Hybrid
gas-electric vehicles get great mileage and are environmentally
friendly. But can they tow a trailer?
Hybrid vehicles are the newest
old thing going. They're new where tow vehicles are concerned,
but the technology has been around for years. Remember the first
time you saw a moped? That's a hybrid vehicle. So are railroad
locomotives - they use a diesel engine that an electrical generator
that powers the electric motors in the wheels.
 Hybrid
power has been available in passenger cars like the Toyota Prius
and the Honda Insight for some time. But now it's becoming available
in trucks. Ford is selling the Hybrid Escape this year, with
the capability to tow a small trailer, while General Motors
and Dodge are producing pickup trucks that will have significant
towing abilities with better fuel economy for the RVer.
The engines in present-day cars and trucks are built with the
horsepower necessary to pull heavy loads up hills and accelerate
to highway speeds. Once the vehicle is up to speed, it takes
far less power to keep it moving. Hybrid vehicles achieve greater
efficiency by using two power sources - a gas or diesel engine
plus an electric motor - that provide power in series or in
parallel. A series arrangement uses a gasoline or diesel engine
to operate an electric generator, which provides the energy
needed to run one or more electric motors that drive the wheels.
A parallel hybrid can use either the gasoline engine or the
electric motor to power the wheels directly, or to work in combination
with each other when extra power is needed.
When a hybrid car slows down before a stop, it does not need
the power from the gasoline engine so the fuel is cut off, stopping
the engine while the electric motor operates as a generator
to recharge the batteries. The electric motor can also be used
as a dynamic braking device to slow the car. Dynamic braking
has been used in the industry for many years to safely stop
electric motors in a shorter period of time, without using brake
pads and discs or drums.
Hybrids improve fuel economy by using less energy when the vehicle
is at cruising speed, and no fuel when the vehicle is slowing
down. Since the engine is not running at a stoplight or in stop-and-go
traffic, more fuel is saved. At idle or when starting, a gasoline
engine is not very efficient and produces considerable pollution.
When you want to move away from the stop, the electric motor
uses stored energy from the batteries to start the vehicle moving,
then the high voltage batteries use the power of the electric
motor to instantly start the gasoline or diesel engine to continue
accelerating to the proper speed.
Originally, electric cars had to be plugged in to household
electricity to recharge. Hybrid vehicles don't require this
since they are constantly receiving energy each time you slow
down. Since the batteries in a hybrid are never fully discharged,
the battery can last for the life of the car, which is much
greater than the life of our present car battery. (Page
Top)
 DaimlerChrysler
has begun production of the Dodge Ram Diesel HEV. The Dodge
Ram Diesel HEV is built on the Ram Heavy Duty (2500/3500) chassis
and is equipped with diesel/electric hybrid propulsion. Diesel
works well as a hybrid because there is fuel economy savings
with a diesel compared to a similar gasoline engine. And, in
the case of the 325 horsepower/600 lb-ft Cummins Turbo Diesel,
there simply isn’t a comparable gasoline or diesel engine.
Improved fuel economy and lower emissions are reasons that customers
choose hybrids, but the Ram HEV offers another benefit. The
truck can operate as an electric generator, providing 110/220-volt
AC power, which would be useful around a campsite, on a construction
site, or even around the house in the event of a power failure.
DaimlerChrysler also has plans to market other hybrids, including
the new hybrid Sprinter van in early 2005.
General Motors is producing the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC
Sierra pickups in hybrid form for 2005, with the Chevrolet Equinox
and the Saturn Vue following in 2006 and the Tahoe and Yukon
in 2007. Instead of a conventional starter motor and alternator,
the pickups use a flywheel-alternator-starter hybrid with a
compact 14-Kw electric induction motor that provides fast, quiet
starting power and allows automatic engine stop/starts to conserve
fuel. Fuel economy is improved by as much as 13 percent while
carbon dioxide emissions are considerably reduced without sacrificing
performance or capability. The engine and electric motor are
connected through a re-engineered transmission so that the engine
is off at idle, fuel is cut off during deceleration and regenerative
braking helps slow the vehicle down. The hybrid model is offered
in both 2WD and 4WD extended cab models, and will be available
in limited quantities in 2005.
 General
Motors is developing large hybrid buses that could possibly
be developed into Class A motorhomes in the future. GM uses
twin 100Kw electric motors, a 588-volt battery system and an
8.9 L diesel engine to replace the former 11.0 L diesel used
in its buses. GM has sold 235 of these to the city of Seattle,
and they’ve been found to produce better acceleration
with emissions reduced by 90 percent. Further, they provide
better fuel economy and improved brake, oil, and transmission
life.
As noted, Ford’s Escape is now available as a hybrid.
Its 70-Kw electric motor launches the vehicle from a stop on
100 percent electric power up to 40 kilometres per hour. When
needed, the generator can smoothly start the gasoline engine
in less than four-tenths of a second, without the increased
emissions produced in starting a conventional engine. The electric
traction motor and power controller fit in approximately the
same position as a conventional transmission, while the slim
storage battery fits neatly under the rear cargo floor, completely
sealed against dampness and dirt. The only visual difference
you see is the integrated ductwork in the driver’s-side
rear quarter window for the battery’s temperature management
system. Properly equipped, the Hybrid Escape can tow a small
boat or camper trailer with a weight of 1,000 pounds. This is
the same tow rating as the standard Escape with the Duratec
23 engine. In 2007, we can expect to see the Ford Futura mid-size
car in a hybrid version. (Page Top)
Toyota brought us the Prius compact car as one of the first
hybrid vehicles on the road. The second generation of the Prius
with its new “Hybrid Synergy Drive” has been introduced
as a 2004 model. It has a 1.5-litre gasoline engine producing
76 horsepower. When the Prius starts, it is powered by the electric
motor with stored energy from the battery. As the battery charge
is depleted, the gasoline engine takes over and recharges the
battery as the vehicle accelerates. Once it is up to operating
speed, the part of the power goes to the generator which supplies
the electric motor, and part drives the wheels. The distribution
of these two power systems is continuously controlled to maintain
the most efficient equilibrium. When you need sudden acceleration,
such as highway passing, both the gasoline engine and the electric
motor drive the wheels.
 In
the spring of 2005 Toyota will introduce the Highlander SUV
as a hybrid. Its 3.3 litre V6 engine will be powered by a new
version of Toyota’s Synergy Drive power train. It will
produce a total peak power of about 270 horsepower (gas engine
and electric motor combined) which will give a 27.6 mpg fuel
economy. Its new high speed electric motor will operate at twice
the speed and deliver more than twice the power as the motor
used in the four-cylinder Prius. A majority of the options currently
found in the conventional Highlander will also be available
in the 2006 Highlander Hybrid.
Lexus also has a hybrid SUV in the works. The RX400h looks at
first glance just like the company’s popular RX330. The
RX 400h will be powered by a V6 hybrid synergy drive system
that combines sub-eight second zero-to-sixty acceleration with
fuel-efficiency equivalent to the current average for a four-cylinder
compact sedan. The Lexus Hybrid combines a powerful electric
motor with the RX 330’s highly efficient 3.3-litre V6
engine to significantly improve low to mid-speed acceleration
and overall fuel efficiency. The system is a full hybrid, meaning
that the RX 400h is capable of operating in separate gasoline
or electric modes, as well as one that combines power from both.
The RX 400h will develop a peak system output of approximately
270 horsepower and uses a regenerative braking system to further
boost system efficiency.
The future is here now, and we need to take a serious look at
present day vehicles that can be powered by alternate fuel sources
such as ethanol, and methanol. Many companies are researching
the viability of using fuel cells in cars, trucks, and buses
that will be powered by hydrogen gas. Ballard Systems of Canada
is leading the research with assistance from Ford, Chrysler,
and General Motors. We have already seen a few cars on the road
with experimental fuel cell power plants, and GM and Chrysler
both have fuel cell powered buses on the road in some test centres.
This is all great news for RVers. As these new technologies
develop we will be able to enjoy better fuel economy and reliability
than we’ve ever seen, all the while knowing we’re
having far less impact on the natural world we all enjoy so
much. Talk about a win-win situation for everyone! (Page
Top) |
