Orbis bolt on hybrid - very clever, engineeringly flawed

[Shannow]

Love this...

Have had an idea rattling for far too long about bolt on hybrid, just not had the capacity to sit down and think it out.

These guys have...I like the herringbone gears, dislike them being exposed...the wheel supports are clever, but I question the durability...

BUT...if I had the dough, I'd build that car...100%...or retrofit the back end to a 34 year old Corrolla



I LOVE clever people
I LOVE clever people who do things more.

edit...am hating WIn10 and this laptop

 

[Inspecktor]

I have wondered about using electric motors at each wheel. Years ago, I worked for a mining company that used 120 ton trucks with diesel-electric powertrains with three motors in each wheel hub. These trucks were pretty reliable during several decades of service.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted by Inspecktor
I have wondered about using electric motors at each wheel. Years ago, I worked for a mining company that used 120 ton trucks with diesel-electric powertrains with three motors in each wheel hub. These trucks were pretty reliable during several decades of service.


Yeah, that's where my mental machinations have been the last decade...a hub cyclic bolt on hybrid.

 

[spk2000]

I have heard the newer concept electric don't need brake pads as electric motors can simulate the braking without them. This was 10 years ago when I was in the brake pad business and the scare was brake pads only had about a 15 years life expectancy and they would become obsolete. Think the timing was off or management scare to cut costs.

 

[Shannow]

spk2000
It's one thing to use Electrodynamics to slow a vehicle and yet another to bring it to a full stop, and hold it for a few seconds, to a minute, then onto a park brake for an hour to a couple of weeks.

There will always be brake pads

 

[skyactiv]

What happens if you bend a wheel hitting a pothole?

 

[Cujet]

Wow, that's unconventional. I'd love to try it/drive it and enjoy the technology. I'm hesitant to be critical of such designs, as it's so different, I'm sure there is much to learn.

I do believe unsprung weight is always an issue.

 

[eljefino]

What happens when I drive through slush and then park it overnight?

Prius AWD has a little centrally located rear motor/inverter and a couple of traditional CV axles.

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted by eljefino


Prius AWD has a little centrally located rear motor/inverter and a couple of traditional CV axles.


That seems the most logical solution.

I always wanted to manufacture a dual motor centrally located gearbox that hooked to CV's. No differential needed and each wheel can be driven as needed.

 

[BrocLuno]

What gets me is there were/are about a zillion Ford Escapes (small SUV) sold w/o a rear diff in the FWD configuration. Seems a no brainer to add inverter and electric motor and use stock OEM rear half shafts to make it AWD (on demand) and hybrid-lite ...

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted by BrocLuno
What gets me is there were/are about a zillion Ford Escapes (small SUV) sold w/o a rear diff in the FWD configuration. Seems a no brainer to add inverter and electric motor and use stock OEM rear half shafts to make it AWD (on demand) and hybrid-lite ...


Yep...my thoughts exactly.

Centered around finding a 2WD Captiva and mounting a motor and 4WD suspension.

(All pie in the sky).

 

[A_Harman]

Looks brutal for unsprung weight and moment of inertia.
One Michigan-style pothole, and the owner is in for a big repair bill.
Mount the expensive bits inboard and drive the wheel via halfshafts.

 

[Surestick]

Originally Posted by A_Harman
Looks brutal for unsprung weight and moment of inertia.
One Michigan-style pothole, and the owner is in for a big repair bill.
Mount the expensive bits inboard and drive the wheel via halfshafts.


For an add-on hybrid system, I'd think adding power through the crankshaft pulley with an electric motor through a supercharger belt would be the simplest solution.

You could never go fully electric drive but you could save a lot of fuel by using the electric motor to help out during acceleration and recharge during coasting or braking.

 

[nthach]

ZF has been working on in-wheel motors, so has Bosch and Michelin. Right now, ZF has commercialized them for transit buses and I think NovaBus and New Flyer will offer them as optional equipment on their BEV/HEV articulated buses. I can see it becoming useful in the Midwest-East Coast and eastern Canada/Toronto/Quebec.

https://vision.zf.com/site/magazine/en/articles_11264.html
https://www.newflyer.com/buses/xcelsior-charge/ - that same ZF unit I mentioned is standard equipment, apparently.