It's a pity it's so early on, I got excited reading about it but not even having a working prototype is a bummer. Here's hoping he gets some help and some funding, because I would absolutely...
It's a pity it's so early on, I got excited reading about it but not even having a working prototype is a bummer. Here's hoping he gets some help and some funding, because I would absolutely convert my car to a hybrid if it was under $5000.
Well there's not a lot of point in converting a car when you could almost buy a new premade electric for the price. Many people are electric interested, but are used car market people. Electrics...
Well there's not a lot of point in converting a car when you could almost buy a new premade electric for the price. Many people are electric interested, but are used car market people. Electrics just haven't penetrated the used market well due to them being quite recent and older models having horrible first adopter issues. So the idea that you could break in by updating a used ICE car for cheap is tantalizing. Whether it's a reality is yet to be proven.
yeah there's definitely a lot ahead before this becomes something people couls actually buy but I'm really optimistic about it -- this would be super cool and a lot of people would buy it at that...
yeah there's definitely a lot ahead before this becomes something people couls actually buy but I'm really optimistic about it -- this would be super cool and a lot of people would buy it at that price point.
Love the idea, I've long thought about an electric crate motor of sorts but a drop in hybrid system is really cool - don't love the idea of a 20+ year old Toyota's starter having to deal with the...
Love the idea, I've long thought about an electric crate motor of sorts but a drop in hybrid system is really cool - don't love the idea of a 20+ year old Toyota's starter having to deal with the on/off of a hybrid system, let alone Nana's Vectra!
I've long thought that if we can get electric motors down to the right size, there shouldn't be too much of a problem to mount one to an ICE car's transmission by simply replacing the standard...
I've long thought that if we can get electric motors down to the right size, there shouldn't be too much of a problem to mount one to an ICE car's transmission by simply replacing the standard engine.
To visualize: This is the engine and automatic transmission in a "20 year old Toyota", a Toyota Matrix to be exact but the same engine and transmission is in over a dozen other models. Everything to the right of the red line is the original ICE engine, to the left is the automatic transmission. The flywheel (on manual transmission models, same bellhousing size) is about 11" in diameter, the bellhousing bolt pattern is around 14" diameter circle, if a small axial flux motor can have an adapter to match the bellhousing bolt pattern and transfer the power to the transmission's input shaft, then there's little reason most cars can't be retrofit to EVs. In this MS Paint CAD drawing the Matrix/Corolla transmission is on the left, the axial motor is in green, bellhousing adapter is orange, and the power is transmitted from the motor to the transmission's input shaft via the purple adapter (worth noting, everything here except the axial motor is already commonplace in ICE enthusiast circles as we mate different motors to different transmissions from different manufacturers all the time).
The Matrix/Corolla needs a paltry 130hp/97kw motor to match OE performance, the YASA motors Mercedes is putting in their upcoming cars is 480hp/358kw, so a smaller, cheaper version to retrofit older cars shouldn't be a difficult proposition. The issue becomes the battery. The latest Nissan Leaf with the 60kWh battery has a range of about 200 miles (more than what most people actually need), but that battery pack weighs 900lbs.
On the subject of the starter in a hybrid system, the man mentions his in-wheel-setup should have a range of about 100km/62miles, so I imagine it's less a hybrid system and more a plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) style setup where you run on electric motors until the battery is low, then switch to the ICE engine. In these retrofitting cases you'd be using the ICE engine as if no electric motor existed instead as a generator that charges the batteries for the electric motor. So you wouldn't have the start/stop strain on a 20 year old starter, put the car in neutral, drive as an EV, when the battery gets low, stop the car, put it in park, turn on the ICE engine, drive away like normal and pat yourself on the back for not having burned 2-4 gallons of dino juice running errands.
As the Resident Car GuyTM I not only find this exciting from the potential of having a retrofit-able PHEV style setup for getting around town in my older cars, but potential performance benefits...
As the Resident Car GuyTM I not only find this exciting from the potential of having a retrofit-able PHEV style setup for getting around town in my older cars, but potential performance benefits as well.
Being that the most obvious way these would be implemented is on the rear wheels of a traditionally front wheel drive (FWD) car (or front wheels of a RWD car), this has the potential to give a 100-200hp boost in acceleration along with the AWD traction advantage at the cost of battery weight and unsprung mass on the suspension. There are very few in the performance space that would turn down AWD traction and a 200hp increase at the cost of a couple hundred pounds and $5k.
For example the racecar I'm building will have something in the range of 500hp and weigh about 3,000lbs, for power to weight ratio of 6lb/hp. Add 200hp and 300lbs and I've improved to 4.7lbs/hp with the added benefit of AWD traction. With some quick connect fittings and creative fabrication, I can see it being pretty easy to have it be removable trackside should the battery run out. Remove wheel - disconnect and remove motor - replace wheel - open trunk - disconnect and remove battery - get back on track without performance hybrid system.
It's a pity it's so early on, I got excited reading about it but not even having a working prototype is a bummer. Here's hoping he gets some help and some funding, because I would absolutely convert my car to a hybrid if it was under $5000.
Well there's not a lot of point in converting a car when you could almost buy a new premade electric for the price. Many people are electric interested, but are used car market people. Electrics just haven't penetrated the used market well due to them being quite recent and older models having horrible first adopter issues. So the idea that you could break in by updating a used ICE car for cheap is tantalizing. Whether it's a reality is yet to be proven.
I hope he's able to scale this project, if it were available to me I'd very strongly consider it.
yeah there's definitely a lot ahead before this becomes something people couls actually buy but I'm really optimistic about it -- this would be super cool and a lot of people would buy it at that price point.
As would I, this looks very intriguing, and I would be very glad to stop using petrol for shorter-distance journeys which nevertheless require a car.
Love the idea, I've long thought about an electric crate motor of sorts but a drop in hybrid system is really cool - don't love the idea of a 20+ year old Toyota's starter having to deal with the on/off of a hybrid system, let alone Nana's Vectra!
But, still, better than nothing!
I've long thought that if we can get electric motors down to the right size, there shouldn't be too much of a problem to mount one to an ICE car's transmission by simply replacing the standard engine.
To visualize:
This is the engine and automatic transmission in a "20 year old Toyota", a Toyota Matrix to be exact but the same engine and transmission is in over a dozen other models. Everything to the right of the red line is the original ICE engine, to the left is the automatic transmission. The flywheel (on manual transmission models, same bellhousing size) is about 11" in diameter, the bellhousing bolt pattern is around 14" diameter circle, if a small axial flux motor can have an adapter to match the bellhousing bolt pattern and transfer the power to the transmission's input shaft, then there's little reason most cars can't be retrofit to EVs. In this MS Paint CAD drawing the Matrix/Corolla transmission is on the left, the axial motor is in green, bellhousing adapter is orange, and the power is transmitted from the motor to the transmission's input shaft via the purple adapter (worth noting, everything here except the axial motor is already commonplace in ICE enthusiast circles as we mate different motors to different transmissions from different manufacturers all the time).
The Matrix/Corolla needs a paltry 130hp/97kw motor to match OE performance, the YASA motors Mercedes is putting in their upcoming cars is 480hp/358kw, so a smaller, cheaper version to retrofit older cars shouldn't be a difficult proposition. The issue becomes the battery. The latest Nissan Leaf with the 60kWh battery has a range of about 200 miles (more than what most people actually need), but that battery pack weighs 900lbs.
On the subject of the starter in a hybrid system, the man mentions his in-wheel-setup should have a range of about 100km/62miles, so I imagine it's less a hybrid system and more a plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) style setup where you run on electric motors until the battery is low, then switch to the ICE engine. In these retrofitting cases you'd be using the ICE engine as if no electric motor existed instead as a generator that charges the batteries for the electric motor. So you wouldn't have the start/stop strain on a 20 year old starter, put the car in neutral, drive as an EV, when the battery gets low, stop the car, put it in park, turn on the ICE engine, drive away like normal and pat yourself on the back for not having burned 2-4 gallons of dino juice running errands.
As the Resident Car GuyTM I not only find this exciting from the potential of having a retrofit-able PHEV style setup for getting around town in my older cars, but potential performance benefits as well.
Being that the most obvious way these would be implemented is on the rear wheels of a traditionally front wheel drive (FWD) car (or front wheels of a RWD car), this has the potential to give a 100-200hp boost in acceleration along with the AWD traction advantage at the cost of battery weight and unsprung mass on the suspension. There are very few in the performance space that would turn down AWD traction and a 200hp increase at the cost of a couple hundred pounds and $5k.
For example the racecar I'm building will have something in the range of 500hp and weigh about 3,000lbs, for power to weight ratio of 6lb/hp. Add 200hp and 300lbs and I've improved to 4.7lbs/hp with the added benefit of AWD traction. With some quick connect fittings and creative fabrication, I can see it being pretty easy to have it be removable trackside should the battery run out. Remove wheel - disconnect and remove motor - replace wheel - open trunk - disconnect and remove battery - get back on track without performance hybrid system.
The guy should start a company and a gofundme. I am willing to bet lot's of people would be willing to invest in it.