This Car Travels 75 Miles On A Single Gallon Of Gasoline!

THIS CAR TRAVELS 75 MILES ON A SINGLE GALLON OF GASOLINE!

yes those are two different links, the first one is just a bit simpler to look at.

like it says in the article, one of the downfalls of this particular system is that it basically has two transmissions, the factory tranny and a hydraulic one, therefore it has more parasitic loss.

close to the hydraulic launch assist that was on the Tonka concept, but it has got me wondering if something could be made in a DIY fashion...

here has been what has gone through my mind:

transfer case with the low range gut stripped out of it (I think that a gear driven would be most efficient, but either could work) and with the hydraulic pump/motor attached where the output from the drive shaft would be. a hydraulic reservoir and a hydraulic accumulator (most expensive part, i don't see needing more than a 5 gal/3000psi on a full size truck)

the only other question would be how to control it. I have some thoughts of a valvebody with electronic solenoids. have it kick into regen when the brake is applied and start applying power at 1 or 2 mph and 5% throttle or so. would mean programming a controller, but it is definetly possible without getting too expensive

one big issue that i see is getting the sized right so that it doesn't cause the wheel to lock up if you do a panic stop, which means either a small enough pump (which could work with the right driving habits) or an intigration with the abs system.

any constructive comments are welcome!

 

hmm, lots of views but no talkers. have been thinking and a great canidate would be a 2wd ranger with a 4wd tranny & xcase. and rather than worrying about electronics to try it out, just set it up with a valve mounted on the floor with a longer handle. pull for hydraulic braking and push for hydraulic assist.

and replace the 2.3 with a 1.0L turbo diesel...

 

75mpg with a 16hp lawnmower engine and probably no more than 1200lb to move should not need all that plumbing. The hydraulics, like the electric part of hybrids, just gives an acceleration boost over the ICE alone.