So far so good with Prius. It does 48mpg on the highway if you're nice to it. I need to learn its tricks to get a good city number but supposedly with proper driving it will do better in stop and go.
So far so good with Prius. It does 48mpg on the highway if you're nice to it. I need to learn its tricks to get a good city number but supposedly with proper driving it will do better in stop and go.
i just bought a '76 K20 with a 4sp for $750.
I have thought about turning my plymouth arrow truck into a hybrid with a golf cart motor and a lead acid battery pack. 
why would you NOT do that?
That's what im saying! Just bracket it off the engine like a big alternator, add it to the belt drive, get a motor controller and a 72v lead-acid pack at the front of the bed and have at it!
belteshazzar wrote: why would you NOT do that?
Might as well just buy a Prius for $4,500 and spend the time saved not working on the car smoking pot with the hippies instead 
Vigo wrote: That's what im saying! Just bracket it off the engine like a big alternator, add it to the belt drive, get a motor controller and a 72v lead-acid pack at the front of the bed and have at it!
I'm waiting for some company to actually release a kit that does this. An integrated setup in the flywheel would be even more badass, but too complex.
Doing it open source, I'd like to see someone figure out a way to use the Honda battery pack, or better yet the Prius battery pack to do it. Being able to purchase one for <$1000 refurb is probably a killer bargain compared to any roll-you-own lithium pack one could make.
I JUST WANT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION HYBRID WAGON, PICKUP, OR SMALL SUV.
I JUST WANT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION HYBRID WAGON, PICKUP, OR SMALL SUV.
Well, only some hybrid systems will work with a manual. The reason why honda offered manual hybrids is that their hybrid system was so simplistic you could just sandwich a motor between the engine and trans. If you wanted to make a manual Prius, though, you'd have to change LITERALLY EVERYTHING.
I think the more advanced the hybrid system is, the less likely it is to accomodate a manual. I highly doubt there will be any manuals on 'mundane/utilitarian' hybrid vehicles going forward.
But, i also think the more acceptance and knowledge filters into the enthusiast community, the more people will start building their own. Along those lines, you might want to look into Smyth Performance and the possibility of a TDI/5spd Jetta Pickup Kit. 
I actually do want a Prius, but it would have to be one of those "change everything" type deals you mentioned. I think they'd make a good base for a landspeed car or an enduro type car. Just get rid of the batteries and CVT, drop in a modern turbo diesel and be better at everything.
I still don't understand why anybody would want a nasty, expensive, desperately boring battery hybrid when they could have a Golf TDI.
This kind of hybrid, though, does seem to have objective benefits.
Vigo wrote:I JUST WANT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION HYBRID WAGON, PICKUP, OR SMALL SUV.Well, only some hybrid systems will work with a manual. The reason why honda offered manual hybrids is that their hybrid system was so simplistic you could just sandwich a motor between the engine and trans. If you wanted to make a manual Prius, though, you'd have to change LITERALLY EVERYTHING. I think the more advanced the hybrid system is, the less likely it is to accomodate a manual. I highly doubt there will be any manuals on 'mundane/utilitarian' hybrid vehicles going forward.
Yup. This is why someone needs to come up with a simple way for me to build one, either slapped on the belt accessory drive, or between engine/trans.
Has anyone done the latter with a Honda IMA?
DaewooOfDeath wrote: I actually do want a Prius, but it would have to be one of those "change everything" type deals you mentioned.
Never has the "god is my co pilot" bumper sticker been more appropriate.
DaewooOfDeath wrote: I still don't understand why anybody would want a nasty, expensive, desperately boring battery hybrid when they could have a Golf TDI.
After living with a Volt on the daily commute, powering a car by exploding dead dinosaurs is excessively crude in comparison. Why give up the silent instant torque and quickness and luxury of an electric motor to get an old-tech, stinky, noisy still expensive TDi that you still have to pay more for fuel for?
mazdeuce wrote:DaewooOfDeath wrote: I actually do want a Prius, but it would have to be one of those "change everything" type deals you mentioned.Never has the "god is my co pilot" bumper sticker been more appropriate.
???
Chris_V wrote:DaewooOfDeath wrote: I still don't understand why anybody would want a nasty, expensive, desperately boring battery hybrid when they could have a Golf TDI.After living with a Volt on the daily commute, powering a car by exploding dead dinosaurs is excessively crude in comparison. Why give up the silent instant torque and quickness and luxury of an electric motor to get an old-tech, stinky, noisy still expensive TDi that you still have to pay more for fuel for?
Your Volt is powered by exploding dead dinosaurs. It's also more expensive, slower and not appreciably more refined.
I've never driven a Volt, so I can't say for sure, but I have a very hard time believing it's anywhere near as much fun to drive as a playful, torquey, fast warm hatchback. And if the noise in a Volt is anything like the noise in a Prius C, the VW is vastly quieter.
The interior is better in the VW, too.
That said, a Volt is closer to being an EV. If you have enough money for a second/third car and commute, EVs make sense. If I had the money for a second/third car, I'd seriously consider one.
The problem with that VW picture is that the picture is overlooking some kind of forrest. The VW's natural habitat is actually the dealers' service department.
I wouldn't buy a diesel simply because of the price of fuel. Here in PA, it's $.50 more per gallon. That would wipe out any mpg savings.
I'm not sure this thread is actually helping me, but I love it. It's hovering all around the focal points of my dilemma...
Have WRX. Headed for something with better MPG. Mostly around town, but need to do several longer trips a year.
The fact that Peter Egan just bought a TDI Sportwagen has more impact than it ought to.
Of course, it makes no sense right now to buy a Leaf/Volt/GenericEV as opposed to lease... Maybe buy a TDI and see where electric cars are when it's paid off? Lease a Leaf, buy something 10 years old for road trips? Short on parking... Lease a Leaf and rent something when we leave town? That sounds like a pain, but I should probably spreadsheet it...
DaewooOfDeath wrote: Your Volt is powered by exploding dead dinosaurs. It's also more expensive, slower and not appreciably more refined.
Fot the last 8 months I haven't used a drop of gasoline or diesel in daily driving. It's barly more expensive ($27k average transaction price thanks to incentives both federal and from GM) to buy, but you don't have the fuel costs after you buy, so that makes it cheaper. And since you haven't driven one, you're speaking out your butthole about how refined it is. Seriously, knock it the berkeley off.
DaewooOfDeath wrote: I've never driven a Volt, so I can't say for sure, but I have a very hard time believing it's anywhere near as much fun to drive as a playful, torquey, fast warm hatchback.
Your first sentence said it: YOU haven't driven one, which makes you rather ignorant on the subject. You really should drive one, 280 lb ft of torque right off idle is nothing to sneeze at, along with a low center of gravity for very planted handling.
Serious as a heart attack, go drive one, put it in Sport mode and low gear and punch it from about 10 mph up to about 40-50. it's quick.
And if the noise in a Volt is anything like the noise in a Prius C, the VW is vastly quieter.
It's not. The Volt is damn near completely silent (it has tire noise when rolling). Again, you haven't driven one, so shut up until you do, it just makes you sound foolish.
The interior is better in the VW, too.
Why don't you post a picture of a berkeleying PRODUCTION Volt. Like mine:
leather and suede inserts, and a dark center console. The beige door panel inserts are the suede, like the seat centers.
or in black, like the one I test drove:
It's just as nice a place to be as the VW in reality and in actual use day to day. It has no more plastic than my E38 740iL did.
Yup. This is why someone needs to come up with a simple way for me to build one, either slapped on the belt accessory drive, or between engine/trans. Has anyone done the latter with a Honda IMA?
Not that i know of, but given honda swappability, it's probably possible to swap an entire Civic Hybrid drivetrain with a manual into some other FWD honda like a CR-V and add a turbo to it if desired. I see running civic Hybrids in the mid 2s right now at the low end. I'm guessing if you found a wrecked one it wouldnt be worth much more than 1k. The Insight drivetrain would be useless in something that weighed more.
Obviously there are other IMA vehicles out there but i dont think any of them are cheap enough donors to qualify for a grassroots attempt to come out ahead on fuel costs.
I've got problem with the Volt... other than the lack of a wagon version... 
Well, since we are posting pics, pic of my Volt after one leg of my commute to work. Typical speed is 80 mph. Mostly highway.
The Leaf's dash/control panel isn't ultra fancy, but coming from driving old beaters, it's space age to me. The build quality and materials aren't bad at all either for the price I pay.
Oh, and yeah, if you haven't driven something powered by a battery, try it. The instant torque from a stop will make you laugh...gauranteed.
Klayfish wrote: The Leaf's dash/control panel isn't ultra fancy, but coming from driving old beaters, it's space age to me. The build quality and materials aren't bad at all either for the price I pay. Oh, and yeah, if you haven't driven something powered by a battery, try it. The instant torque from a stop will make you laugh...guaranteed.
Same here. I don't have carwings, so mine is builder basic, but it's still nice. Yes, the shove you get off "idle" is very intersting, to say the least, and it's so quiet I still giggle every time I "start" it and nothing happens.
Chris_V wrote:DaewooOfDeath wrote: I still don't understand why anybody would want a nasty, expensive, desperately boring battery hybrid when they could have a Golf TDI.After living with a Volt on the daily commute, powering a car by exploding dead dinosaurs is excessively crude in comparison. Why give up the silent instant torque and quickness and luxury of an electric motor to get an old-tech, stinky, noisy still expensive TDi that you still have to pay more for fuel for?
At least with a volt you get a backup plan. The E-focus is battery only...i'm living on the EDGE!!
sjd
ransom wrote: I'm not sure this thread is actually helping me, but I love it. It's hovering all around the focal points of my dilemma... Have WRX. Headed for something with better MPG. Mostly around town, but need to do several longer trips a year. The fact that Peter Egan just bought a TDI Sportwagen has more impact than it ought to. Of course, it makes no sense *right now* to buy a Leaf/Volt/GenericEV as opposed to lease... Maybe buy a TDI and see where electric cars are when it's paid off? Lease a Leaf, buy something 10 years old for road trips? Short on parking... Lease a Leaf and rent something when we leave town? That sounds like a pain, but I should probably spreadsheet it...
I have SO considered the rental route... I was nearly to the point where I can't pick my parents up at the airport...and I have 6 cars... then I thought "as often as they visit, rent a Chrysler 300 for the week, and not worry about it..."
sjd
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