should Toyota build this??

Hi Dave...,

This is a very simple system. The only issue would be the durability of the dry-clutches. Otherwise, should work well. Its neat, that they can run both motors as drive motors, then reconfigure the clutches after accelleration so that the motor closest the engine is used as a generator to recharge the battery at a different shaft speed than the drive shaft. This does not have to happen, but it allows the engine to run at an efficient speed while the vehicle is at low speeds. The clutch closest to the drive shaft then has to handle the most torque, and would be most prone to failure. The design issue is if they are going to be able to realize this in the common transmission diameters without any gearing. I gues that is what the e-compounding is about, but I am under the impression that motors are allot more expensive than gears.

 

They're talking about a series hybrid. Good idea if you don't mind being 100% dependent on gasoline. Make it a PHEV and you can get a little of your energy from the grid. But I'm extremely skeptical that a vehicle of that size, weight, and power would get 40 mpg. Note that it was a representative of the company that said that they hope or expect to get 40 mpg. They did not say they had any test results.

 

Here's another link from May 2009:

Updated: Plans for Light-Duty Electric Pickup Truck Announced - PickupTrucks.com News

 

But it's still burning gas! Portable generators, of course, have their uses. But they become obsolete when you can no longer afford to buy the gas.

 

I have mixed feelings. I will drive the most sustainable car I can. But I think we need a clean break. I know a lot of folks feel that slight improvements are moving in the right direction, but I see this in the same light as I see the economist who is happy when unemployment increases at a slower rate than in the previous interval. You've still got more people, not fewer, out of work.

With the number of cars on the road increasing, as the population grows, we're burning more gas every year even as the most efficient cars are getting more efficient.

We need a clean break.

I agree with you that "realistically" this is not going to happen. But as long as we burn more fossil fuel each year than we did the year before (ignoring occasional dips during recessions) then we are moving in the wrong direction, not the right direction, and I do not see a handful of slightly-more-efficient cars as an improvement.

So, to the question of whether Toyota should build a slightly-more-efficient monster pickup truck, I say: No. Toyota (and others) should build wind turbines, solar cells, and electric cars.

 

Yep. We're on the same page!