AutoblogGreen

Listened to the podcast -- the standard lead-acid battery pack is disappointing with short life (300 cycles) and only being able to discharge to 50% of the 7.2 Kwh. Upgrading to lithium ion jacks the pricetag for this conversion to about $6K.

Still, it'll be interesting to get a real life report from someone who's had the conversion and can give details on performance and mileage increase.

It doesn't sound as though the kit allows for electric-only operation, even at very low speeds in urban driving.

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rgseidl said: "2 x 7hp isn't going to do very much."

Remember it's delivered *directly* to the wheels. If you read my post, Lovins said 87% energy in a traditional car doesn't reach the wheels. Hub motors are much more efficient than mechanical engines and they provide fantastic acceleration. This the secret behind the low cost of this system.

Try to get your gasoline car converted into a pure electric the traditional way and it's going to cost you anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000. Poulsen Hybrid is a much more effective solution and it's going to be a death knell for the electric conversion industry.

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Brilliant! The web site states that the biggest benefit is maintaining a steady cruising speed. They claim that propelling a small to mid-sized car at 60 MPH only takes 15 HP at the wheels.

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Reminds me of the "hover conversions" on Back to the Future 2...

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Another version of the HYBRID ADAPTER -- and most of the commenters are clueless as to the hybrid adapter concept and how easy they can be to build

http://peswiki.com/index.php/PowerPedia:Hybrid_Adapter

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One aspect of this innovation that interests me is its 4wd potential. I know this will not act the same as a true 4wd or AWD system, but might it help my now fwd 2004 jetta tdi get up an icy or muddy hill? I Never thought that adding 4wd would increase my mpg.

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Practial, and I like the effort of trying to convert ICE's, as that's really the shorter term goal. While I could see systems like working for the -most- part, it really doesn't address the "turning off the engine at stops, and using the motor for 0~7mph" mode, which is where a good portion of the savings are for city/traffic commutes.

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Sorry, but this is absurd. Notice that the manufacturer makes no real claims as to gains in efficiency? If this simple add on could make a significant difference at all, then vehicles specifically engineered with such a system (various breeds of hybrid) should have a 10 fold increase in efficiency. Sorry, but this isn't much more than a gimmick. The mounting system attached to the rear bumper simply couldn't handle the torque necessary for any serious power gain.

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so it will take 10 to 15 years to earn back the 3000 dollar investment. Not to mention the environmental load for manufacturing the batteries. No, this isn't it people.
Not even mentioning the unsprung weight issue (negative for suspension) and the fact that if you add this to a front drive car you are adding rear wheel drive to a suspension not designed for it. This might give you more issues. My guess is it will wear out your rear independent suspension really quick.

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iHero said: "Another version of the HYBRID ADAPTER"

The Poulsen Hybrid solution seems to me quite opposite of "Hybrad."

Poulsen = elegant, compact and cheap
Hybrad = ugly, clunky and expensive

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Green doesn't mean check your brain at the door folks. Why do people always forget the batteries as a consumable?

3.5 Kwhr/charge usable ~300 cycles usable.
Range = ~10 miles.

So you can displace 3000 miles of gasoline driving on a set of batteries.

At 30mpg that would be 100 gallons of gas. At $4/gallon that is $400 dollars worth of gas. He said the batteries cost about $600. Anyone see an issue. Not only will you never pay back the original package, but the more you use it, the more money you lose.

To say nothing of how it is a total kludge and not the elegant solution some claim. I have see some lame things promoted on ABG, but I think this one takes the cake.

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