DIY Volt Hybrid - Open ReVolt style

[bennelson]

Ok, here's a video.

Well, it's not a very good video. What it IS is very exciting because it's the first time this car is running as a hybrid.

And I am whistling. I don't remember doing that. Guess I'm just really happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_DD0ue07WE

[MetroMPG]

WHAT?? I can't hear what you're typing! Needs a muffler! (Or 2!)

Congrats on the first drive, Ben. Watching with interest...

[Daox]

Wooohoo! Nice job. I was very curious about doing this a while back. Its great to see someone ACTUALLY do it.

[jakobnev]

Maybe you could kill three birds with one stone if you built a muffler/heat-exchanger unit that took the heat out of both the exaust and the cooling water and supplied it to the propane tank?

[bennelson]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

WHAT?? I can't hear what you're typing! .

I KNOW! Sounds like I threw a lawn mower in the back of the car!

Actually, I thought a muffler from a riding lawn mower would work fine. Rather than buying a brand new one, just to test it, why not just "borrow" the muffler off my riding lawn mower?!

That's when I realized my mower is electric.
It doesn't have a muffler.
(Or gas tank, or oil filter, or engine, or exhaust....)

I'm not sure what exactly I can do with heat from the generator. It is an AIR-COOLED generator, so I can only push around warm air, not coolant.
It would be slick though if I could figure out a way to get warm air (but not noise and exhaust) in the passenger compartment in the winter.

Perhaps I can come up with something clever with sheet metal.

Also, the generator has a 12V charging circuit on it to recharge the battery used for the electric starter. So, if I connect the car's accessory battery to the generator, the genny will recharge the starting battery. Right now, my accessory battery only has a small 12V charger on it that charges when the car is plugged in. It's not very good at night in the winter, when it has to run the lights, wipers, etc, and has neither an alternator, nor a DC/DC converter on it.

[jakobnev]

Originally Posted by bennelson

I KNOW! Sounds like I threw a lawn mower in the back of the car!

I'm not sure what exactly I can do with heat from the generator. It is an AIR-COOLED generator, so I can only push around warm air, not coolant..

Here, let me draw you a picture:



The brown arrows are exaust and the other arrows are cooling air at various temperatures. (there is a muffler in there too, but i didn't bother drawing it)

[bennelson]

That's OK, I didn't bother to put a muffler on it!

I think it's more a matter of space I have to work with. I'm not sure how easily I can fit in additional sheet metal or ducting right now.

I still have a lot of ideas for this project. There will still be plenty of re-doing, re-arranging, and re-purposing before I am done with this.

[euromodder]

Is there any chance of hanging the generator below the rear of the car ?
If it's got a spare-wheel well, maybe cut it out and invert it to create more space below the car ?

[brucey]

Congrats on getting this operational. In the middle of winter no less!

[Dr. Jerryrigger]

Ha ha ha, I love the vid! oh and nice vanity plates!

Rigging up a heater for the car from the gen would be incredible difficult unless you wanted it to be on all the time (year round).
One way to get around this would be with a T in the exhaust, one way goes to the muffler, the other way goes to a radiator, and then to another muffler. This could then be adjusted with two valves after the T. The radiator could just be 3/4" steal pipe with standard fittings (checked for leaks). Then a 12VDC fan, and you have heat, and it would work faster than a coolant heating systems.

But if I was working on this project I would want to get it fully working first, and then play with these possibility. Getting the exhaust to the right place, so you don't have to drive around with the hatch up would be a good step....
I don't have any great ideas as to where you can find the proper pipe, but I'm sure it's out there....
Placement of the tank and gen is of importance. Did you take out the gas tank when you did the conversion? There is a little space there... If you are a proficient welder/cutter you have a lot of options. If your like me; and don't have access to those tools (and aren't that good at using them anyway), you'll have to work with what you've got.
When placing this you should think about a major accident. You really need this thing to be mounted well. Also think of crumple zones. If you get rear ended by a large (or average sized) car you trunk will get very small, and anything in it will want to fly into the back of your head, if not properly mounted. I would think the gen could be bolted on with ease, but the tank is a bit harder. It would be safer to keep it on the outside of the car, so it it was to leak or rupture you might not die. But how to mount it on the outside with aerodynamics in mind, it depends on the tanks you end up using.

So back to the propane: Can you give a list of which combination of tank and regs have and haven't worked? There is likely something that can be pulled from that data, or new tests that should be done.