AndyH said:There have been Class-8 (semi) hybrid tractors on the road since 2007, though the improvement is about 10%. I'll bet one of these could be dropped into a motorhome fairly easily - Eaton has a system for school buses...Ingineer said:The beauty of a hybrid is that you could install a much smaller diesel engine which would be sized to cover the base highway load. The batteries and electric motor would handle acceleration, passing, etc. Normally you need a much larger engine which is less efficient and heavy.N952JL said:Phil, would it be cheaper to operate than the current rigs? I'm looking at cost of fuel vs electricity/fuel for generator?
=Joe
Just an off the cuff guess is that you could easily improve mileage by 20%.
-Phil
http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsServices/ProductsbyCategory/HybridPower/index.htm
http://www.thepetestore.com/news-detail.php?id=15
http://www.trucktrend.com/features/...c_hybrid_class_8_tractor_prototype/index.html
This is not what I had in mind. In a Train's Diesel-Electric locomotive the diesel ice does not provide any of the power for turning the wheels. Its sole purpose is to run a generator. the actual locomotion comes from the electric drive motors. See "http://www.theengineer.co.uk/in-depth/analysis/jet-power-bladons-microjets-enable-jaguar-turbine-hybrid/1005528.article". This article discusses the Jaguar concept car shown at this years auto show. The Bladon Micro Jet is at the heart of this. I wonder how small a trailer Phil could build using this 88 pound genset and BBQ grill size 20lbs LP bottle for fuel. Could it be small and light enough to fit into a special designed receiver on the back of the leaf vice a trailer?
With hub mounted electric drive motors, Drive by Wire controls, I wonder how a class A motor home might look with two to four of these turbines proving up to 140kW of power to recharge a 24kWh battery pack. (or would super capacitors be better than batteries?)
-Joseph