Is there such a thing called Hyrid off road?
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CJ3Flyr
Super Moderator
Funny you should mention this... This subject bothers me too. Last night I saw an old Simpsons episode. Lisa was super depressed about global warming and went on 'happy pills':lmao: I think I need some...
I don't know of any hybrid that would be good for off-roading yet. One of the reasons is "trucks" and hybrids aren't a good fit due to the high power requirements of a truck (towing heavy loads, loaded pickup beds etc) and the T4R is an old school, truck design. If it were purpose built we could have a hybrid T4R that'd work well. My guess is to take full advantage of the hybrids potential we'd have to drop back to a 3500lb tow rating. The other option is to do like GM, just hybrid a big-ass engine, achieve minimal gains and slap hybrid stickers all over it like the Tahoe/1500 truck
Our 'best hope' IMHO lies in small, clean turbo-diesels that can run on bio-diesel and maybe even propane turbo-diesels.
As far as the environment is concerned, IMHO, a propane diesel is the only one that's truly good for the environment. The other ones would make the tree-huggers less pissed off. "Clean-diesel" is still dirty in all ways except pure CO2. Bio isn't mainstream enough to be viable yet. There's progress in the algae based bio fuels but in general they take too much energy to create one gallon of fuel... Hybrids still have battery manufacturing/recycling impact that's substantial.
I don't know of any hybrid that would be good for off-roading yet. One of the reasons is "trucks" and hybrids aren't a good fit due to the high power requirements of a truck (towing heavy loads, loaded pickup beds etc) and the T4R is an old school, truck design. If it were purpose built we could have a hybrid T4R that'd work well. My guess is to take full advantage of the hybrids potential we'd have to drop back to a 3500lb tow rating. The other option is to do like GM, just hybrid a big-ass engine, achieve minimal gains and slap hybrid stickers all over it like the Tahoe/1500 truck
Our 'best hope' IMHO lies in small, clean turbo-diesels that can run on bio-diesel and maybe even propane turbo-diesels.
As far as the environment is concerned, IMHO, a propane diesel is the only one that's truly good for the environment. The other ones would make the tree-huggers less pissed off. "Clean-diesel" is still dirty in all ways except pure CO2. Bio isn't mainstream enough to be viable yet. There's progress in the algae based bio fuels but in general they take too much energy to create one gallon of fuel... Hybrids still have battery manufacturing/recycling impact that's substantial.
gm350reratliff
New member
I read it somewhere that some college kids were working on a real off-road hybrid. Sounded like they had a lot of work still to do. I suppose it could be possible.
In the meantime those of us that like to go off-road should probably try to get familiar with the mountain bike. In the future that may be the only way.
In the meantime those of us that like to go off-road should probably try to get familiar with the mountain bike. In the future that may be the only way.
LINY4Runner
New member
The other option is to do like GM, just hybrid a big-ass engine, achieve minimal gains and slap hybrid stickers all over it like the Tahoe/1500 truck
hahahahahah soooo true!
JohnsD90
New member
I dont remember where, but i know that there are diesel hybrid's in Class A and B trucks (not in this country) and i hear they are decent. And dont be scared about hybrid in offroading, an electric motor in theory has unlimited torque only limited by the battery, when this progesses there will be many capable electric offroaders, if not we got to get us some gas.
This is a very good point. I build electric RC crawlers using high torque electromagnetic motors and they work very well offroad. The achieve peak torque instantly, unlike a gas engine. With the way battery technology is progressing these days, performance will only get better.
Battery technology isn't really progressing, which is the main draw back in electric vehicles. It is about time for a battery breakthrough
Martinjmpr
New member
Seems to me that's where the benefit of the hybrid system comes in. Forget about transmissions and transfer cases, just use a IC engine (either gasoline or diesel) to power a generator and then use the generator to run the electric motors at each wheel.
Many nice things about this setup: You could have 4 wheel independent suspension and 4 wheel steering (if you wanted) because you wouldn't have to worry about U-joints or driveline angles. The connection from the generator to the electric motors would be by wire which would mean you could have amazing articulation and high ground clearance while still keeping a relatively low CoG. Locking the differentials would not be a needed because each wheel would turn separately (of course, you'd need a fairly sophisticated computer to make sure the wheels were turning correctly when you went around curves, etc.)
Once they become viable you could replace the ICE powerplant with something like a fuel cell and then you'd have a zero-polluting off roader with pretty decent capabilities.
Lipos have made leaps and bounds since they were first introduced. Not only are they MUCH smaller, but they are putting out a helluva lot more current (both continuous and burst). Certainly, these aspects can be carried over to larger cells that can be used in vehicles.
JohnsD90
New member
You don't know the industry at all, the Lithium polymer battery are substansally better than any other battery i know of, and yes it will take a couple years for it to improve and make these battery's work for full size cars, but the breakthrough has been made and it came in the form of Brushless motors and Li-Po battery's, now we just has to further develop these two technologies.
Yeah, i got the unlimited torque thing from R/C, and i completley agree here. Unfortunately i have 2 nitro trucks that are a B.i.t.c.h. to tune.
LINY4Runner
New member
JohnsD90
New member
won't happen, first off the seperate motors will turn at different speeds even in a straight line, each of the wheels will be spinning at a different speed, and as more stress is put on a certain wheel that motor will wear faster and run at a noticably different speed than the others. You need a single engine operating all of the wheels. Second off you need gearing or a transmission or else your speed is limited, that is no different than a gas or diesel motor.
adkinsadam1
New member
Within 10 years (I THINK 10) ALL toyota vehicles will be offered as a hybrid.
Darkmatter
New member
electric motors excel in low rpm torque. I wouldn't be surprised if an offroad hybrid employed electric assist at least for those times you'd want 4low.
I seem to remember rail lines are going to electric motors because of the massive power available at rest. If you've ever driven a hybrid that goes full electric from a standstill, it feels like it has more pickup than it does, cause the electric motor has full torque starting from 0 rpm.
I seem to remember rail lines are going to electric motors because of the massive power available at rest. If you've ever driven a hybrid that goes full electric from a standstill, it feels like it has more pickup than it does, cause the electric motor has full torque starting from 0 rpm.
Exactly. Those brushless motors can operate for long periods of time without being rebuilt, unlike the typical brushed electric motor. They wouldn't really be useful in offroad applications (lack of drag during deceleration), but would be good for on road. Hell, I rebuild my brushed motors in my competition crawler RCs about once a month. The brushes are thrashed and the commutator needs polishing. A brushed motor can hold on a hill very easily...unlike a brushless motor.
Yeah, RC gas motors (naturally aspirated) are tough to tune. Just like full size motors, they depend heavily on the quality of the outside air. Not the case with electric motors. However, Lipo batteries function better when they are warm, so that is something to consider.
BTW, for those wondering, here is an excellent setup for an electric car running on Lipo batteries:
YouTube - White Zombie Datsun 1200 Electric drag car
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