HyDoR

Goodyear makes a belt called the Eagle PD. It's actually quite interesting, as Goodyear claims its double-helix design decreases noise and increases traction. This is generally true for gears, so this sounds reasonable for belts, too. It might be a little expensive, but I think for us it's worth it. (Don't pay attention to the list prices. McMaster-Carr has them for about half of what Goodyear quotes, and you might be able to do even better, as in my experience McMaster-Carr is always a little high on its prices. I can't link to it directly, but it's under the title "Tire Track" Endless Rubber Timing Belts and Pulleys on page 981.)

I don't know about real-world efficiency, but they claim that it can reach 98%, which is about the best that anyone claims for gears or chains, too. I think as soon as I settle on a layout (either a triangular layout with a separate sprocket for each of the motor, engine, and wheel shafts, or a standard belt layout with an IVT planetary gear set combining the motor and engine.

No mention of whether the belt performs equally well in both directions. Due to its design, it seems logical to me that it would slip more easily in the direction of the herringbone, but human logic doesn't dictate physical reality. I can't actually talk to a belt engineer right now because the Goodyear plants are on strike. (Who would have thought here in Europe I'd be bothered by an American strike? Go figure.)

It seems that chains have a problem with the high rpms I need. If I directly drive the chain from the motor, I need a sprocket turning at 6000rpm. That's some phenomenal centripetal acceleration, perhaps more than any chain can give. Belts are significantly lighter, can also transmit massive amounts of power, are more efficient in less-than-ideal situations, so it might be better to go with the higher maintenance but more efficient solution.

I've added a section on chain selection. On further analysis, I'm not sure that my decision to go with a chain drive stands. It seems that it will be very difficult to find a chain and pulley combination that can rotate at 6000rpm (the maximum speed of my electric motor).

This is the official start of the HyDoR (Hybrid Done Right) blog. I hope to update it pretty much daily. We'll see if there's enough to actually bother updating it that often. Since in theory this is my full-time job, I hope to be making rapid progress.

This blog, nay, this site exists in order to properly chart my progress. The benefits are twofold: 1) anyone else crazy enough to try this at home (Remember kids, we're professionals! Yeah, right...) will have a good resource, and 2) when it comes time to write quarterly reports and my dissertation-- yes, this is the beginnings of a PhD-- I'll have a lot of my work already done.

So what I plan to do is put all helpful information online. For starters, I plan to add a section on choosing and specifying the final power transfer: belt, chain, or shaft. This will be done somewhat akin to how I made my Ball and Plate pages: starting off with all the necessary info on one page, with links to more in-depth details and proofs.

After two weeks of nail-biting, I finally got it! And it's a beaut. 132hp takes you from life to death in 3.2s. Moreover, on the highway it's mileage is not so bad: 5L/100km. That's even better than my car, and my car only has 90hp. Of course, my car has an airbag, heater, air conditioner, and space for 5, so it's still going to stay my vehicle of choice.

Now that it's in the lab, I can start getting down to business. First thing to do is order all the parts. After that, some waiting (it's a university, it takes ages to get anything bought), and then finally I can drop the engine out of that behemoth.

I finally decided on what kind of electric vehicle to build. I had thought about it for a long time, and felt a little overwhelmed by a hybrid car. There were just too many design decisions that needed to be made right from the get-go, and I didn't feel confident about my judgement. Instead, I just bought this: http://cgi.ebay.fr/moto-suzuki-GSXE-1100-cm3-bon-etat....

It seems that a motorcycle is a much better choice than a car because being lighter it takes less motor and batteries, being more open it takes less cooling, and being a motorcycle it's much less complicated. Only one traction wheel, no airbag, no electronics, just pure power.