Do it yourself hybrid/electric?

Question

hey there,

i remember watching history channel a month or so ago about environmental tech...they got to electric cars and showed some homemade ones...one guy had 20+ batterys (dunno if they were 'car' batteries, but they were same sized.) and hooked them to an electric motor and it worked great...he had a homemade charger that charged his car in 5-8 hours....his car could zip too...I just want to know more about it and im sure with that idea you can make a hybrid with less batteries to acheive 40+mpg....

iv googled for info but all i get is really crummy sites
anyone know of any good ones for LOTS of info?

Answer 1

Sounds pretty involved. Maybe you could do something simpler like taking out the alternator out of your car, putting a few high efficiency batteries in the boot (or trunk) and putting it on charge every night. The alternator uses a lot of power, so you might get an extra mile or two per gallon that way.

I've looked into replacing a car motor with a light weight electric motor and they're quite expensive - probably more than the rest of the car. You'd have to source the motor from a scrap yard to make it cost effective.

Answer 2

the simplest DIY hybrid is to take an electric car and tow a small generator when required for long journies.

eg the tZero http://www.acpropulsion.com/vehicles/all.htm with
Long Ranger range-extending hybrid trailer

Then you don't need to carry the weight of the infernal combustion all the time, and you don't need a complex transmission to mate two engines together, as found in the prius


Starter motor batteries are not suitable for electic cars, they are too heavy and only suitable for short bursts.
Best modern Li batteries will give range of 150miles & 10 minute recharge, so the need for a hybrid is minimal http://www.phoenixmotorcar.com

Answer 3

Get on the EV list http://www.evdl.org/

Lots of the movers and shakers in homebrew EVs are on that list, including some familiar names if you've done research.

As for a hybrid, a series hybrid is just an EV with a recharging generator (so it doesn't need as large a battery). We talk about those too.

Answer 4

Yes that WILL work. It is basically a big golf cart. But those 20 batteries, if you use lead acid batteries, are REALLY heavy, and big too. So you end up with a heavy car with not much room for passengers or cargo. If you use a smaller and lighter battery type, like Nickel metal hydride or Lithium ion, then they are REALLY expensive.

I calculate that you need over of ton of lead acid batteries to store as much energy as one gallon of gasoline can make. But since electric motors are several times more efficient than gasoline engines, that ton of batteries would be as good as several gallons of gas in a regular car. But several (say 5) gallons of gas weighs about 40 pounds and fits in a gas tank that is pretty small. That ton of batteries would take up maybe 30 cubic feet of space, if you packed them in really tightly. About like a quarter cord of firewood (full cord, not a face cord). And how far can a car that weighs so much go on 5 gallons?

Answer 5

Try this site for all things about electric vehicles from scooters to trailers to the worlds fastest electric motorcycle:

http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/