About 10 years or so ago I recall reading an article in Popular Mechanics about gas electric power for a Class 8 highway tractor. It used a Chevy 4300cc industrial V6 (the old Chevy V8 with 2 cylinders cut off ) engine. The 4.3 V6 charged large batteries that powered a large powerful electric motor that powered the class 8 .
The 4.3 Chevy didn't do the heavy work of moving 80,000 lbs of load....the electric motor did that. The Chevy engine charged the batteries that powered the electric motor.
Again kind of like a diesel electric in a train locomotive. The beauty was that the only liquid fuel used was for the Chevy engine. From what I recall, I think the Chevy engine wasn't running all the time, it only ran when the batteries were low. I think there might of been also a charging system that worked...without the V6...that charged the batteries when the truck was moving.
I read this article about a decade ago, so I can't attest to the accuracy of my recollection.
About 10 years or so ago I recall reading an article in Popular Mechanics about gas electric power for a Class 8 highway tractor. It used a Chevy 4300cc industrial V6 (the old Chevy V8 with 2 cylinders cut off ) engine. The 4.3 V6 charged large batteries that powered a large powerful electric motor that powered the class 8 .
The 4.3 Chevy didn't do the heavy work of moving 80,000 lbs of load....the electric motor did that. The Chevy engine charged the batteries that powered the electric motor.
Again kind of like a diesel electric in a train locomotive. The beauty was that the only liquid fuel used was for the Chevy engine. From what I recall, I think the Chevy engine wasn't running all the time, it only ran when the batteries were low. I think there might of been also a charging system that worked...without the V6...that charged the batteries when the truck was moving.
I read this article about a decade ago, so I can't attest to the accuracy of my recollection.
Also, wonder why this locomotive idea...didn't catch on for for highway tractors' motive power ?
Les
Les,
It is easy to see why the industry did not embrace any kind of hybrid truck technology. Industry is extremely reluctant to invest in new technology unless forced to by government (emissions stuff) or they clearly see a value to them (cost, reliability, longevity, etc.). Diesel technology is/was working just fine. It is reliable, lasts a long time, mechanics know how to work on them, and they are everywhere. Who in any trucking business that is trying to make money will take such a huge plunge into a new technology type of truck without assurances that it can work, that it will last a long time, that it will make them money and that it can be fixed by many mechanics anywhere? Bean counters make decisions, too. They know what it costs to run a diesel, they had no idea how hybrid technology would work. Maybe today things would be a little different with many successful hybrid cars on the road. But that was then, this is now. The truck manufacturer would have to assure that the hybrid technology provides something better in value to them than diesel. That might be hard to prove. Who wants to buy into untested technology in the trucking world? The manufacturer would likely have to give a trucking company ten or so to test over the road and that would give real world values as to a comparison of technologies and whether hybrids are really better. The VW TDI Jetta gets as good as or perhaps even better mileage than a Prius and does not have an $8000 battery to go bad. There are advantages to diesel.
