Some Guy Is Driving A Hybrid To The South Pole

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These are easily some of the most bad ass hybrids we've ever seen. These totally give off a "hybrid" vibe don't they? The blue / orange and orange / blue color scheme is cool too. :cool:
 
Totally lame gimmick. Once the battery is depleted they have nothing to charge it with. So the end result is that they drag 99% of the way extra dead weight in shape of batteries.
 
B00nie said:
Which is a totally useless gimmick when you're at the pole.
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except it's not.

To convert these beasts into hybrids, the designers opted for a diesel/electric series EV architecture, centred on a Steyr six-cylinder turbodiesel engine that runs on an aviation biofuel called synthetic paraffin kerosene. Produced from a blend of inedible oils, its freezing point is -65°F (-54°C). The biofuel is stored in two custom-made, 30-gallon fuel tanks.

The engine, which produces 160kW or 218 horsepower, generates electricity by spinning an electric motor connected to its flywheel by a torsional coupler. The resulting electricity is stored in two battery packs. “It essentially works like a diesel electric locomotive,” Baggarly notes. Each battery pack holds four 97v lithium-superpolymer batteries for a total of 388v and stored capacity of 24kWh – roughly equivalent to the battery capacity of a Nissan Leaf hatchback.
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Paint schemes look like something out of the Michael Bay Transformer movies.

I'm wondering what the power efficiency gain is going to a hybrid system. Love the irony of running on "zero fossil fuels" in a Hummer of all things.
 
So they use a more complex technology used in trains, similar to the Volt I guess. Gotta keep driving cause as soon as you stop the engine and it cools down you start losing charge in your battery at sub zero C temperatures. Hybrids are not ideal everywhere.
 
Master_shake_ said:
except it's not.
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Except it is. They gain zero value from hauling a ton of batteries to the pole. They have to burn the fuel anyway. In those conditions none of the methods that make hybrids even remotely sensible (such as storing brake energy) can be used.

It's a retarded advertising stunt.
 
B00nie said:
Except it is. They gain zero value from hauling a ton of batteries to the pole. They have to burn the fuel anyway. In those conditions none of the methods that make hybrids even remotely sensible (such as storing brake energy) can be used.

It's a retarded advertising stunt.
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Actually there is value gained because a hybrid internal combustion engines can be run constantly at their most efficient rpm over any terrain. Less drive line drag elimination of gear boxes and transfer casings. An idling engine doesn't go to complete waste they can recharge and exhaust heat can be used to keep batteries and cabin warm. However, you could argue the value gained is not worth the weight of the battery buffer.

Honestly, it's rather hard to calculate unless you have hard figures on temperatures and conditions you will encounter on the trip, and you have experience operating cold weather electrics and IC engines.
 
People still do not get it, Hybrids have been around for a long time (not all have batteries) .
And they tend to run the largest and meanest vehicles people have ever made (massive construction vehicles).
It seems that people just love the meme that hybrids are economy cars for snooty treehuggers, and ignore (or more likely just ignorant) to the reality.
 
Maybe they are after the low end torque of electric. Who knows. I'd use one to plow snow from my driveway any day! :)
 
Yakk said:
So they use a more complex technology used in trains, similar to the Volt I guess.
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This is a serial hybrid design. The diesel charges the battery, and the battery runs the electric motors which are connected to the wheels. There is no direct connection between the diesel engine and the wheels.

You're wrong about the Volt.
The Volt is a parallel hybrid, basically like a Prius with a larger battery.
While the Volt can travel under battery power for up to 40 miles, it can also travel under gas power with the gas motor directly driving the wheels. The gas motor will also kick in if the Volt needs more power than the electric motor can deliver, even if the battery is fully charged.
 
Tweak42 said:
Paint schemes look like something out of the Michael Bay Transformer movies.

I'm wondering what the power efficiency gain is going to a hybrid system. Love the irony of running on "zero fossil fuels" in a Hummer of all things.
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I was thinking Johnny 5 and Optimus Prime had a love child. Optimus Prime was totally little spoon.
 
How does he plan to get to Antarctica? Not exactly like you can drive on the ocean.
 
As an owner of two Priuses, a big fan of the Denver Broncos, and someone who has always desired the ability to crush traffic in front of me under treads, I want one.
 
yea, it's a different type of hybrid.

The diesel engine runs at a constant RPM (aka RPM that is the most fuel-efficient) and more protected from the elements.

Electric motors tend to be more efficient at cooler temps than hotter temps and can provide a lot of torque.
If each set of tracks has it's own motor, an onboard computer can dial in the exact amount of torque for that circumstance and all without a need for complex mechanical torque conversion hardware.

The only thing I wonder is the battery type and it's resilience to the extreme cold.
 
Tweak42 said:
Actually there is value gained because a hybrid internal combustion engines can be run constantly at their most efficient rpm over any terrain. Less drive line drag elimination of gear boxes and transfer casings. An idling engine doesn't go to complete waste they can recharge and exhaust heat can be used to keep batteries and cabin warm. However, you could argue the value gained is not worth the weight of the battery buffer.

Honestly, it's rather hard to calculate unless you have hard figures on temperatures and conditions you will encounter on the trip, and you have experience operating cold weather electrics and IC engines.
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Usually hybrids use traditional drivelines with an additional electric motor as a booster. Perhaps in this special scenario where they won't need to drive fast for long distances, an all diesel electric system would be possible. The diesel electric power transfer methods they use in ships and trains are so heavy and massive that it's not just feasible to install to any car. The traditional combustion engine + driveline is still by far the best option.
 
MoFoQ said:
yea, it's a different type of hybrid.

The diesel engine runs at a constant RPM (aka RPM that is the most fuel-efficient) and more protected from the elements.
...

The only thing I wonder is the battery type and it's resilience to the extreme cold.
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If the engine runs constantly it also provides heat to warm the battery pack. Also the battery itself generates heat when it's used. The battery problems of hybrids come from cars sitting unused in low temperatures. With nothing to heat the batteries with, the battery loses quickly around 50% of it's capacity. There are even battery heaters for regular cars available for arctic temperatures.
 
B00nie said:
If the engine runs constantly it also provides heat to warm the battery pack. Also the battery itself generates heat when it's used. The battery problems of hybrids come from cars sitting unused in low temperatures. With nothing to heat the batteries with, the battery loses quickly around 50% of it's capacity. There are even battery heaters for regular cars available for arctic temperatures.
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Hybrids -> all electric cars I mean.
 
nutzo said:
This is a serial hybrid design. The diesel charges the battery, and the battery runs the electric motors which are connected to the wheels. There is no direct connection between the diesel engine and the wheels.

You're wrong about the Volt.
The Volt is a parallel hybrid, basically like a Prius with a larger battery.
While the Volt can travel under battery power for up to 40 miles, it can also travel under gas power with the gas motor directly driving the wheels. The gas motor will also kick in if the Volt needs more power than the electric motor can deliver, even if the battery is fully charged.
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NO, the volt doesnt have any mechanical connection from the ending to the wheels. The engine in the volt is ONLY used to power the electric motors to drive the car, when the batteries are low.
 
extide said:
NO, the volt doesnt have any mechanical connection from the ending to the wheels. The engine in the volt is ONLY used to power the electric motors to drive the car, when the batteries are low.
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You are wrong, the Volt gas engine can power the wheels mechanically when the car determines that would be the most efficient use of power.
 
Hrmm, looks like you guys are right, I thought the Volt was a much simpler design than it actually is. Good stuffs!
 
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