Can a car use an electric motor to power the rear wheels and the gas engine to power the front as needed?

Question

This could produce a versatile hybrid 2/4 front and/or rear wheel drive for car / truck as needed for the terrain/ weather.

Answer 1

Your idea sounds good, buit what you may not realize is that a powerful electric motor has a gas engine beat in just about every traction situation. Electric motors have maximum torque at zero RPM. No gas engine can do that. Even the US military realizes this. Here are some prototype diesel-electric vehicles commissioned by the Army:
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http://www.defense-update.com/features/du-3-05/feature-HED-trucks.htm
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In the above vehicles, the diesel engine simply powers a generator that send electricity to electric motors in the wheels. No transmission is necessary with electric motors.
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So why can't we buy "serial hybrids" like this? Good question.

Answer 2

an interesting idea but the trouble comes with trying to sync up two axles with two different power sources. When the car is moving, they all have to be rotating at the some speed otherwise there will be problems.

If the gas engine accelerated at a faster rate than the rear motors would turn the resistance from the electric motor would cause drag and potentially damage the electric motors.

Answer 3

Yes, however, it's usually done the other way around: gas engine to power the rear, electric on the front.

Dodge/Chrysler used to have a testbed Durango called the "PowerBox" with a system called "through the road AWD hybrid" that does this.

http://www.allpar.com/model/concepts/powerbox.html

Though it could be switched around, nothing to prevent that.

Answer 4

It would require a lot of engineering, but we certainly have the technology to make a system like what you describe.
However to get an auto manufacturer to spend the money to research and design such a drive system there has to be something in it for them. Better sales? Better traction, fuel economy, etc.
Get out your sketch book and go to work...

Answer 5

yes you could but the better way would to make a car run on electricity and have a small fuel efficient gas motor to charge its battery's

Answer 6

you are building an electronic bike... why dont you create electricity at home .. so that you can run it for FREE and without polluting the environment.. you can create electricity using the wind.... try it and you will enjoy it

Answer 7

you could be it would be a really complicated modification.