Ford Invents Hybrid that is *300% more efficient* than Toyota Prius

[johnnyangelb]

Original Article: http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06...lichybrid.html

2.13.06

---Ford is developing a new form of automotive propulsion, and the implications for the American Auto Industry are huge. The Hydraulic Hybrid could be the greatest innovation since the internal combustion engine itself, and Ford is on the inside track with its F-150 Hybrid...
...The Idea behind the current crop of Hybrid cars is well known; the cars main energy comes from gasoline which recharges batteries that move the car at low speeds. Hydraulic Hybrids work in the same manner, only instead of batteries, excess energy is stored in hydraulic cylinders.That in itself is not revolutionary, except for the fact that Nickel Metal Hydride batteries used today are not an efficient way to store energy, and hydraulic storage blows them away with 3X the efficiency.

http://www.newtechspy.com/articles06...lichybrid.html

[Carver]

If the story is true, and the cost of hydraulic energy storage isn't prohibitively high, then this might be a huge development. A 4800 lbs. car that gets 60mpg city... Ford might actually be Driving American Innovation.

[yassir(snowman)]

cool but i think there is alread a thread like this.

[dindak]

Got to imagine whomever comes up with the next great power plant will reap huge $$ rewards. That's why GM keeps pushing ahead with hydrogen.

[Perian]

Originally Posted by yassir(snowman)

cool but i think there is alread a thread like this.

UPS and the Eaton Corporation have been working on this for years with limited success. No test components are thus far in production.

Don't get too happy here.

We are a long way from a 60mpg Ford F-150.

[56 Starchief]

holy ***** good for them

now lets get GM up to speed

[killerrd2]

The system is quite large and heavy from what I've read. This limits it's use to larger trucks in general. UPS was looking to use this technology to increase the mpg of it's fleet. Huge cost saving possible but not a Prius beater as advertised!

[paul8488]

Is this 300% better than projected or actual Prius mileage? These numbers generally mean nothing, really. What's nice is that there is research into new and different automotive propulsion systems.

[jlt0x]

Originally Posted by Perian

UPS and the Eaton Corporation have been working on this for years with limited success. No test components are thus far in production.

Don't get too happy here.

We are a long way from a 60mpg Ford F-150.

EPA Announces Partnership to Demonstrate World's First Full Hydraulic Hybrid Urban Delivery Vehicle

...The members contributing to this exciting partnership include: EPA, Eaton Corporation – Fluid Power, UPS, International Truck and Engine Corporation, U.S. Army – National Automotive Center, and Morgan-Olson....

The EPA’s advanced technology in the UPS demonstration vehicle is targeted to achieve:
- 60-70 percent better fuel economy
- 2010 heavy-duty vehicle NOx standard
- Ability to recoup additional cost for new hydraulic hybrid technology in less than 3 years

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f05006.htm

This project may be closer to reality than initially expected. Hybrid research is really starting to heat up. Toyota's lawsuit, dual-mode hybrid transmission, now hydraulic hybrid...the tech & auto industry are showing more signs of life after all.

[Perian]

Originally Posted by jlt0x

EPA Announces Partnership to Demonstrate World's First Full Hydraulic Hybrid Urban Delivery Vehicle

...The members contributing to this exciting partnership include: EPA, Eaton Corporation – Fluid Power, UPS, International Truck and Engine Corporation, U.S. Army – National Automotive Center, and Morgan-Olson....

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f05006.htm

THE BIG PROBLEM HERE: The system is VERY heavy - The highway MPG is thus WORSE than the improved city mpg.

Here is the original story from the Detroit News:


ANN ARBOR-- Deep inside a nondescript warehouse-like building on the edge of town, researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are working on a plan to improve the prospects of the American auto industry.

EPA officials say a technology patented by the agency and dubbed the hydraulic hybrid system could give U.S. manufacturers an edge with increasingly fuel-conscious car consumers.

The system uses hydraulic pressure to recapture energy lost through braking, then releases the pressure during acceleration. The EPA estimates hydraulic hybrids could improve fuel economy up to 55 percent, versus 30 percent to 40 percent for a conventional gas-electric hybrid.

The EPA believes in some ways, hydraulic hybrids will be superior to gasoline-electric hybrids, such as the Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid. One big advantage: they cost less, meaning consumers will see a more immediate financial payoff.

"The EPA has been seen only as an entity that approves rules and issues standards," said Chris Grundler, director of the EPA's Ann Arbor test lab. "We'd like to think we can be part of the solution as well.

As Johnson sat behind the wheel of the Expedition, agency officials said the hydraulic hybrid version would get 32 mpg in city driving and 22 mpg on the highway. The conventional gasoline-only Expedition averages 13 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway.

The cost of the hydraulic system -- about $1,000 -- would be paid back in nine months of driving, officials said.

The EPA is working on pilot projects with Ford Motor Co., the U.S. Army, Eaton Corp. and United Parcel Service to get the technology into the real world as quickly as possible.

UPS, for example, expects to use a hydraulic hybrid truck in the spring. Because of the added weight of the tanks used to store pressurized fluid in the system, engineers expect the best application for hydraulic hybrids will be in heavy-duty trucks that start and stop a lot in city driving.

Robert Hall, fleet environmental manager at UPS, said the system operates on a much more basic level than gas-electric hybrids. The less complicated the mechanics, the more likely it is to be durable and reliable, Hall said -- a key criterion for UPS.

"We believed it was something that could work," Hall said.

Other kinds of applications could follow. Another EPA partner, Eaton, will begin fielding a test fleet of 20 hydraulic hybrid garbage trucks in the second half of 2006, said Brad Bohlmann, Eaton's business development manager for hydraulics.

"If you're looking for a lot of power over a short duration, hydraulic hybrids are a good solution," Bohlmann said.

Some observers wonder if hydraulic hybrids will really ever transfer to the mass market for cars and trucks.

Ford, the EPA's first commercial partner, thinks there might be some limited applications for parts of the system. Its Mighty Tonka 350 concept truck, unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in 2002, had a "hydraulic launch assist" to boost acceleration.

But because of the added vehicle weight, the hydraulic hybrids tend to get worse fuel economy on the highways -- one of the primary modes of driving for consumers. Ford is in a wait-and-see mode, officials said.

[quickrick]

Go Ford! It would be great to see an American company champion a new technology.
Bill Ford has always stated that environmental concerns would be a top priority with him, so this would be great for Ford as well as all of us on planet Earth. Fact is, as hard as people may find it to believe, breakthrough technology in the auto industry will have to come from the U.S. or Europe. The Japanese are experts at organizing, refining and repackaging to a fare-thee-well, all necessary and successful - but don't have a clue when it comes to pioneering something really new. Hybrids, Rotary engines, overhead cams, computer controls, the catalytic converter, airbags, anti-lock brakes and swiveling headlights all were invented in Europe or the U.S. Go Ford!

[saturnsteve]

60 MPG Holy *****, man that is really cool. Are you hearing this GM??

[kenman923]

Good for Ford. If they can only get the weight reduced, they have a winner on their hands.

[CobaltSScrazy]

get on the ball GM, good job ford, but no praise until you show me the "innovation" in your products.

[zaxxis]

Also something to remember, with any new technology, once it becomes productionalized and more widespread, it will eventually get smaller, cheaper and trickle it's way down to smaller automobiles.

This technology can have huge benefits. Imagine how much gas would be saved if UPS, FedEx and the USPS switched to these type of systems?

-Z