GeekLimit

My crazy hybrid car project

Posted by The Technocrat | Filed under Geeky

I like the idea of a hybrid vehicle, but financially, they don’t make sense for me. If I could retro-fit a used, efficient internal-combustion vehicle, however, it may end up being not only well-performing, but financially sensible!

Aftermarket manufacturer Sigma Automotive is wrapping up testing on it’s Electrocharger. The Electrocharger is a replacement for the alternator, and while it acts like a normal alternator most of the time, when starting from a dead stop, it acts like a generator, helping power the car’s acceleration from a battery pack.

In turn, this gets the car up to speed using electricity, and not a lot of gas. Once the car is up to speed, only a small percentage (think less than 20%, depending on a few factors) of the car’s engine is needed to maintain speed. During this time, the battery recharges quickly and waits for the next stop. This acceleration-assist model is currently what the Silverado Hybrid uses to get it’s fuel economy.

The option also exists for regenerative braking, which basically means you use the engine to slow the car, like a trucker does, which puts all the force of the slowing car (kinetic energy) into the generator, and makes re-usable electricity, instead of heat from the brakes.

I’m glad to see a product like this come out, since it is the first piece in the puzzle for me to build my Hybrid Super-car. I’ll review my plans on the blog, one component at a time. My ultimate goal is to have a well-performing vehicle that gets great gas mileage, and has enough room inside to haul stuff around.

With the pending advent of the Electrocharger, I’m off on my way to designing my hybrid:

Efficient turbo-diesel passenger vehicle
~40mpg
full-RPM range performance (low from the diesel torque, high from the turbo)
Check (probably a VW Jetta TDI Wagon)

Hybrid retro-fit system
+20% mileage? (~48mpg)
low-RPM performance (electric motor torque) and regenerative braking
Check (Electrocharger)

Next up: working on a way to comfortably cruise at, er, a respectable 55 miles per hour, eh, or higher, without wasting too much gas.

Comments (2) | December 22nd, 2005

2 Responses to “My crazy hybrid car project”

1. Lola Estes Says:
   November 12, 2008 at 7:13 pm

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2. Games Car Says:
   December 5, 2008 at 9:53 pm

   What Kinda of Car do you drive?