Building a hybrid truck?
 

I don't really have a good reason, I've just always wanted to build a hybrid pickup truck. Recently I bought a 2WD diesel single cab Ford Super Duty, I would like to see what kind of mileage I can squeeze out of this thing.

My question is how have other people implemented hybrids on larger vehicles like this? I've considered a "BAS" type hybrid, where an electric motor is belted to the engine to reduce it's load and act as a starter to reduce idling. I like this idea but you can't drive the vehicle on electric power only.

I would really like to be able to drive the truck at slow speed (<20 MPH) with electric power only. This way the engine can be turned off completely in heavy traffic, parking lots, drive throughs, etc. I have considered installing a front axle from a 4WD truck, and drive that with an electric motor. Has anybody ever done this?

Are there any other types of hybrid propulsion people have come up with to modify existing vehicles? I feel like there is a lot to be gained from regenerative breaking on a vehicle of this size.

That is sort of how the BMW I8 works. The front wheels are electric and the rear gas.

The Gm Tahoe/Silverado/Esclade hybrids use a special transmission that is the size of a 5 speed Allison automatic that contains the electric motors. They can run pure electric mode. Some F450s and above came with Powerstrokes and allison transmissions so maybe there is a way to bolt the hybrid transmission to the diesel.

I know Banks put a I6 Cummins in an aero Dakota and got pretty impressive numbers w/o any hybrid stuff. Imagine what an I4 Cummins would do.

Integrating it with a BAS setup might be interesting too...

I can honestly say good luck and I hope you find some way to make it work with something that heavy

It's funny, I bought this truck because it was cheap and I needed the engine for another truck. Now I've been driving it around and I really love it as is. I still need the engine for something else though, I've strongly considered putting a 4 cylinder Cummins in it's place.

I'm impressed by the 28mpg claimed by the new diesel Ram 1500, and that's with no hybrid stuff and all the emissions equipment that usually hurts mileage. If I could do 30mpg with hybrid I would be really happy. Right now the truck gets about 18mpg but it's geared for towing on the highway and has a 6 liter engine. Just tuning the engine alone should net me a few mpg.

I can think of a few possible configurations:

Serial - Engine generating electricity as-needed (and off otherwise), powering an electric motor which sits on the rear differential. Advantages include being able to run the engine at a fixed (peak efficiency) RPM at full load, and turn it off otherwise. Disadvantages include losses from converting mechanical to electricity, and then back to mechanical, as well as losses from resistance in the battery. Also requires separate motors/generators. Examples in modern cars include the Accord Hybrid.

Parallel - Engine and electric motor are both capable of providing power to the wheels. Civic Hybrid, Prius, Chevy Volt use this system. Direct drive avoids conversion losses, but without a CVT with wide gearing, you risk running the engine at low load and at varying RPM. Honda's electric motor is next to the flywheel, between the engine and the transmission, which has a disadvantage of not being able to run on electricity alone. All of them have the electric motor before the transmission, meaning there are some drivetrain losses that could be avoided. This method is often used like a turbo, allowing the engine to be downsized significantly, with passing and accelerating power being provided by electric "boost". Allows for the removal of an alternator, and is probably the most simple system to add onto an existing drivetrain. Would be a great to use in combination with a swap to a smaller motor.

AWD - Engine powering two wheels, electric motors powering two wheels. This is starting to appear in hybrid sports cars. Allows for more power than a series hybrid and gives AWD/4WD, but is more complex because it requires a traditional transmission in addition to having separate motors/generators.

You might want to dig through this thread:

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...uck-22080.html

Before I had the carpet yanked out from under me financially I was going to buy a used electric golf cart and use the parts to drive the front axle of a 4wd vehicle like a suzuki sidekick. I would get a stick shift model and remove the transfer case or disable it. I would then have a small battery bank in the rear and use the gas to get up to speed, then setup a FAS, shift to neutral and flip on the speed controller for the electric motor connected to the front axle.

Would I be correct that a setup like this would offer worse mileage on the highway than the same size engine directly connected to the wheels through a transmission? I'm going to be moving way out into the country soon and I need a vehicle that can get me to town on minimum fuel.

I found this plugin hybrid powertrain setup from Via, they claim 100mpg on a little bit lighter vehicle, but that's with a gas engine!
http://www.viamotors.com/powertrain/

I'm thinking my best option might be a combination of a smaller engine, BAS, and front wheel electric drive. The advantage of having 4WD would be nice. Anybody know how much my extra kidney is worth? :D

I think you are better off snapping up a cheap eco car on ebay or craigs list due to the cheap price of gas. Hell, a few people here have stolen EVs from the dealers. :eek: