PHEV conversion

I don't know the answer...but it seems like a flawed concept to me incorporating the worst of all technologies.

Del

would I be better off buying a wrecked Prius and transferring the engine and controls to my car?

Probably...

You need Blink to help you out here!
It depends how good you are... an electric conversion is relatively straight forward but a sort of hybrid hybrid seems a bit tortuous. If you insist on some sort of hybrid then maybe better to basically build/convert to electric then add a small IC engine running at it's most efficient to charge the batteries.

I dunno a bit out of my comfort zone...so I'm willing to get shot down...
I shall watch with interest.

Del

I'm with (D)el Gato on this one.

It could only be more difficult if you went the route I did and tried doing it with a water wheel, the works from a grandfather clock and assorted plumbing from a crashed crop duster aeroplane.

Thanks for the replies. I will definately change my way of thinking and just wait for a manufactured HEV that meets my needs.

Go to Poulsenhybrid.com to see a very nice version of what you are thinking about - looks very well done but I have not experienced it yet.

Why do you want to add another power source to a vehicle that is complete already?

Two ideas come to mind. 1) I want additional power.

2) I want to run the car on the electric motor to save

gasoline.

If #1, you picked the hard way to achieve your goal.

If #2, You could replace the non functional rear axle with a similar sized axle from a wrecked rear drive car. You will probably need to do some welding to mount it. on the drive flange of the new axle, you could mount an electric motor from a golf cart. Or you could remotely mount the electric motor, and connect with a driveshaft. At this point you can use the accelerator pedal system from the golf cart.

Now for the new problems. 1) If you use the readily available components from the golf cart, you get the shortcomings of a golf cart; low speed, large amounts of battery bulk. 2) You have now made your vehicle weigh another 1000 pounds. That will adversely effect the fuel mileage, acceleration, breaking and handling.

If your goal is only better fuel mileage, try these tips. Keep your tires inflated near the maximum inflation pressure recommended. Drive like there is fractured egg underneath the gas pedal. Lower your speed by five mph. Brake early and coast when you see traffic slowing ahead of you. Take all the weight out of the car that you do not need. Your best fuel mileage should be at, or very near the peak torque rpm of the engine. If you have a tachometer, that should help. Another fuel saving gauge would be a vacuum gauge. If you drive in a manner that keeps the vacuum as high as possible, your fuel mileage will increase.

If you still want to do the electric motor install, keep this in mind. An electric motor will spin very freely with no power applied. By simply adding the voltage to the motors while driving on the gasoline engine, the electric motor will not produce any change until you have applied enough electricity to cause the car to run just slightly faster than it was running. Assuming the vehicle was cruising along at 30 mph, with the cruise control maintaining engine speed. Also assume that you slowly apply voltage to the electric motor. As the electric motor applies sufficient power to cause the speed to increase above 30 mph, the cruise control would back off the gas pedal as soon as the speed is above 30. The transition from gas to electric would be as smooth as you make it when you apply electricity.