Hybrid Ram

[JStraw]

Is this for real?? Dodge Ram Hybrid Truck



It would be like having my cake and eating itOo.

 

[therabbittree]

yes, I remember reading about it back then, never offfered in dealers though ... I think just military, although I've never saw any military truck pics. . I the TDR and popoular mechanics magazines both had articles covering the truck back then. . It would sell, not sure why they haven't done it in main prodcution . . etc

Thanks,

deo

 

[betterthanstock]

It's a "mild hybrid", so you probably would pay an extra $5-10K for 500+ lb worth of generator/motor/batteries. You'd lose that payload, and the highway mileage would not go up at all, just in-city, while the batteries are new.

Now if they went all out like a diesel-electric locomotive or bus, by eliminating the gearbox, transfer case, differentials, driveshafts, and just add 4 electric motors, with 4 wheel independent suspension, and made the diesel automatically shut off when the batteries are full, like in stop and go, parking lot, etc, then it would likely be worth the extra money. The cost of the transmission stuff would be replaced by the cost of the motors, and so on. But it would need at least a 350 hp electric motor, and 4 electric motors totalling the same or more hp, and batteries to move it for a few miles with the engine off.

In fact, they could downgrade the Cummins to more like 200 hp, maybe removing 2 cylinders, and using the batteries for an extra kick during acceleration and short hills. (It would have to slow down on long hills while towing though, after batteries get drained, until they get recharged again going downhill. )

 

[betterthanstock]

I found this interesting reading. It looks like they may actually apply this to the hemi cars and SUV's/pickups, because of the 4L60 GM transmission, which may not handle the Cummins. With cylinder deactivation, it may exceed the mileage of the 6. 7 empty.

Global Hybrid Cooperation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia