» Site Navigation | | » Recent Threads | | | | | | | | 03-01-2006, 02:10 PM | #1 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 669 | crazy idea Watching a motorweek review of the new saturn hybrid suv I had a crazy idea. Their hybrid uses a traditional drivetrain with an electric motor belt driven to the crank. This provides them with electric power when the engine is off, I assume they use cylinder deactivation so it's not trying to compress the engine. I was wondering though, what would the implications of throwing an electric motor on our engines instead of a supercharger. This with a beefed up alternator and a spare battery or 2 could provide better gas milage as well as a minor performance increase. Anyone ever hear of this done before? | | | 03-01-2006, 02:13 PM | #2 | aka Stabby Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mead, CO Posts: 5,336 | certainly never heard of it being done! __________________ 1996 318ti, California package, 267k miles current mods: bilstein sports, bavauto springs, e30 m3 LCABs, solid metal ball joints, bavauto RSMs w/reinforcements, e30 3.73 LSD & halfshafts, supersprint cat-back exhaust, turner rear sway bar reinforcements, IE poly subframe & RTABs + camber/toe kits, powdercoated e36 32x front calipers, sport mirrors, H&R 28mmF/19mmR sway bars, x-brace, auto solutions SSK w/poly bushing upgrade, BMW CD43 head unit, DICE HD Radio w/iPod integration and "stealth" HD antenna, staggered style 68s, orange electronic TPMS, leather arm rest, JT Designs metal undertray acquired and awaiting install: heated seat kit, cali top switch relo, lumbar support kit, park distance control kit, heated washer nozzle kit, m-coupe rear subframe, trailing arms, differential, and halfshafts, m-coupe front/rear brakes with master cylinder, under hood light kit, mud flaps, rear sun blind, auto-dimming rear view mirror, tilt steering wheel retrofit, apexcone 5000K HIDs with 55W ballasts 2002 X5 4.4 Sport Package, 53.5k miles Current Mods: e46 m3 steering wheel | | | 03-01-2006, 02:43 PM | #3 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 228 | Converting the car to a Hybrid sounds hella nice! Is this basically the hypothetical question, "Is hybrid conversion a reasonable possibility?" Or is this really possibile for our cars? | | | 03-01-2006, 02:51 PM | #4 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 669 | I guess this question is some of both. I don't think I'd do it to my car since I want more performance. I also think this would be easier with an automatic transmission, so I could try to retrofit my wife's car. I'm not sure that I'd do it to any car since the cost may be prohibitive in the aftermarket. I just had the idea of it when I learned how the GM hybrids worked. Maybe when gas prices go up more people could use this to make $. | | | 03-01-2006, 04:44 PM | #5 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 669 | my gears in my head are turning... found this http://www.electroauto.com/catalog/accontrol.shtml I'm going to research if it can control the spare 3 phase motors we use at work. I can get used motors for free, may dream up a new project here soon. | | | 03-01-2006, 04:52 PM | #6 | Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Quad Cities, Iowa Posts: 2,110 | Its a interesting idea and it would be worth a try. I would never drive a hybrid though. I hate them, to me they stand for crappy econo boxes driven by people who dont care about performance. It would be interesting if you did it though. Prove me wrong. __________________ "Drive Fast and Take Chances" | | | 03-01-2006, 04:57 PM | #7 | Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Asheville NC Posts: 669 | the honda accord v6 hybrid is faster than their non hybrid car, so the stereotype of crappy econo boxes does not necessarily apply. I think I'd get another car for this project instead of trying it on the ti, if I stayed in the realm of bmw it'd be an e30, otherwise I'd look for a vw gold or crx. I've also wanted to build an electric car for the longest time now, so that's still an option. I like fast cars too, but I also like clean air to breathe and reduced dependancy on oil. | | | 03-01-2006, 05:21 PM | #8 | Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 228 | Quote: Originally Posted by SDKmann Its a interesting idea and it would be worth a try. I would never drive a hybrid though. I hate them, to me they stand for crappy econo boxes driven by people who dont care about performance. It would be interesting if you did it though. Prove me wrong. | Hehehe, I like the 318 because it gets better gas mileage than the huge field of other BMW models out there! Truly, to each his own. I think the idea sounds pretty kickass. Its practicality would reveal itself quickly if we had a cost of implimentation. Then we could divide by the expected savings and see if we get a value less than one. If we're not to the point where we can even find a cost of implimentation it means we're too early to the punch, right? I've never personally heard of this but no doubt there's the potential for a small market here. | | | 03-01-2006, 05:49 PM | #10 | Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 218 | I was at the philly car show the other day and was thinking about the fact that some day I'll be talking to my grandchildren about how much fun it was owning a internal combustion engine... they won't know what I'm talking about and that will make me sad. | | | | Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode | Posting Rules | You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | |