Ford, Toyota will partner on RWD hybrid system for trucks and SUVs

#1

Chance meeting between Toyota and Ford’s head honchos leads to a business partnership for a hybrid RWD platform for their trucks and SUVs.

Could this also lead to something similar to SYNC in Toyotas or a hybrid F-150?

#2

I hope it’s not a rehash of the mild hybrids of GMC. I would like to see the transmission eliminated with electric drive motors for bigger trucks AKA locomotive style series hybrids. Unfortunately, it’s just a stepping stone to keep up we the mandates, keep the complexity in tact and the profits high. Heaven forbid we start offering 4 cyl. Diesels in compact trucks.

#3

Makes sense to me. Why?

Ford and Toyota were both spending oodles of cash developing hybrids, and continuously were coming up with similar solutions, leading them to exchange patent rights back and forth. This will allow them to work together to move forward faster, and at lower total cost.

In return, each company gives up a little something - Toyota is recognized (fairly or not) as the standard bearer for hybrids. Ford is recognized (fairly or not) as the standard bearer for trucks. This will (likely) give Toyota a bit more of a claim on the truck market, and Ford a bit more of a claim on the hybrid market. Ford is betting Toyota’s growth will come at the expense of GM/Chrysler/Honda/Nissan and not Ford, and Toyota is betting Ford’s growth will come at the expense of GM/Chrysler/Honda/Nissan, and not Toyota…

#4

“I would like to see the transmission eliminated with electric drive motors”

This would be good for smaller vehicles too.
4WD/AWD would be much simpler mechanically and able to tolerate miss-matched tires too.
Since the motors can reverse their torque ABS can be implemented separate from the hydraulic brake system.
My eGo electric scooter has an anti-lock effect built into the regenerative braking.

If each motor is coupled to the wheel with a short driveshaft the motor’s mass can be removed from unsprung weight.

#5

I’m not sure vehicles would be more economical to run but they would be more durable, flexible in use, easier to repair and lend itself to much simpler and smaller ICE motors which only have to meet average demands. Interesting comment on your scooter capabilities. Imagine the cornering capability and acceleration. Every car is a potential SUV Corvette.

#6

This seems to be a new business philosophy by Toyota. They’re also due to begin selling a Scion that uses a Subie powertrain and chassis.

The homoginization of the car business continues.

#7

Toyota could do worse. Well, actually it did; it was partnered with GM for awhile

#8

Nothing wrong with that. We bought two Novas and a Prism. Toyota Corolla chassis, Chevy compact price.

#9

“I would like to see the transmission eliminated with electric drive motors for bigger trucks AKA locomotive style series hybrids.”

The Volt is very close to what you want right now. Storage battery energy density is not quite high enough to use the ICE to just charge the battery, though that is what the Volt does for the most part. GM could have made a closer analog to the locomotive hybrid, but that would have required more battery cells at the expense of weight and cost. And it is expensive enough already.