Hybrid Car with Regenerative Braking

neoneddy · December 10, 2018, 10:48:56 AM

As far as how to transfer this power and braking to the system, my thought is only this. Belt driven alternators and A/C compressors put a large load on the engine and are belt driven. I was never thinking this would replace normal braking, but to assist and capture some of that energy.

https://youtu.be/n9fAnjgR8lA The Formula 1 KERS system is more what I'm thinking.

kyle4501 · December 10, 2018, 03:59:42 PM

Quote from: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM on December 09, 2018, 05:17:28 PM
The intent would only be to charge the stock batteries in the Toad, no more than that.

Based on my experience with a hybrid Honda Accord, I would expect the toad battery would be at full charge before you got to the bottom of the first decent sized hill.

Jeremy · December 10, 2018, 06:43:24 PM

I must say that if I had a big chunk of 'free' electricity available in my bus I'd be looking for ways of using it to assist the bus itself along the road. How much engine power & diesel do the compressor and alternator consume for example? Or the A/C system? Use that big chunk of electricity to power that stuff instead and you'd immediately get down the road more quickly and more cheaply. Then there are things like electric superchargers that'd get you down the road quicker still..

Jeremy

neoneddy · December 10, 2018, 07:29:01 PM

That's exactly what a KERS system would do. An extra boost on take offs or up a hill (assuming you charged the system down the previous hill)

But what sort of generator / motor would both do this and not burn up a belt or something and have enough HP to make a difference. My Onan 4.0 BFA generator has a coil that works like this, both as a motor and a generator.

Jeremy · December 11, 2018, 02:18:38 AM

There's a big community of people doing DIY electric car conversions and the individual components (traction motors etc) are readily available from on-line suppliers. The problem is how to integrate a motor into the existing drive train (rubber belts definitely not being the answer I'm sure), and how to control the motor, since the drive controllers are one of the trickiest and most expensive parts of a conversion.

On the other hand though, if you are using off-the-shelf EV parts then your regenerative braking questions answer themselves because the motors / drive controllers / battery management software have that capability built in.

Jeremy

Jim Blackwood · December 11, 2018, 10:55:32 AM

As a point of interest, cogged drive belts are used in automotive applications in excess of 100 hp so I'm not sure it's as much of a limiting factor as you suspect. Big street bikes have been using them for decades both on the primary and secondary drives. I would expect the practical limit to be something over 200hp by now.

Jim

Geoff · December 11, 2018, 01:29:51 PM

I have cogged belts on my FLH, but I am more interested on how I can turn on my headlights in the bus to slow down instead of using my Jakes!!

Jeremy · December 11, 2018, 05:22:48 PM

Yes those wide toothed belts are a different kettle-of-fish altogether and I don't doubt they could transmit a significant amount of power.

Since belt-driven superchargers use exactly that type of belt there must be off-the-shelf accessory pulleys available for them that could perhaps be bolted onto the front of a bus engine without too much difficulty, which would give you a starting-point for the type of supplementary-electric-power system we're talking about

Jeremy