Locomotives aren’t really a hybrid in the terms we think of - the diesel engine is used solely to turn an electric generator and an air compressor. There is no direct contribution from the internal combustion engine toward propulsion like there would be in the Prius or other hybrid automobiles.
That being said, electrically driven motors for a pickup truck makes sense to me - it would improve the low-rpm torque which would really help for towing and load handling, wouldn’t it?
I think the ultimate 4-wheeler will have an electric “pancake” motor at each wheel.
Torque distribution will be electrically controlled, no multiple gear sets, mis-matched tires will not cause harm and can be compensated for.
I agree with @Rod Knox on the electric front with RWD. Use the front to boost at takeoff and provide 4wd when needed.
To add to this, the regeneration under braking that really is the big deal in a hybrid can capture more regen energy at the front since it does the most braking. The truck would brake the front wheels with the generator function. This is what high powered sports cars like the Porsche Panamerica and proposed Audi and Ferrari cars will use.
Just so everyone understands, I know that trains are not hybrids in the same since as a Prius, that was just an offhand smartass remark to texasas and was only made in jest. No offense intended to texasas. Trains don’t do a lot of stop and go city type driving.
@MikeinNH I agree that light oil is getting scarcer, and as such the world price for all oil will remain high. The heavier crudes, however are very abundant, and will see us through for at least the next 100 years. Venezuela, Canada and Russia together have more oil than the entire Middle East. Oil is also found in areas previously not explored, such as extreme depth, the Arctic and other remote areas.
That does not mean we should squander it, but taking cropland out of food production to produce biofuels is criminal.
You will see the future unfold much as the past, except that tomorrow’s oils will need more treatment to become gasoline and diesel, and will be somewhat more expensive to produce and refine. US Gulf Coast refineries have already geared up for these heavy crudes.
In most of the world, taxes comprise the largest part of gasoline prices, which keeps brake on excessive consumption. The US has the lowest gas taxes of any developed country and as a results we still drive too many thirsty cars and trucks.
I agree that alternate technologies should be explored (but not consumer-subsidized) and biofuels from non-farm sources such as algea are promising.
Hybrids are a natural development of the gasoline powered car, capturing more of the energy in the gasoline.
@Docnick,we have hit the peak in oil production,we will have a fair amount for a long time-but I do not consider things like tar sands a good way to obtain oil,look at the environmental damage.
All these years to make something we are using up practically overnight and don’t forget the the rising demand as 3rd world countries rise to our levels of greed,it was fun while it lasted,but I don’t see anymore 99 cent a gallon gas,the Shah of Iran said,oil was too valuable to burn-Kevin
@kmccune US oil production is RISING but self-sufficiency went out the window in the late 60s. You have to look at all the oil available in the world, and divide it by the number of users. At the current $100 per barrel price, a lot of oil is being discovered, but it is expensive.
With respect to “tar sands”, now called oil sands, since it’s oil in there, a colleague at university is studying the “wells to wheels” carbon generation of various oils around the world. The most carbon is generated by the sticky stuff from California. This is the same stuff Schwartzenegger condemned if it came from Canada (much cleaner), but protected when it came from the Brea tar pits.
I could send you a copy of the study, if you’re interested.
Light oil from Nigeria generates a lot of carbon because of the poor way in which it is produced, with all the associated gas being burned (flared). So, Canadian oil sands oil has a carbon footprint of 105 compared to light Nigerian oil at 100!!!
Venezuelan heavy oil comes in about the same at 105 or higher.
Believe it or not there are countries that have no oil at all, and those countries use it sparingly because it all has to be imported. Japan is a good example.
At this time, worldwide, the amount of heavier oil is starting to equal the light oil produced. Hence the ability of US refineries to be able to process all grades. More heavy oil is being found than light oil at this time. All the more reason to be frugal in its use. Making oil from coal is possible, but really messy and it generates huge amounts of carbon. The US has some of the world’s largest deposits of coal, but even Al Gore would disapprove of it being turned into gasoline for the sake of self-sufficincy. Only Germany during WW II and South Africa under Apartheid made oil from coal.
In short, the quickest way to reduce the “wells to wheels” generation of Carbon is to use less oil in the first place.
A country need not be self-sufficient in everything. Very few countries are. Almost 50% of “Florida” orange juice comes from Brazil! If it was more than 50% it could not be called Florida Orange Juice. Read the fine print on the carton or jug.
When I make coffee in the morning I don’t think about the Colombian coffee pickers, and so on.
@kmccune - I thought you made a good point. Lots of ways to combine systems to save energy. But it’ll be hard to come up with something cheaper than a diesel for a truck. We’ll see…
Thanks for the replys Folks,but just take a gander at the wastelands generated by some of the energy producers-its appaling,I guess you have to decide your priorities-Kevin
That does not mean we should squander it, but taking cropland out of food production to produce biofuels is criminal.
I never mentioned bio fuel. In fact I’m not for it. Hybrids (which I was arguing for does NOT use any bio fuels).
I agree that alternate technologies should be explored (but not consumer-subsidized) and biofuels from non-farm sources such as algea are promising.
I agree…but there are other technologies that we need to do a lot more research on…Electric is just now becoming useful. But battery technology still has a way to go.
Hydrogen powered vehicles. There are new technologies today that are used to break the hydrogen oxygen bond from water using solar power and then capturing the hydrogen.
Fuel-Cell. Toyota is introducing a fuel-cell car next year.
@MikeInNH I agree that we need to explore all these alternate technologies and when they are financially viable, use them in an unsubsidized way. There will be a future market for electric cars, just as there is a market for electric golf carts and electric fork lift trucks. But it will be limited.
Tonight there is a talk at the university by an energy expert on the future of nuclear power. The Fukeshima accident has put a damper on future growth and in the US it’s now so much cheaper and faster to build gas fired, efficient power plants. Gas is now the cheapest way to generate electricity, and it generates only half the carbon per kilowatt-hour as coal. Electric commuting cars are definitely viable form an operating cost point of view.
But, as Texases says, an efficient diesel engine is still the best to move things and people over long distances, whether by train, boat, or road.
Here’s an example of a good idea gone wrong in a big way: I’m all in favor of working on EV technology, but the government has put in place ‘EV credits’ that car makers buy when they can’t sell enough EVs on their own. Guess who’s selling them: Tesla. Guess what they’re doing with the windfall (in the HUNDREDS of millions of $$): building a proprietary network of charging stations that only work with their cars. So consumer $$ are being used to fund a charging network for the rich folk who buy $80,000 Teslas. And guess what? The next Tesla (a SUV) will cost MORE!
Thanks, Washington (and yes, I put both parties at fault for this).
I think the Chevy Volt is a step in the right direction.
They’re many people creeping along in rush hour traffic going to work every day who would use much less energy in electric mode.