Tuning Potential for Hybrids

[lil'nick]

This is to the engineers among you.

Probably the last thing anyone would think of tuning would be a Hybrid vehical, but given that Electric motors have 100% torque as soon as they turn on, it seems like it could work quite well given its normally the slower speeds that petrol engines have little power / torque. I'm not hugely techy, so I thought i'd get a discussion going in here.

I'd love to hear some reasoned guesstimates about the potential for a track day hybrid!?

Cheers,

Nick

[mat205125]

Whatever gains you make with the electric torque, and straight line pulling power will be more than compensated for by the huge weight of battery that you will always be carrying. Handling will never get close to a stripped hot hatch, and the experience will not be fun. Fun, afterall, is what track days are primarily about.

[lil'nick]

I feared peeps might say that.

Peak oil production is next year or so, then it's scarcity and tsunami time.

I wonder if they'll ever sort out hydrogen production!?

http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/

[Nick_F]

Google for details of the GM Patriot. Used a kinetic battery, as I recall.

[dougc]

Nick_F said:

Google for details of the GM Patriot. Used a kinetic battery, as I recall.

Was that the LM car that wasn't allowed to race as the potential for catastrophic failure was too high?

[Nick_F]

My bad: Chrysler, not GM.

I believe it used a small gas turbine which ran at a constant speed and load for efficiency, and stored the surplus energy in a carbonfibre flywheel - the 'kinetic battery' - using this to spin a generator and so drive an electric traction motor when required.

Seafety concerns at the time surrounded the flywheel, which spun at a very scary rate indeed.

I have no idea how far the project progressed, mid-nineties, I think it was.