Ricky Willems: Projects And Achievements

How to Produce a 215 mpg Hybrid...

As I've meant to say in my Worst of Our Generation section of the website, the hybrids of today are utter jokes.  The 50 miles per gallon that a Toyota Prius can make should be the standard economy for most non-hybrid passenger cars, while those who purchase hybrids should enjoy hundreds of miles per gallon, at the same price as a regular car.

"If that's so, then why aren't you making such a car?" I would be in a heart beat if I had the money to start up a company. And, since I can't manage to produce such a car at the moment (except maybe one for myself), I've decided to describe the process in 9 easy steps. For an explanation of the images, simply mouse-over each picture with your cursor.

Step 1: Lightweight

It takes less energy to propel a light object than a heavy one. That's basic physics. And in an automobile who's source of energy is gasoline, you can use less fuel by having less to move. According to an article by Pablo Päster on Triple Pundit.com, fuel economy drops by about a mile per gallon for every hundred pounds. By that logic, if you reduced the weight of the Prius to only 1600 pounds,  it could get 63 mpg instead of 50.

American's seem to have a love affair with behemoth automobiles, and none of the marketing from American car companies has done anything to change that. Even with this mindset, more an more consumers are turning to small cars for their gas economy, why not give them even more reason to switch?


Even aside from downsizing a car, there are many methods that can cut down on weight. Fiberglass and aluminum parts can take off hundreds of pounds. Likewise, having an intentionally elegant and simplistic design can not only drastically reduce weight, but save money and look great at the same time.

Step 2: Go Diesel

Diesels are considerably more efficient that gasoline engines. They are high compression, directly inject their gasoline, and diesel fuel holds substantially more energy than gasoline. All of these factors contribute to their higher economy.

Diesel automobiles that get 50+ miles per gallon have been around since the 1970s. Now imagine that coupled with hybrid technology. The gas usage could be astoundingly low.

Diesel engines are also incredibly durable, and last for hundreds of thousands of miles. Diesel engines appeal of course to the BioFuel crowd as well. This will also boost sales, and decrease the impact of the vehicle.

Step 3: Turbocharge that Diesel

Diesel engines not only make much more power when turbo charged, but increase the engines efficiency because of an increase in compression.  Diesels respond incredibly well to turbo charging, this when done correctly, can increase fuel economy and power up to 50% or more.

An increase in power for an given engine means a smaller, lighter engine can be used to power the car. Diesels have a reputation for being heavy for their power output, which is partially true, as they must be built to handle greater forces. The addition of a supercharger however can help offset that weight disadvantage.

Step 4: Go for a Series Hybrid

I don't know why I decided to make the most important step #4, but listen up.

Hybrids on the road today are what's called parallel hybrids. They can put power to the road using either the gasoline engine or their electric motor. The electric motor serves not only as a way to speed up the car, but also a generator for the engine to power, and as a way to recapture breaking energy in regenerative breaking.

A series hybrid on the other hand, has no mechanical connection between the engine and the road. It allows the engine to run only when it is needed, and always at its peak efficiency.  By running the engine at it's most efficient point (peak torque), the generator can extract the most energy per gallon of gas possible.

Having a series hybrid allows for the elimination of the transmission, which reduces weight and complexity. It also helps maximize the power captured by regenerative breaking.

This combination means that a series hybrid setup can be up to 50% more effective that a parallel hybrid in mixed driving conditions. That knocks your Prius up to 75mpg, plus increased regenerative breaking efficiency, plus a lower overall weight, and a more simplistic drive train. With all that taken in to account, lets estimate a 90mpg Prius, that doesn't need an expensive battery pack replacement.

Step 5: Use A Small Battery Pack

Or replace it with capacitors. Smaller battery packs mean less weight, and because the car is a series hybrid, the battery pack need only be enough for short intermittent bursts of power and the recapture of breaking energy. The new Lithium Nanophosphate batteries would be perfect for the job.

Ultra capacitors could also do the job quite well, and would be considerably lighter than their battery counterparts.

Step 6: Plug in Hybrid (As An Option)

As more and more consumers clamor for their Prius' to be able to charge via household outlets, this could become a major selling point for any hybrid. Personally, I feel this could cause problems, as it calls for a larger battery pack, increases the weight of the car, requires time and large transformers.

Still, for short errands, plug in hybrids are ideal. If battery technology perks up a little more, having an on board bank of batteries large enough for day to day travel would be great. At such a point, only a very small engine would be needed to keep the batteries charged encase of long periods without plugging in.

Step 7: Use a Motorcycle Sized Engine

An average car only needs 15 horsepower or so to cruise at 65 on the highway. A properly designed car can use much less.

Why have a larger engine then? For acceleration. When you need an extra boost of power to pass on the highway, or to accelerate from a dead stop, your engine uses more power.

With a series hybrid however, the engine only has to be big enough to supply enough power to keep the car cruising on the highway.  The power for short bursts of energy can be supplied by the accumulator (battery banks, or capacitors).

These smaller engines not only use much less gasoline (many small engined motorcycles can push 100 miles per gallon, check out the Honda Unicorn at 130mpg) but they weigh much less, which helps keep the vehicle weight to a minimum.

Step 8: Ditch the Traditional Drivetrain

One of the great things about a series hybrid is a traditional transmission is no longer required. Nor is a drive shaft, and sometimes even the differential can be done away with.

With one small motor for each rear wheel, nearly all the unnecessary rotating mass in the car can be done away with. All that is required is a connection between the motors and the wheels. Lower rotating mass equates to higher efficiency, lower vehicle complexity, fewer things to break, and lower overall weight.

Step 9: Low Resistance:

Low Resistance Body. Low Resistance Tires. Low Resistance anything and everything.

People having been modifying there cars for years to increase their gas mileage. Two of my favorites are a 15 year old Honda civic that gets nearly 100 miles per gallon, and a 1959 Opel that gets more than 375 miles per gallon.

Low resistance tires can increase fuel economy by 3-5% or more.  Having a car with great aerodynamics can increase a cars mileage two or three fold.

Step 10: Add More Options

No, Really. This is an approach car makers could really get behind. I recently worked on a pair of seats from a Ford Explorer. Each seat had about 40 pounds (and I'm sure hundreds of dollars worth) or mechanization to move and inflate the seat in any way imaginable. Eliminate that stuff.  Eliminate the sound-proofing (design a quieter ride).  Eliminate anything that adds comperable weight, or has an considerable impact on gas mileage, that isn't needed by the majority of drivers.

Now, offer all of those features as options. Let the buyer know the impact of their options. This is really a win-win situation. The producer can advertise the potential low mileage, which is available to consumers, and still sell all their profitable bells and whistles. Consumers can get the features they want if they really want them, and have the option of buying an ultra stripped down gas sipping vehicle.

The Results:

 

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