[ausev] adding an electric generator

[Brian Lasseter]

On Thu, Sep 11, 2008 at 4:05 PM, Josh Handel <josh.handel at ktomics.net> wrote:
> Isn't this the direction the Volt and the Mazda Hybrid mule thats been
> tooling around Tokyo are going? I'm not saying that they are practical for a
> home conversion but if GM and Mazda both like the idea of all electric power
> with ICE as a generator then there has to be something to that design
> choose?

What they are doing would technically be called a "Series-Hybrid"...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_hybrid#Series_Hybrid

While that is functionally very similar to what you were talking about
with your car, with a generator, a charger, batteries, and an electric
engine... the differences are in the scale and details.

1)  Cars are required to meet emissions standards, so a series hybrid
would have something that looks an awful lot like a regular car engine
with all the associated oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, and
carburetors that you do not find on dirty little 2-stroke home depot
generators.
2)  As you mentioned... your charger is 1.44kw... that is not enough
power to sustain cruise driving at interstate speeds.  My electric car
sucks an average of 14kw (100A at 144V) while driving on level ground
at interstate speeds.  That means you would need a much more powerful
charger and generator to keep up with the cars power usage.  So series
hybrids are often sized with 10-15kw chargers and an engine capable of
delivering 10-15kw.

Car companies like Series-hybrids because it allows good efficiency
increases while not needing any new battery technology, and allowing
car companies to continue designing what they are good at... big
efficient engines.  Of course, you would only need a 40hp engine to
drive a sustained 14kw of power into a car... so the engines won't be
that big.   :-)

-- 
TTFN,
Brian "Lasso" Lasseter

"No Sane man will dance." -Cicero (106-43 B.C.)