On Sep 18, 2008, at 12:26 PM, Jed Rothwell wrote:
Edmund Storms wrote:
A point you all seem to miss is that the ICE must be large enough
to move the car at normal speeds, including up hills when the
batteries are dead, in addition, it needs to have some extra power
to charge the battery at that time.
Well, it would not need to recharge while going uphill. You can
leave the batteries flat for a while.
In the Volt, I believe electric motor drives the wheels at all
times, and the ICE connects only to the batteries. So if the
batteries are flat and you are going up a steep hill at a high
speed, my guess is the ICE works as hard as it can and the batteries
stay flat.
When the Prius batteries are low, the car is sluggish on steep hills
and the engine makes more noise than usual, but I have never had
trouble keeping up with other cars at highway speeds in the
Carolinas and Georgia where people drive ridiculously fast (like 85
mph in a 70 mph zone). There is a very steep, long section of
highway on Rt. 77 north to Rt. 80 (North Carolina to Virginia) that
I have often driven, without difficulty.
That has been my experience also. This means the engine has been sized
to move the car at normal speed by itself. Any hybrid will need a big
enough engine to do this. Otherwise, very few will be sold. The idea
that a small engine starts charging the battery after the initial
charge is used while the car is parked on the side of the road will
not sell. Even if you keep moving, no one will want to go 55 mph while
every one else is passing at 75 mph. Therefore, a lower limit is
created for the size of the ICE, which is not small.
Ed
- Jed
