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Date:         Fri, 18 Nov 2005 14:40:49 -0500
Reply-To:     Wil Haslup <wil@CHARMFX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Wil Haslup <wil@CHARMFX.COM>
Subject:      serial hybrid conversion?
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Recently I saw a segment of MotorWeek highlighting a small company building 'serial' hybrid conversions. Serial hybrids are different from the parallel hybrids being built by the big manufacturers in that the fueled engine doesn't power the wheels and only charges the batteries that run the electric drives.

They typically have 2 or 4 electric drive motors directly driving 2 or 4 of the wheels.

The fueled engine can run in it's best RPM range at all times and can be of any variety...gas, diesel, piston, turbine, sterling, anything that can create electricity.

It seems to me a serial retrofit of a Vanagon would be simpler and the thing could run anywhere any fueled vehicle could without depending on access to electricity.

(...it seems you'd have to swap the fueled motor for one that is paired with a more powerful charging system, get your batteries, and four drive motors and adapt whatever wheel hardware to put them in. The rest is pretty straight forward.)

--

Wil

-- http://www.charmfx.com/

"Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -- Mark Twain


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