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Tesla Hybrid 600 Mile Range

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So with no transmission how do you get the power to the wheels? Seems most cost effective solution here would be an existing FWD engine/tranny.
Seems to me that once at speed the very low "throttle positions" are for modulating regen and if an ICE is supplying power I think the throttle position is going to fall into this regen zone.
 
I don't suppose that 65% of electricity comes from fossil fuels makes any difference to you. I agree that electric performance is far superior to ICE except when it comes to refueling. Keep in mind that the ICE in this scenario would only be used when needed or wanted. There is nothing wrong with a backup plan.

I think you're numbers are a bit off...

Nearly 70 percent of the electricity PG&E delivered to its customers in 2016 came from greenhouse gas-free resources, the company announced this week.


Nearly 70 Percent of PG&E’s Electric Power Mix Free of Greenhouse Gases | PG&E Currents

I suppose it depends exactly where he lives in CA. However, he also has solar installed on his property.
 
Interesting concept.
I wonder if it would have all the drive line maintenance of the Tesla (minimal, but expensive) plus all the maintenance of the Honda or Toyota (every 5K miles but fairly cheap).
 
The simplest system would only engage at speeds of 45mph to 80mph to eliminate a transmission.

So, what about speeds up-to 45 mph. What if you are out of battery juice?

Guess you need to push the car to 45 mph and start sipping fossil juice?

Will using the gas engine as generator, a better backup plan? Probably then you need not interfere with existing electronics. As the battery depletes, the gas engine will kick on and start charging the battery or even provide power directly to the drive motor.

I might not drive one, but I'd like to see one built!
 
I get it. Imagine driving a very slight down hill and maintaining a constant speed of say 60mph. In that case gravity is assisting you and the battery delivers lesser power to maintain that speed. The car doesn't know if that assist is coming from an ICE or an incline.

But the point remains that you still need to tie your ICE to the accelerator and hence Tesla's electronics.
Well technically it would probably be smarter to add a separate switch for the accelerator and brake. But i would probably connect to the 12v battery.
 
Have you actually worked out the necessary steps and such? I think you are over simplifying. There is a lot more into combining a gas engine to work well with an electric motor. Also don't forget the certification and emissions and such you might have to go through. What about differential and power transfer? What about the suspension? And gearing needed? Will this be an automatic gearing or CVT?

I think if you are going hybrid. Go for something like the engine charging the battery so you only need to worry about getting energy back into the battery. But then you would need to hack the firmware as tesla probably does not allow charging while moving unless it is regen.

Good luck in your endeavour but I think you need to flush out the details a lot more than just saying the gas engine will drive the front wheels. I suspect it will cost you too much to get something reliable to make it worth while for the occasional use you will get out of it. It would be a great project but I think there are better projects to be had if you do have the skillset to pull this one off.
Have you actually worked out the necessary steps and such? I think you are over simplifying. There is a lot more into combining a gas engine to work well with an electric motor. Also don't forget the certification and emissions and such you might have to go through. What about differential and power transfer? What about the suspension? And gearing needed? Will this be an automatic gearing or CVT?

I think if you are going hybrid. Go for something like the engine charging the battery so you only need to worry about getting energy back into the battery. But then you would need to hack the firmware as tesla probably does not allow charging while moving unless it is regen.

Good luck in your endeavour but I think you need to flush out the details a lot more than just saying the gas engine will drive the front wheels. I suspect it will cost you too much to get something reliable to make it worth while for the occasional use you will get out of it. It would be a great project but I think there are better projects to be had if you do have the skillset to pull this one off.
Yep. They're allot of details to be worked out. Whether it would be cost effective is one of them. But if can be done.
 
So with no transmission how do you get the power to the wheels? Seems most cost effective solution here would be an existing FWD engine/tranny.
Seems to me that once at speed the very low "throttle positions" are for modulating regen and if an ICE is supplying power I think the throttle position is going to fall into this regen zone.
A centrifugal clutch that would only engage at certain speeds. The front wheel drive transaxle would be used for power transfer. Obviously it would have to be regeared.
 
So, what about speeds up-to 45 mph. What if you are out of battery juice?

Guess you need to push the car to 45 mph and start sipping fossil juice?

Will using the gas engine as generator, a better backup plan? Probably then you need not interfere with existing electronics. As the battery depletes, the gas engine will kick on and start charging the battery or even provide power directly to the drive motor.

I might not drive one, but I'd like to see one built!
I think that being able to charge the battery as a backup should be simple enough to add as a backup plan. But keep in mind that you really shouldn't ever end up with a dead battery.