Hybrid conversion options

[ccanuk]

Hi I'm looking for some new thoughts onto a few options I have to convert my X to electric/Gas Hybrid

Eventually I want to put in a smaller Diesel in place of the V6, but for now I want to get the electic part installed, before changing the Internal Combustion power plant

the basic idea is that the electric system will charge when the engine is under light load, and apply an extra equivelent 50hp when under load or accelerating.

this is close to the motor I would be using, the difference would be that the motor would be cabable of generating also

1) remove the transfer case and run a drive shaft from the Tranny straight to the rear diff, and mount the electic motor/generator onto the front drive shaft.

this will allow me to upgrade to full time AWD, and I can swap out the gears in the front to suit the motor, but I loose my low range, and the electric motor will not be as powerful as engine so power from front to rear will be unbalanced.

2) move the transfer case back a bit, and install the electric motor/generator between the TCase and the Tranny

this allows me to keep my low range, but requires a lot of fabrication, and possibly will need a system of gears to get the motor's power matched to the engine

3) mount the motor between the TCase and the front Diff, If I understand correctly, this will allow the front wheels to be driven by the motor while the TCase will spin freely, until I engage 4WD, in which case the TCase will engage, and provide power to the front to supplement the motor.

This would probably be a halfway between the 3 options for difficulty, and would allow me to have AWD, Fulltime 4WD with a low Range, and in 4WD the power between front and back would be more closely balanced. the only problem is in low range the motor would not be able to supply much power to the axle with out risk of burning it out

what do you all think?

 

[bates]

I think you're a genius if you pull this off man! Good luck though, keep us posted, I'd love to see the first hybrid ex made in Canada

 

[Doug]

I think it will take large amounts of money and lots of fabbing. If you're going to swap in a deisel why even consider this option? A diesel imho is alot better idea. It would probably cost alot less and I'm willing to get you'll get better gas mileage. You should look into the new 2.8l diesel in the new Liberties they look pretty cool and theyre about the right size.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The electric motor couldn't just freewheel when in 4x4 and low? Don't they have 2.5 turbo diesels in Rangers in other countries? That probably be the easiest

 

[Doug]

they do but 2.5l turbo diesel's in rangers in other countries but I beleive they're very pricey to import. I know someone on here was looking into it and it was something like 7-8k for the motor.

 

[ccanuk]

Diesel cheaper maybe, better MPG... questionable...

the idea is to keep the engine from ever having to do more work than a light load, and use the motor and stored energy in the battery pack to do the accelerating, and take up the load, and when coasting, or on level surface, recharge the battery pack. how many miles can you go if you were on a completely flat straight road, and only had to maintain your current speed?

The hard part will be grafting the motor into the drivetrain, after that it's pretty easy, I just have to set up a circuit so that when the engine is under load, or at WOT, or the rear wheels are spinning faster than the front, full power is sent to the motor

when the above conditions are all false, and the battery pack is less than 100% charged, reverse the leads on the motor to use it as a generator.

So if I spend 1500 on the motor, and 1000 on batteries, I figure I could do the conversion for about 3500 bucks if I do the fabricating myself.

this is more of a just for fun thing... not so much a necessity thing... but if I can double my mpg in city, It will pay for itself in 4 years.

I can let the motor free wheel while in 4wd and 4wd low, however that defeats the purpose of going hybrid... I guess I just have to accept a lower mpg on the trail thats fine I guess.

a 4th option would be to find another transfercase and use the low range on that for the motor to drive the front wheels though I don't know if I like the idea of leaving half the transfer cases unused...

 

[Mbrooks420]

Wouldn't it be more effective to start with a more efficient vehicle? The Explorer has a lot going against it. It's 4x4, heavy, and not efficient to start with. That is going to kill a lot of potential for this setup. If you started with a 25mpg lighter car, then you could likely get it up to 40+mpg. How many HP is the electric motor?

 

[Doug]

How do you propose to get all that done electronically? getting everything to switch on and off and do what it's supposed to is gonna he a helluva task, you're going to need some sort of computer to control and regulate all that. I'm willing to bet you're looking at alot more than 3500. The way I see it unless you can get all sorts of custom adapters machined to put that electric motor any where in the drive line. The idea you gave that makes the most sense is to mount the motor between the t-case and transmission and you're looking at all sorts of custom parts, drive shafts, new cross members, depending how you do things custom input and output shafts on the transmission and t-case. If you can find a way to divorce everything that would probably be your best bet but you'll more than likely run into clearance issues around the gas tank. Not to mention with all that stuff in thier your rear driveshaft will be mad short. If you can figure out a way to make all that work, more power to you. But I bet with a diesel you could easly get upwards of 30mpg, One of the worlds most fuel efficent cars isnt a hybrid, it's a diesel.

 

[EBInterceptor]

Or just get the Escape Hybrid.

 

[ccanuk]

it would be more effective to start with a tiny light vehicle yes, but then you don't have the ablitiy to pull up to a stop light next to a Geo metro, on 33" tires and laugh at his mileage... see - fun!

I can have a vacuum sensor that controls a relay on a vacuum line to monitor the engine load, a trigger switch to register WOT and since I don't use the ABS anyway, all I have to do is wire the hall effect sensors to a compare circuit, if I throw on a capacitor in parrallel between each sensor, different wheel speed will produce different voltages, when the rear sensors produce a higher voltage than the front, engage the main motor contactors (giant relay)

to engage recharging, all I have to do is set up another relay with it's coil wired to a Normally closed set of contacts on the main relay (when the main relay is energized this circuit is open), and a relay with a potentiometer circuit on it, wired in parallel to the battery, set the pot so that when the battery voltage drops below 11.5 volts, the coil drops out, and it completes the circuit that engages the rechaging contactors.

no computer is needed.

the motor is 50 hp peak, but because an electric motor has a much broader power band, it's eqivelent to about 70-80hp.

After I get the driveline sorted out, and working to my satisfaction, I'd swap in a diesel, thus improving my mileage even more

 

[SteveVB]

Ive looked at a bunch of conversions- most seem to use the existing trans and driveline replacing the engine with a large electric.
I would think that two smaller motors mounted at the wheel positions would be more effecient and enable greater control. Or even one motor parallel to the axle. You could rid the vehicle of the weight of the driveline, axle, and transmission- anyone make a setup like that? Something similar to a railroad locomotive- just smaller. Add some computer controls for traction control and braking. Costs I guess.

 

[ccanuk]

yeah, but where do I put the generator set? I thought about doing an electric conversion and then build a generator trailer for long trips, but that would make off road impossible... also electric motors heat up dangerously when under load at low rpm.

also with that set, is I'd have to spend $1800+ for a speed controller

also there is some thought that fuel to mechanical to electric to storage is much less efficient than fuel to mechanical to kinetic.

 

[IZwack]

I've ran into quite a bit of electric conversion of ford Rangers all over the net. Hybrids are a little more rare though.

Hats off to you on this project. If i lived closed to you, i'd be more than happy to lend a helping hand.

 

[andylant2003]

I hate to break it to you, but the weight of the explorer plus the required power just to turn the drivetrain might be too much for that motor. It would require constant max amperage on that motor just to keep the ex moving. I would consider looking for a different motor with a higher torque rating and lower amp rating. If you aren't careful the load on a motor like that will make a very considerable amount of heat. Although a well though out plan, I don't recommend doing this modification. That's just my opinion.


On another note: If you do decide to go with it, then I wish you the best of luck.