What do you think the pros and cons of a AWD Prius would be. I was thinking the rear wheels could have electric hub motors, so they could be driven at low speeds (like, when struggling through snow, or in other low-traction conditions.) At higher speeds the electric motor would be declutched from the wheel, so there would be no parasitic drag. The ICE and main electric motor would continue to drive the front wheels only, and in normal operation with ample traction, the rear wheels would not be driven. This though came to mind because we have 6" of snow in Portland and my Vanagon can't struggle down our unplowed side street to the packed snow of the main road - despite snow tires and a bunch of shoveling. The Prius, also w/ snow tires, made it through okay. But if the snow had been any deeper, AWD would have been nice indeed.
Any deeper snow and you would need tracks on the Prius, not AWD. The Prius sits pretty low, so that would limit the advantages of AWD. The main disadvantages are increased cost, complexity, and additional weight. Tom
Would you need to clutch the motors from the wheels, if there is no draw from the motors and the wheel bearings support the permanent magnet rotor. Acceleration would be very good.
Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX400h are practical implementations of hybrid AWD vehicles. They have similar drivetrains. MGR (a third electric motor) is located on the rear axle to power the rear wheels. The hybrid vehicle ECU determines how much power to allocate to MGR depending on the driver's power request and wheel slip. If an AWD Prius was ever released I would expect it to have a similar basic design.
I'd rather have a bit more ground clearance. I've been scraping the bottom all weekend on the high bank between the tyre tracks.
Perhaps a suspension system that could be adjusted on the fly. That way you could stay low for good aerodynamics, but raise the ground clearance when the snow piles up. Tom
Hmm, old school air shocks come to mind. 2008 Prius Air Suspension Parts for your 2008 Toyota Prius This should get that marble rolling around in my head And this old thread. http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-modifications/24838-adjustable-rear-air-suspension-system.html
Now we need to work something out for the front. Some Subaru and Crowns have air bag suspension on all wheels.
The Lexus AWD system also allows for regenerative braking on all the wheels, which we currently can't do, so it'd be a good system. Could help equalise out the tyre wear. A big advantage I can see to adjustable height suspension would be the ability to lower the ride height when cruising, to reduce drag and increase fuel efficiency. While we're at it, why not electrically lowerable ground-effect skirts that pop up when you slow to manoeuvring speeds?
Using Google http://www.google.com/search?q=air+...s=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a That would be these 2008 Toyota Prius Air Over Shocks Toyota Prius Air Over Shocks - Buy Prius Air Over Shocks Spendy though
