Why can’t they just build a electric motor-driven AWD car with a small turbo-4cyl, one big battery for starting the gas engine, and as an “electric spring” for the drive motors...and use a bunch of large capacitors for acceleration?
No battery pack...no charging, best of both worlds.
I think their using electric motors as a “transmission” as they do in hybrids, is brilliant.
Well electricity is a lot cheaper than gasoline, so in a car like the Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf, the price premium for the battery can pay for itself over time (although it will take longer now due to the drop in gas prices... but those are probably temporary).
With a Volt you also have that gas engine & tank built in so that it turns into a regular gas car after the battery is depleted.
“No battery pack...no charging, best of both worlds.”
You don’t get something for nothing; if that gas engine isn’t putting out the torque the electric motor isn’t getting any either.
“using electric motors as a “transmission” as they do in hybrids, is brilliant.”
The sweet spot for electric transportation is the stop-and-go-ten-mile-an-hour city commuter traffic.
When the fueled engine can run at it’s design RPM it blows the electric motor away for cost-savings. But when it can’t the electric rules.
All-electric cars are expensive toys for ‘regular’ driving.
It could be profitable to get a cheap electric if one lived near a “free” charging station.
Install a low-voltage home heater: charge the battery up, come home and heat the house... LOL! Don’t think it won’t happen!
Diesel-electric locomotives have been doing exactly that for decades.
P.S. I have read that the Army has been experimenting with a diesel-electric semi for awhile.
Well, along a similar vein, Audi is coming out with an AWD “e-Quattro” plug-in hybrid that will have a significantly smaller battery than the Volt but with a lot more total horsepower. The ICE and two electric motors add up to a respectable 408 hp.