Reference Mr Stucki declarations:

The hydrid concept (two sources of energy) is a very valid energy saving concept, and is based on the following premises:

1. An engine consumes at idle 40% of the consumption at full load.
2. A ground vehicle at constant speed on flat terrain consumes very little power. (typical car 7 HP at 60 mph on a freeway).

Both premises gets you to one conclusion. You need and could use much smaller engines to save large amounts of energy.

That leaves you with a very slow acceleration problem. This problem is solved with a second source of power to be used in conjunction with the main engine to reach reasonable acceleration time. The engine can reload the second source of power when it has extra HP to spare.

As a secondary benefit, the hybrid system can recoup the braking energy making it even more efficient.

This Hybrid concept and definition can be applied to any technology on the engine side as well as the auxiliary power supply.This includes a hydraulic system with an accumulator.

The present car manufacturers, specially Toyota, are not following this logic, as their latest offering entails very large engines to boost performance(accelerations). They found a market ready to buy hybrids even if it makes no sense.

Insofar the electric car here are some comments about it:

The Battery was invented around 1810. In 1900 it was already a 90 year old technology. It was used in cars at that time.Steam driven cars were also common then. The development of the sparked engine obliterated both technologies in a few years due to its many advantages, but different,for both of them.

So, the Battery technology has already 200 years. During those two hundred years, billion of dollars have been spent without getting a breaktrough technology applicable to cars. Chances are slim that it will ever occur.

Moreover, the best battery technology is a very inefficient chemical factory, specially at peak or higher loads. Add to that the fact that an electrical power supply requires very high investment and has also a very low efficiency due to its very naturegas-coal-oil) goes to power plant, power plant goes to electrical network, network goes to cars. Its inefficient operation makes it highly pollutant.

The above makes an electric vehicle acceptable for only low powered, low speed, niche applications, such as golf karts, or enclosed space situations.

Allan Rosman
DynaPump Inc.
Northridge, CA

I would take issue with the statement of battery development. Li ion, etc are common in consumer products and yet unheard of only a few years ago. Even the lowly lead acid battery is so much better and cheaper and more power than my high school days and first car.

One advantage of electric power is that even though it may not be theoretically as efficient, it is using other fuels that are not feasible for vehicle use. Although in small proportions now, nuclear, coal, hydro, solar, wind,biomass, etc can be the sources of the electricity, but can't be reasonably used directly in a car.

Advantages:
-Less valuable fuels as source of energy
-Can be produced one locality and transmitted elsewhere through the grid
-Pollution control/high technology can be applied at a local source, in large scale, and supported with cost and technicians. Will fuels cells/nuclear/solar ever be competitive, and serviceable by the high school graduate at WalMart? Probably not, but a large one can be supported by an expert at the power plant.
-Much like the concept of hybrid cars, the source of power can be off peak, nights, weekends, etc if energy can be converted at a more steady rate and 'recharge' the electric storage system.

Would I buy a hybrid? No way now, too complicated.
An all electric? No way. Doesn't match my usage.

Someday? when gas goes to European/world cost levels (setting aside the taxes issue) as it inevitably will, I may change that statement.

I'd still like to see further developement and research to be ready when the need arises.

kcj

I would like to see a community-sponsored concerted effort to look into the small-sized (bio)diesel powered hydraulic-hybrid.

There are other possibilities as well. Fuel vaporization aparatus applied to small engines to power a hydraulic pump.

What is not easily ascertained (for laypersons) is the engine-pump-hyd motor power ratios. In concept, if a smaller more efficient engine (that can run on gas, diesel, biodiesel, waste oil) can power a hyd pump/motor pair then that is the most attractive combination. There are numerous patents and articles on vaporizing setups that can burn vege oil, diesel, mineral oil in regular gas powered engines.

reference:

http://www.pureenergysystems.com/os/FuelEfficiency/Carburetor/index.html

there are many others however

battery development has come a long way indeed. The most promising for vehicle power being the fuel cell. Combine this with the new flexable solar panels and it's very likely that future vehicles will have the fuel cell integrated within the framework, and the vehicle skinned with a solar panel.

Further consider the production and distribution of electricity compared to that of fossil fuels, as well as the fact that consumers can produce the energy, at least in part, independant of corporate control.

"As a secondary benefit, the hybrid system can recoup the braking energy making it even more efficient."

The regeneration of power is actually the primary benefit, as alternative fuels in themselves do not imply conservation.

"Add to that the fact that an electrical power supply requires very high investment and has also a very low efficiency due to its very naturegas-coal-oil) goes to power plant, power plant goes to electrical network, network goes to cars. Its inefficient operation makes it highly pollutant."

A gigjoule of energy is less costly delevered as electricity to a location, then as petro suitable for vehicles delivered to the pump.

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