$5,000 Retro Fit Hybrid Kit
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From: Bret Cahill on 10 Nov 2009 10:31 Even the prototype is only $100K. http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218400113&cid=NL_planet Leave the big engine in there for the road trips. The unsprung weight doubles and the batteries might not always be near the original design center of mass but aside from that it's a really good idea. Bret Cahill
From: John Larkin on 10 Nov 2009 11:30 On Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:31:56 -0800 (PST), Bret Cahill <BretCahill(a)aol.com> wrote: >Even the prototype is only $100K. > >http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218400113&cid=NL_planet > >Leave the big engine in there for the road trips. > >The unsprung weight doubles and the batteries might not always be near >the original design center of mass but aside from that it's a really >good idea. > > >Bret Cahill Install one on your car and report back. John
From: Bret Cahill on 10 Nov 2009 14:57 > >Even the prototype is only $100K. > > >http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218400113&cid... > > >Leave the big engine in there for the road trips. > > >The unsprung weight doubles and the batteries might not always be near > >the original design center of mass but aside from that it's a really > >good idea. > > >Bret Cahill > > Install one on your car and report back. I'm in love with the idea. It will be the most cost effective way to commute in a couple years yet you'll still be able to haul your boat over the mountains. The flexibility of adding anyone's new batteries as they become commercially available is another advantage over conventional hybrids. A big alternator and an electric ac compressor would be another plus. Maybe they could even tweak conventional [large rpm range] engines to run at an optimum speed when recharging. You're sitting in traffic going nowhere. It's 115 F outside but the ac is on and the main engine isn't running, at least not for a long period of time. Bret Cahill
From: Paul E. Schoen on 11 Nov 2009 13:12 "Bret Cahill" <BretCahill(a)aol.com> wrote in message news:9d919c62-e414-4a75-9838-28e9513544c9(a)m7g2000prd.googlegroups.com... > Even the prototype is only $100K. > > http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218400113&cid=NL_planet > > Leave the big engine in there for the road trips. > > The unsprung weight doubles and the batteries might not always be near > the original design center of mass but aside from that it's a really > good idea. I came up with a similar idea a few years ago. http://www.smart.net/~pstech/SHAMPAC.htm It was too big a project for me alone and I had other priorities. There was also the problem of making an electric motor that had sufficient torque and speed for direct drive requirements, and I had planned to use a reduction chain drive, but that added some mechanical engineering challenges. But I found wheel hub motors available and in-use. And I found another website that described how to replace the alternator with a larger motor/generator which could be used to provide additional power from a battery bank and also be used for regenerative braking. But that was not very efficient because there was no easy way to unload the ICE to run on electric power alone. I recently saw the movie "End of Suburbia" http://www.endofsuburbia.com/ which gives a lot of insight into how we in the US got into the situation we are now in, and the ramifications of "Peak Oil", which is where we are now or will be in a few years. Cheap energy fueled the flight to the suburbs and the inherently wasteful concept of long commutes and sprawling individual houses for small families and individuals. Auto makers and oil companies made more profits as such a lifestyle became more popular. But there is a finite amount of oil in the ground, and even though we are unlikely to "run out" suddenly like draining a gas tank, it will become increasingly costly to extract, and price will rise exponentially as demand continues to increase, until most people simply will not have the money to afford it. The economy relies on increased growth which is untenable globally, so we will need to adapt to an economy based on sustainable moderation and reduction of spending. Our economy as presently configured is doomed because it depends on continued sales of items that are based on cheap energy, materials, transportation, and labor. Much of the economy is about trade in items that are not essential and based on rapid obsolescence to be discarded and replaced. But we may very well. in our lifetimes, see a point where it will become difficult for most people to afford the essential food, clothing, shelter, and heating that are now taken for granted. We are seeing the start of that with our present recession, and it's not going to be fixed by bailing out companies that based their profits on a fatally flawed concept of endless cheap resources. We can't spend our way out of this. The retail economy cannot be based on huge expenditures for "toys", including consumer electronics and sports cars and SUVs. The movie can be viewed in its entirety on You-Tube: http://www.endofsuburbia.com/previews.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uvzcY2Xug Paul
From: Bret Cahill on 11 Nov 2009 20:59
> > Even the prototype is only $100K. > > > http://www.planetanalog.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=218400113&cid... > > > Leave the big engine in there for the road trips. > > > The unsprung weight doubles and the batteries might not always be near > > the original design center of mass but aside from that it's a really > > good idea. > > I came up with a similar idea a few years ago. > > http://www.smart.net/~pstech/SHAMPAC.htm It's still desirable to reduce the unsprung weight. You should have applied for a patent. > It was too big a project for me alone and I had other priorities. There was > also the problem of making an electric motor that had sufficient torque and > speed for direct drive requirements, and I had planned to use a reduction > chain drive, but that added some mechanical engineering challenges. But I > found wheel hub motors available and in-use. And I found another website > that described how to replace the alternator with a larger motor/generator > which could be used to provide additional power from a battery bank and > also be used for regenerative braking. But that was not very efficient > because there was no easy way to unload the ICE to run on electric power > alone. > I recently saw the movie "End of Suburbia"http://www.endofsuburbia.com/ > which gives a lot of insight into how we in the US got into the situation > we are now in, and the ramifications of "Peak Oil", which is where we are > now or will be in a few years. Cheap energy fueled the flight to the > suburbs and the inherently wasteful concept of long commutes and sprawling > individual houses for small families and individuals. Auto makers and oil > companies made more profits as such a lifestyle became more popular. But > there is a finite amount of oil in the ground, and even though we are > unlikely to "run out" suddenly like draining a gas tank, it will become > increasingly costly to extract, and price will rise exponentially as demand > continues to increase, until most people simply will not have the money to > afford it. > > The economy relies on increased growth which is untenable globally, so we > will need to adapt to an economy based on sustainable moderation and > reduction of spending. Our economy as presently configured is doomed > because it depends on continued sales of items that are based on cheap > energy, materials, transportation, and labor. Much of the economy is about > trade in items that are not essential and based on rapid obsolescence to be > discarded and replaced. But we may very well. in our lifetimes, see a point > where it will become difficult for most people to afford the essential > food, clothing, shelter, and heating that are now taken for granted. We are > seeing the start of that with our present recession, and it's not going to > be fixed by bailing out companies that based their profits on a fatally > flawed concept of endless cheap resources. We can't spend our way out of > this. The retail economy cannot be based on huge expenditures for "toys", > including consumer electronics and sports cars and SUVs. > > The movie can be viewed in its entirety on You-Tube:http://www.endofsuburbia.com/previews.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uvzcY2Xug Nissan is looking at roadbed electrification, probably induction, but even with that a lot of people are going to have to relocate to cities. Bret Cahill |