hey, I need to do it anyways so why not look into what other options I have to squeeze out fuel economy and bring my car up with the times. I care about fuel economy and emissions just as much as anyone else, but I refuse to give up my V8, so there has to be a happy compromise with my expectations and what is possible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ecky
If you get the right hub motors, they should be able to operate at any speed. It's just a matter of getting the right windings and voltage. Hub motors add a lot of unspring weight to the wheels, but as you say, you get AWD which has advantages. You can creep around with your engine in neutral or off, and still drop the engine into neutral and regen brake to a stop with the hub motors, saving your brake pads and filling up the hybrid battery.
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Well, my car needs weight added to the rear end to compensate for weight up front during the winter time, so hopefully the weight from a larger size lithium battery can help offset the additional weight from the hub motors up front.
I don't want to get too excited about being able to run hub motors at all speeds, again I run into the battery drainage problem, but making use of the DFCO condition, or when I cruise in neutral to slow down, to recharge the battery, even at highway speeds to slow down and exit, would be pretty useful. Then, making use of an altermotor to fill in between usage. Either this or using the standard 45 mph limit and using my gasoline engine for highway travel only should give me a healthy balance of recharging and practical hybrid performance. I will still need to recharge at home but I accept it for the benefits this combined system will give me.