Toyota A-BAT hybrid pickup concept
 

:-X24

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/12/27/d...hybrid-pickup/

http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.au...oncept_opt.jpg

Neat toy for someone who has no need for a truck. Seems to be a Toyota version of the Subaru Brat or Baja but with hybrid technology. 4' bed with another 2' added if the midgate is down and 8' to the tip of the tailgate with the midgate down..

I like the styling. It looks like something Robocop would drive.

Wow I didn't think Toyota could design an uglier truck even if they tried, guess I was wrong, really reminds me of the ridgeline.

Honda Ridgeline on laxatives?

I don't think anyone could design an uglier truck even if they tried.

I think it would look better if the headlights were moved down...Of course I like the looks of the Ridgline too, so I guess my opinion doesn't count... :-D

Tim :-wink

Stop with the hybrid crap already, please?

A good diesel engine will put out less emissions and get better MPG then hybrids, and still be cheaper in the end.

Anyways, that thing is horribly ugly, and is it unibody!? We saw what happend with the ridgelin and the wrinkled body panels when you put a load in the bed. You would think that they would learn from other people's mistakes.

:-missingt :-missingt

I fail to see your reasoning. I see nothing wrong with recovering energy usually wasted in braking and then reusing it for propulsion.

Just because you don't like the vehicles it's in, doesn't mean that there's something wrong with it. I'll agree that most of the hybrid vehicles are ugly.

On your second point, look at the Liberty diesel vs the Escape hybrid. The Escape puts out less emissions, gets better MPG, and I doubt that the Liberty was cheaper than the Escape, especially after the tax credit.

Now make a turbo diesel hybrid and you'd see enormous MPG gains. Not to mention that electric motors make tremendous torque, and turbo lag wouldn't be an issue. You would pull hard off the line. Heck even the Prius' electric motor makes 295ft/lbs from 0-1200RPM. My 2000 F150 5.4 only makes 350ft/lbs total at like 3500 RPM or something like that.


However, this vehicle is ugly as sin. IDK why they have to style everything like a scene out of the 5th Element or Irobot. Just make a truck that gets good gas mileage, and leave the goofy styling out of it.

Mike

VW is coming out with a prius equivalent. It is diesel, gets 23MPG more then the prius hybrid, and puts out less emissions.

That would be awesome as my uncle's TDI Jetta has gotten a high of about 60MPG highway with an average of 45-50 highway. IDK in city.

I would think that 35+MPG city would be possible.

Mike

350lb/ft @ 2500rpm. Close though :-X22

Yeah, I didn't feel like looking it up.

IMO-Hybrid technology should be used in more applications. You can add more batteries and bigger motors in trucks and SUVs. I'm sure that a 350ft/lb motor could be fitted to an F250 diesel. Imagine having basicly an extra 5.4 V8 equivelant amount of torque from right off the line and it's free power, using the massive amount of energy from the 16K lb trailer you just stopped.

People are way too close minded about hybrids in thinking that they all have to be econo boxes.

Mike

I'm looking forward to buying a 4x4 hybrid suv that has had all the powertrain high mantinence components drive shafts, x-fer cases, differentals and transmission replaced by some wires and 4 wheel motors and a bumper to bumper wheel to wheel skid plate