New member with a lot of ideas
 

Hi everyone,

I've been in the automotive business for 35 years and after seeing "Who Killed the Electric Car" I decided the future was electric. We have been doing VW Vanagon upgrades for about 10 years now, see smallcar dot com, and have recently been working on a plug-in conversion for classic VW Bugs. I am not here to promote either business but to get ideas that relate to aerodynamic efficiency and to explore ideas relating to a hybrid design for AWD vehicles. I'm looking forward to learning a lot.

Thanks,

Brian

PS: We had the domain NewLeafEV dot com before Nissan registered the name Leaf.

Welcome to ecomodder Brian.

Do you want ideas to improve the not-so-good aerodynamics of a Beetle ?
That's going to be hard to improve without ruining its classic looks.

There's an ongoing thread about a user who's planning to seriously aeromod a Bug, but it probably ain't going to look pretty to anyone expecting a classic Beetle ;)

Rear wheel skirts could be an option.

Stealthy mods could be done on the underside though.
Belly pan, air dam, tire or wheel well wind deflectors.


Are you thinking along the lines of the Volvo V60 hybrid ?
Internal combustion engine FWD coupled with electric RWD - but given that you're into classic VWs, probably in reverse ?

I'm thinking of a parallel hybrid that is designed to recapture energy used in braking and provide small amounts of power for gentle acceleration or cruising. The ICE would provide power for hard acceleration and for hill climbing while recharging the batteries at the same time through the motor/controller.

I am very interested in getting opinions about the idea above in light of the techniques like P&G and how the hybrid might help lessen the need for varying speed.

Brian

Welcome to EM.

A parallel hybrid could be tough -- you have to blend the power from two motors into the drivetrain OR you have to put the electric motor(s) on the front wheels. To get good regen, having the electric motors on the front wheels is the best way to go. But making an old VW Bug into a front wheel drive will be tough.

Tape me!
 

I'm interested in the use of adhesive backed vinyl (ie. racing stripes, advertisment car skins) as a way to reduce drag. The drag I'm refering to is associated with the gaps on the hood, fenders, doors, and anything that may stick out. I want to know if instead of ireversible bondo and body work that something as simple as a color matched tape could reduce the drag of a non-aerodynamic door handle or the opening between a fender hood and door? Would this mod be benificial, or more cost than savings. What if every ridge, nook, or crany could be smoothed out?

Hi Neil,

I think I have confused things. The hybrid concept doesn't have to do with a Bug but is aimed at an AWD car like a Subaru. This should allow a good amount of regen from all the wheels. The motor will be around 15hp and a battery pack 48V and 3 KWH capacity.

Brian

As a non-Marine, I don't think which wheels or how many are hooked to the motor(s) really affects how much regen you can capture, unless you are talking severe, tire-screeching regen.

Hi Frank,

On our Bug conversions, the regen does almost all of the braking under normal driving. The brakes don't seem to be used at all except under 5mph and so the additional traction of all the wheels, especially under conditions of rain or snow should be a help. We may even need to interface with the ABS.

Brian

Yes you are correct, I bet you are especially aware of it with those hills you have to contend with. As a flatlander I tend to not have those sorts of traction issues.