How About A Pusher?

[Ryland]

I've read that home power artical a few times about the guy with the VW electric rabbit and the Diesel pusher trailer for it, and it got me thinking about how he has it set up with an automatic tranny to simplify the controles, but that really, he could have it basicly locked in to 5th gear, and while running around at low speeds have the clutch disengauged, hit 45mph and you pop the clutch, starting the engine and giving you a push to extend your range, you could even have electronic controls with a manual overide, and this idea could be used for both electric, and gas vehicles, hit highway speeds and kill your normal gas engine switching to your properly geared simple efficent drive train that is fitted in a trailer that you leave at home for short trips.

[AndrewJ]

I think I heard of a Canadian fellow who was going to try that idea out on an electric car of his.
I don't think he ever got around to it, seems I remember he got into some web forum stuff instead...

[MetroMPG]

I still think about doing the opposite: an electric pusher for around town use. If I made a good one, I could get rid of the ForkenSwift and not have to pay insurance for 2 vehicles. :P

How would you control the clutch in your manual transmission example?

[personx]

I had given the ideal some thought (electric one) but the more I thought about all the working of it the more it scared me. just to many unknowns for me on that one...

[mattW]

I really doubt that constantly pulling around a trailer would be justified by a slightly more efficient engine on the highway. Mr Sharkey himself says that pulling the trailer nearly doubled the power requirements of the vehicle. I think he was exaggerating a bit but you get the idea. Both diesels and electric drive trains weigh a lot. His set-up was a compromise so that he could get his EV to cross country events. If you were going for a pusher i would go for an electric fifth wheel or a small PM electric motor mounted like a supercharger to reduce the engine load. We're discussing doing one in our EV forum here.
If you were using your electric around town then why would you need the gasser at all?

[AndrewJ]

Darin, I gotta say I'm with Matt on this one. I don't think that an electric pusher would ever pay for itself around town with the kind of MPG you're pulling out of the blackfly. Unless you're going for complete carbon eradication, but then, it's still a pretty big investment for that purpose as there are carbon offsets that would be much cheaper.

[MetroMPG]

Building an e-pusher for in town use wouldn't be for saving money. (The ForkenSwift will never pay for itself either, considering the car it's displacing.)

And it's not strictly for carbon eradication, though that's an attractive benefit.

It's more because it would be a cool project. And ... left over from project ForkenSwift I happen to have access to ...

(a) the needed batteries,
(b) an extra motor,
(c) a controller, and
(d) more contactors

[AndrewJ]

aah, well anything done in the name of tinkering is A-OK in my book