Hydrostatic drive racecar features regenerative braking
Hydraulic hybrids have been on the drawing boards for a few years now, with company's such as FedEx and UPS testing systems as we speak. Even Ford has dabbled in hydraulic technology for their line of mainstream F-Series trucks. One benefit to using hydraulics as opposed to electric hybrids is that more energy can potentially be recaptured when braking, which is then re-used to start the vehicle moving forward again. This idea is put to good use in this concept as well, which was created in just five days by students all over the world. Although the design exists only on the computer, we can admire the engineering ideas which went into it. Using a 600cc motorcycle unit from Honda, the gas-powered engine powers a hydraulic pump which provides power to not only all four wheels but also the power steering pump. In addition to being all-wheel-drive, the machine also features four-wheel-steering, so that steering pump works overtime.
Projects such as this one prove that there are more ideas than time and money when it comes to designing a better mouse-trap hybrid car. The real problem lies in finding the funding to make something like this design become a reality. Nobody will ever really know how well this system could work if it sits still on the hard disk of a computer.
[Source: The Kneeslider]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Smog 7:20AM (2/14/2008)
welcome to 1978
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Transportation/1978-03-01/This-Car-Travels-75-Miles-on-a-Single-Gallon-of-Gasoline.aspx
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Sam 8:45PM (2/13/2008)
Honda has been doing hydro-mechanical drive for a while now, albeit without regenerative breaking, and not in automobiles. Look at their ATV line and you'll see what I mean.
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Eric Boyd 11:50PM (2/13/2008)
The Valentin Ingo competitor for the Automotive X Prize also plans to use a hydraulic hybrid scheme which sounds similar to those one - and we may actually get to see it race :-)
http://xprizecars.com/2008/02/valentin-technologies-ingo.php
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Wally 8:56AM (2/14/2008)
Gee, my John Deere tractor has hydrostatic drive to 4 wheels, power steering, and lift for the hitch and a loader........
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len simpson 11:33AM (2/14/2008)
Around 1940,my machinist,mechanic,tinkerer,dreamer Dad drew up a 4 motor AWD 38 Ply . The flathead 6 had a hyd pump in place of the three speed floorshift tranny w/a system of manual flow valves for direction control . Alas--- "hydrostat" had not been coined yet, nor inwheel hyd motors. Cooling the oil was going to be a problem too.
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smog 2:44PM (2/14/2008)
Hydrostatic systems worth crap in cold weather; That's why most agricultural machines steeped back to mechanical tranny. and yes, my 1968 lawn tractor got that kind of transmission; add an oil pressure accumulator and you got yourself an hybrid.
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