Thoughts on a plug-in hybrid conversion
Hello! I am the founder of a Seattle-based startup. We are developing a family of universal retrofit kits that convert existing vehicles into plug-in hybrids. Our first product will be for pickup tru...
Forum Discussion
BlueDotTom wrote:
Lastly, just to clarify, $10K would be for a system that gave ~45 miles of range to a 3/4 ton. 30 miles would be cheaper, smaller vehicle would be cheaper, etc.
Didn't realize you were thinking of the 3/4-1 ton market. That would open up fleet buyers as a market.
Lots of those do a lot of sitting around at construction sites and they are out every day. So long as they aren't towing heavy and go back to a yard where they can charge overnight, the financials might work out. Particularly if you can do some sort of finance deal where you provide the system and get paid back via the fuel savings, you might be able to sell it. Of course, that means overly optimistic fuel savings comes out of your pocket.
Really no need for a 200-300hp motor that you mentioned. With ICE, they go bigger so that the low end torque is enough to be peppy off the line. For commuting, 100hp electric motor might be viable as it can output max torque from zero RPM.
A system that can provide power from both sources (ICE & Battery) still makes far more sense and that would allow for an even lower HP electric motor. A 50hp designed to maximize torque more than HP could be fine up to 35-50mph at which point the ICE kicks in. For a lot of urban commutes, the ICE may rarely if ever kick in.
