SuperTruck
Well, if you made it here, you are probably interested in my “Super Truck” concept. I’m just calling it that right now because DIY Open-Source Plug-In Hybrid Diesel Electric Pickup Truck is more than a mouth-full.
The basic idea of the project is to combine a diesel engine (running on bio-fuels) with an electric motor from a forklift, along with the needed motor controller, batteries, and charger to make a truck that is both high fuel-economy AND a practical vehicle for farm, homestead, and general use.
So far, I have the engine from a Mercedes 240D, an 11-inch series-wound forklift motor, and a Chevy S10 truck and manual transmission. The fun will be in combining the diesel and electric motor, and then working on Open Source electronic designs of the motor controller, charger, and BMS.
I’ll add links to the end of this entry as the project progresses, so that I can continue to post about the project as we get more done.
-Ben
Original Blog Post on Project Concept (8/13/2012, includes components photos)
Jack Daniels Contest Entry (8/29,2012)
First test with FIBERGLASS (11.21.2012)
Start of the flat bed cover (11.25.2012)
Foam Bed Cover Continues (11.27.2012)
Four-Way Foam (12.2.2012)
This is Getting Fun (Cover and Driveline 12.8.2012)
Start Removing the Bed (1.7.2013)
Clutch (5.12.2013)
Aligning the Engine & Transmission (5.27.2013)
Documents related to the project:
Hybrid Twist Throttle Concept (PDF
DriveTrain Layout Concept (PNG)
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Awesome! Would it be easier to use the 240D transmission? I’m thinking a driveshaft might be easier to make than a transmission mount… But I have no basis for the thought.
The 240D transmission is an automatic. I want to use a manual for both fuel economy AND to give the driver better control. The neutral position on the transmission will disconnect the electric motor from the transmission, allowing me to drive down the road on just electric WITHOUT it spinning the engine. The transmission will be from the truck, so the transmission mounts will be fine, it’s ENGINE mounts I’ll have to work on as well as a way to mount the electric motor to the frame of the truck.
You are a natural Ben ! Keep up the good work ~ I was wondering if the trans gears are spinning when in neutral /electric mode ?
would a drive shaft disconnect be useful to eliminate that power loss ? http://www.swdriveline.com/remco_driveline_disconnect.html
The transmission gears shouldn’t be spinning any more than they would on a typical manual transmission vehicle in neutral.
I want to keep the drive-shaft connected for simplicity, cost savings (those disconnects cost $750-$1000!) and to retain “engine-braking”.
People have also asked about an “overrun clutch”, but I don’t want to do that for the same reasons.
Para aportar algún comentario desearía saber que recambio de generador ha realizado pués el de S-10 debe ser de 12 voltios-120 Amperios y la carretilla, supongo de 48 v. ¿? Amperios.
El 240 Diesel de MB eroga unos 9o HP @ 2.400 RPM, mientras el Chevrolet S10 debe estar en 105 HP a 3.600 RPM. ¿Que solución aplica ante las diferencias de potencia (HP) y torque (KGM)
you could put 2 tanks in the bed on the sides over the wheel well. also one ? how much room will you have in the engine with diesel to put some batteries up front
I like the idea of a fuel tank (or tanks) over the wheel well or otherwise out of the way in the bed. As for the engine. The diesel is pretty much the exact same size as the gas engine (except taller.) I don’t think there is going to be any spare room under the hood for batteries. A big downside of hybrids is that you end up with MORE components, MORE space used, and MORE weight. The upside will be redundant drive systems, great fuel economy, fuel flexibility, and renewable energy fuel.
One other option would be to build a raised bed floor that is removable or hinged this would give you room to place your forklift motor in the bed right after your cab. How many miles are you thinking your batteries are going to get you in your current setup idea? My question is could use your diesel engine to charge one bank of batteries while you run on another bank this is an idea from your metro setup.
A section of raised bed might not be a bad idea. I was thinking maybe built-in toolbox sort of a thing. A friend of mine did an EV pickup with all the batteries under the bed, and it was a tilt-bed. BUT, he ended up NOT having room for TWO of the batteries. So, he cut a hole in the bed around where those two batteries would go ABOVE the bed-line. The bed would tilt up and down OVER those two batteries. It was funny that all but two batteries were hidden, so it looked like the truck was powered by just those two!
Using the diesel to charge a high voltage battery pack starts to complicate things. A person needs to actually know something about electricity at that point. You also start getting into higher costs trying to deal with a high voltage generator, and run out of room under the hood fast too. For now, I was NOT planning on any sort of additional charging like that. There are some plug-in diesel-electric hybrid school busses in my area that are plug-ins. They start with a charge and simply use the energy until it runs out. After that the diesel engine keeps driving the bus, but doesn’t provide any sort of charging. Once the bus is done with it’s morning run, it returns to base and recharges until dropping kids off from school in the afternoon.