My hybrid diesel plans

[Russell Groves <rgroves@MIDUSA.NET>]

For those of you who've heard about my Dakota project, forgive the
repetition. It's part of a plan that's taking shape in my mind now, and
I'm in the process of putting together pieces. Shortly,  after my
dad-in-law leaves for Mexico for the winter, I'll have access to his
heated two car garage and that's when the fun begins. But here's a short
outline of what I'm envisioning.

The hybrid elements will be a PM motor driven as a generator (weight 100
lbs), and a China Diesel engine - either the 8 hp model 180 (at 200 lbs)
or the model 195 (16 hp @ 330 lbs with the starter removed. PM motor
would then serve as starter)  Part of my decision on which engine to use
depends on the physical size of the engine, and the price is another big
part. Voltage would be set with a manual throttle, by adjusting RPM to
get the desired volts. The China Diesel engines are made to last a
lifetime in daily use, and they use fuel at a rate of 1/2 pt/hp/hr. That
means just over 1 gph on the large engine running at full output.

I'm converting a Dakota pickup, and the bed is off. I have the rear
frame exposed, and between the rails just behind the cab is a fairly
deep area where the frame drops to pass under the cab. That's where the
gas tank sits now. I'm thinking about building one of those  engines and
my PM generator into that area. I'd mount the batteries from there on
back between the frame rails. A flatbed would cover the batteries (it's
already built) and hinge at the rear so I could service them. Batteries
are a string of Nickel-Iron 200 ah, voltage to be determined. I have
lots of them, so available space will help me decide how many I can
use.  A box would enclose the genset, with exhaust coming out of the top
or the bottom (I'd like to use mufflers/exhaust pipes to direct that
noisy exhaust away from the cab. Either up in the air or under the bed
as it is now with the engine still in place.)  The genset would be wired
to the battery pack, and I'd also have terminals on the outside of that
box so I could take DC out of it for charging other batteries.

I have solar installations out here on the farm, one driving an
irrigation pump and another hooked to an inverter and a battery bank
that supplies some of my house power. They're lower voltage, so I'd just
throttle the engine back to charge them. The coolant lines would route
under the cab and through the radiator of the truck. That addresses
another big problem with electric vehicles - no heater in the winter.
That diesel will help keep me warm as I move around this farm in cold
weather.

Eventually, I'd get another inverter, a big one that could run a bunch
of load and would be connected to the pickup's battery pack. It would
help me keep this place running during ice storms that knock the power
out, and give me a nice portable generator when I'm working in the
pasture.

So I could eliminate the radiator from that diesel, cutting a bit more
weight. The engine's alternator will connect to a separate 12 volt deep
cycle battery that sits where the starter battery is now. That powers
all the instruments, lights, heater fan, radio etc.

In short, the pickup is not only transportation, it's a portable
generator. Enough batteries to let me shut the engine down at night and
in town when I'm on the road.

Thanks to those of you on the list who posted your power consumption, I
expect a pure-EV range  of 60 miles at 55 mph, using 100 - 150 amps at
120 volts. The genset would come into play as needed to stretch the
range. I'll fiddle its output to match the voltage to pack voltage.

I figure the 180 would give me 35 amps, the 195 about 70. That means
I'll still be battery powered, but at a much lower amp draw. That genset
can be running while the truck is parked so the truck's range will be
VERY greatly extended. Combined weight of the genset and battery pack I
figure at around 1600 lbs. Removing the bed lifted 500 lbs from this
vehicle, and the extra leaf springs I installed are supposed to give me
an additional 1000 lbs of load capacity. I think this truck will still
come in at under 4500 lbs (GVWR was 4050)

It's a lot of experimentation, to be sure. But if I can make it work,
this will be a very versatile vehicle.

And now, the final part of this project. I have directions for turning
waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. Fast food places throw it away. With
a little treatment to remove the gum (a process called
transesterification)  you have a totally renewable diesel fuel that
doesn't come from OPEC.  How about that for self-sufficiency?

OK, that's a sketch of the plans. I'll start with a pure EV conversion,
designing around the eventual addition of that genset. The fun starts
with major surgery on the pickup, pulling off the ICE bits. Stay tuned.

Russell Groves

My hybrid diesel plans