How a 1968 VW Beetle could change the Hybrid Market
April 27, 2006 – 10:06 am by Matt Radel
Filed under Cool Stuff
The little engine that could…..change hybrids for good.
Hybrids are getting hot. Many carmakers are competing fiercely for a share of the growing market, each touting their own spin on the technology. South Park has even taken shots at smug hybrid owners. But as Toyota, Honda and GM duke it out over the best gasoline electric combo, Hybrid-Drive Systems LLC of Deerfield Michigan may have a better idea: the Hydraulic Hybrid.
It sounds pretty groovy, promising 25 – 45% improvements in overall fuel economy(I won’t repeat the tech specs, you can check the full article here). It’s drawn attention from the E.P.A. whose working to get the system installed in many United Parcel Service and garbage trucks. The hope is to one day effectively apply it to passenger vehicles, possibly ousting the gas/electric combo. I guess many folks didn’t pay attention until Hybrid-Drive Systems created a proof-of-concept car….from a 1968 VW Beetle.
The monster is run by a 6.5 hp lawnmower engine and tops out at 30mph. While that might not set the world on fire, it’s defiantly worth keeping in mind as hybrid technology evolves. Who knows? This little Beetle could be the start of something….
How a 1968 VW Beetle could change the Hybrid Market
April 27, 2006 – 10:06 am by Matt Radel
Wow, that looks like very promising technology. If they can get more power out of it and do a durability test, we might have a winner.
Na, generally smaller engines are less efficient in converting the fuel source into rotational energy. Smaller engines have better fuel economy only because they have smaller displacements; 4 liter, 1.5 liter engine, etc, thus lower output power. Increasing power out of the lawnmower engine would increase fuel consumption because more cylinders would be needed and/or longer stroke or bigger bore.
The best technology which would be the most environmentally friendly and better for the us consumers would be electric vehicles. Electric motors can provide better performance than would a fuel engine, but higher capacity storage batteries need to be invented, aluminum batteries, or higher efficiency solar panels, currently around 17%.
Right on Dave, thanks for the tech info. Makes total sense thinking it through. I myself am holding out for the winning electric car, and I think we’ll being seeing some good options soon. We can only hope. :]
batterys cause more pollution than gasoline cars then again so do cows.. No one will buy any hybrid if the performance sucks, why cant these envrionmental people just design something with nice performance, build a hybrid car aimed at going fast like say a small diesel economy car with fwd and a vw transaxle in the back with a electric motor attached and a battery in the back seat push the button and u have a renewable boost without nitros oxide, hell u could set it up to run off the engines charging system or run just as a performance booster, after all that is when cars burn the most fuel when people rapidly accelerate, hell if i had the cash id build a hybrid car for the track, I hear electric motors have alot of torque imagine that to boost a car at the dragstrip!!! put the go fast button on the steering wheel lol
Does any one know if this Beetle thats been converted is for sale?
Rob
zatara74@yahoo.com