Ford Has a Better Idea a Hydraulic Hybrid

A Scottish company, Artemis Inteligent Power, converted a BMW 500i into a hydraulic hybrid. Claims to have doubled the gas mileage compared to a normal BMW 500i.

Hydraulic Hybrid Technology Could Rival Batteries : Gas 2.0

Scottish company claims hybrid breakthrough | Cleantech.com

http://www.artemisip.com/appli_auto_transm.htm

 

pure BS - due out in August of 2008?

 

Guys and Gals,
It is not BS.

The Hydraulic system captures more braking energy and delivers it right back during acceleration for the first few feet. Great for a heavy cargo truck.

The Electric system captures less braking energy but it delivers it back for a longer period of time. Great for a Prius.


So you see it is not B.S. but that system won’t work for the Prius.

Let’s hope that more of our trucks get this system soon so we can use less foreign oil as a nation and so we can all breathe easer. However remeber that 300% is only for recaptured energy and not "use of energy" the Prius is still one of the tops there.

 

You might note that the article is dated Feb 2006. Maybe back then Ford thought they would have this on the road in August 2008. If nothing has shown up in the press lately, I wouldn't hold my breath for an 'on time' delivery in 2 months.

 

But a Scottish company put such a drive train in a BMW 500i with good results. See my post above for links. So it's not just for big trucks.

Although I'm not sure if their 500i prototype does this, their website describes how energy from the hydraulic accumulator would even be used to spin up the engine to start it, much like the electric motor does on the Prius, allowing the engine to be stopped at traffic lights.

 

Well if it does work...Why not both!

 

alright... no chiming in to just say BS.... we see enough of that.

I purchased my car around the time this technology was developed...

I was wondering when i would see it again. they wanted to put it into buses because the undercarriage is huge. i also heard about it being in the ups trucks. never did get too many details on the whole ups story though. it's been a while.

 

Huh? Doesn't matter WHERE the charge comes from (regen from the traction motor or from the gasoline genset) the battery that accepts the charge is the same. The NiMH batteries in my Rav4EV accept well over 200A of input from the regen system, and far less than that from the off-board charging system.

Yup, and discharge. They're just too energy un-dense at this point. Until EStore comes out with their commercial magic, that is.

 

Interesting. Looks like a few here are living up to the its not a prius so its junk status. So Ford has hybrid tech that can produce a very fuel efficient heavy duty vehicle, and y'all dis it? If you haven't noticed lately, Ford has put out some very good, better than Toyota products on the market. The Fusion for example is better quality than Toyota makes. If Ford can build a decent Hybrid that surpasses the Prius, will you all dis that too because it is a Ford?

 

"The Fusion for example is better quality than Toyota makes. If Ford can build a decent Hybrid that surpasses the Prius, will you all dis that too because it is a Ford?"

What is your assertion based on, a Ford commercial? Can a Consumers Report ranking substantiate this? If Ford's quality is so great why didn't you ask, "When Ford builds a hybrid that surpasses the Prius..." Ford's customer service makes GM's look good and since Ford was able to produce vehicles that could set garages on fire I would bet that the honor of the first battery explosion or fire in a hybrid will be Ford's. "Found On Road Dead" or "Fix Or Repair Daily". Take your pick.

 

If it was so good, it would be touted by Ford like the Volt

The hydraulic 60 mpg Ford pick up would be revolutionary! It would save the company. There would be hydraulic hybrid Lincoln Navigators, Expeditions, Excursions, Explorers built the same way. Even if they were 2 years out Ford would be advertising them. That's why I believe it is way too far fetched.

I don't believe the 60 mpg figure. Even if you drove at a constant 30 mph on a circular track without stopping (no need for or contribution from regen) I doubt you would get more than 30 mpg off a F150. The aerodynamic drag won't allow 60 mpg period (maybe downhill . I don't recall the Eaton hydraulic hybrids getting a stellar increase in fuel economy compared to their non hybrid counterparts. Maybe a 50% not > 100% increase in FE. The claim of 3X more efficient than electrical regen I also have to question. There are significant losses from fluid (gas) compression and and expansion back into mechanical energy and viscosity losses from the flow of liquid hydraulic fluids as well.

I also don't see the cost of hydraulics either being that inexpensive or reliable. Even though electric hybrids are complex, the weight and volume of hydraulics and even cost vs batteries are probably greater.

I'm sure if hydraulics were a "better idea" we would have seen them by now. If not by Ford, Toyota or Honda.

 

That article (dated from 2 years ago) is a little wide-eyed in its description, but the technology is real and might be commercially possible. Batteries can accept a charge only so fast, excess energy is thrown away. Hydraulics (like supercaps) can accept a faster charge (obviously hydraulics is storing it in kinetic energy, not electrical, so a charge isn't technically the correct term).

Despite some serious efforts, this idea hasn't come to pass yet - partly I'm sure on lack of commitment when gas was cheap, just like BEVs, but also there's safety concerns - these are stored in very high pressures, and an accident would not be good. Kind of like the ultra-fast flywheel idea. We've had decades to make gas-powered ICEs safe, it's hard to do that on a new technology in just a couple years. And you want it to last at least 100K miles, another tough challenge.

Apparently that air-pressure-powered car in India (Tata company) is moving forward toward production. Not too far in concept from hydraulic pressure.

Prius530 - You get 30+mpg in a standard Ford Escape Hybrid under normal driving patterns. A hypermiler could probably get near 50 mpg in the FEH, so I think a better technology in a F150 could possibly yield 60 mpg under good conditions (base model using the plastic tailgate with the holes in it). But is it commercially viable (ie. won't need recalls when it rolls out the door, or double the cost of the vehicle)?

 

Another consideration given the intended market is large vehicles in stop-and-go service is that the turnover in such vehicles (delivery trucks, buses) is rather small. UPS doesn't need to trade in their old brown trucks for new brown trucks until the MBA's tell them to.

 

anti american sentimism right out of your mouth. Ford was the first company in america to mass produce cars and trucks.

I really hope GM, Dodge, And Ford walk all over the enemy car manufacturers.

 

I'd consider buying one, if it ever came to pass. Its hard to justify spending over $100,000 for a used Kluger (imported HyHy) that will be at its limits pulling our horse trailer, and we have a lot of stop and start work on the farm that it would be perfect for.

As for all this "enemy car manufacturers" nonsense, that really doesn't enter into it.

 

My only gripe about it is more giant SUV on the road. Visibility is bad enough with these things all over the place in Los Angeles traffic.

 

I have 4 cars and they are all Toyotas. I traded a Toyota to get the Prius. I have owned 4 Toyota Crowns, a Camry, a Tercel AWD, a Corona and soon I am picking up a Toyota Tiara. The only car I have had that wasn't a Toyota in the last 15 years was a Mazda 626 which I bought for about half the list price.

I shop Toyota first then pick my car from what they make.

 

They won't be trading in their fleets, they'll be retrofitting them with hydraulic launch assist systems. There's plenty of room to fit in a small accumulator and pump motor.

Here's an example Hydraulic Launch Assist™ (HLA®) - Eaton.com

 

Can we stop the Ford quality bashing??? Its not just dumb its inaccurate.
I don't think Ford makes better hybrids then Toyota, but I don't like to see such misinformation out there.

Ford ahead of Toyota on initial quality here.
Ford Comes Out Ahead Of Toyota In Quality Ratings - Business on The Huffington Post

Also ahead after a period of ownership.
Ford makes big reliability strides; Toyota falters - MarketWatch

I am also not trying to state that Ford is ahead of Toyota on quality. I am just trying to say that its OBVIOUS that Ford is not making sub par vehicles. You certainly cannot use quality against Ford when comparing to Toyota.

While my personal ownership backs this up of course a sample group of two means nothing statistically, in 11 years of ownership of two Mustangs I have had one $700 repair (throw out bearing) that would not be considered normal maintenance. Oil changes, break pads, tires and a battery for the rest of the time. Nothing else. Never left on the side of the road with a dead vehicle (even with the bearing i could drive).