I built a "home-made" plug-in hybrid using a 1995 Chevy Blazer that has an electric motor inserted into the drive train (behind the transmission). I have been driving it for ~3 years and have 30,000 miles on it... I thought this list might be interested...

It's a start! An idea that addresses existing vehicles - primarily fleet vehicles! Would it qualify for any state or federal tax credits? It is a "new hybrid vehicle"?

Around town fuel efficiency gain of ~26%. (dyno'd at 26% using NY Drive Cycle, but I can improve on that...) It runs on 4, 100 amp hr batteries located in the back, because I was too lazy to build racks along the frame rails... I get about 50 miles before the batteries need recharging, recharge takes ~2 hours (9 amps).

What's needed:
Series wound DC motor, $1700 (mine was smaller, 7" - rather than 9")
motor supports ($200)
motor controller, ($435)
contactor, ($125)
shortened drive shaft, ($150)
4 (or more) batteries, either 48 or 72 volts) + battery box) ($400)
microprocessor (EMIS) (a 5K pot doesn't work!!!) ($650)
charger ($300)
cables, wring, etc. ($~$100)

The lower the mileage a vehicle gets, and the more stop and go, the greater the benefit...

Enjoy,
George


Pictures available at: http://www.go-ev.com/S10-blazer.html

Excellent! It looks to be a solution for any rear-drive vehicle.

As a suggestion, start recording your mileage. IMHO, you might identify it as one of the GM hybrids, probably a "Silverado Hybrid". This would keep it within the same family.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

George I noticed on the site it mentions the tech only works with 1996 or newer vehicles. What would be the difficulty in getting this tech to work on older cars?

EMIS has integrated microprocessors and circuitry that talks to all of the OBD-II standards:

• ISO15765-4 (CAN)
• ISO14230-4 (KWP2000)
• ISO9141-2
• J1850 VPW
• J1850 PWM

However, OBD-II wasn't required on U.S. vehicles till 1996. Some models (i.e. my 1995 Blazer) had it early - some as early as 1994! Without OBD-II on the vehicle you would have to come up with another technique to coordinate the electric motor and the gas engine. A simple 5K potentiometer doesn't work as it is a very non-linear relationship between what the gas engine is doing and the results behind the transmission (gearing, RPMs, speed, load, etc.)! I used a 5K pot for awhile, and I'm lucky I didn't destroy the motor or controller!

My Blazer is listed as "non-compliant" here:
http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/auter...ntVehicles.pdf
but it works! If this product works on your car: http://obdallinone.com/ , then EMIS should work.

Enjoy,
George

Hi George,

I couldn't find the weights for the different motors.

Also, since they are series DC motors, am I correct that they have no regenerative capability?

Thanks,
Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

Hi Bob,
My 7" motor weighs 86 lbs, the TransWarP 9 weighs about 160 lbs., The TransWarP 11 weighs about 230 lbs - the target market for this conversion is stop and go delivery vehicles (UPS, Fed-Ex, post-office) which have the room and carry capacity foe the motor and batteries...

You are correct - no regen or sustained charging with the series motor. But, I just heard today that the Sep-Ex 9" dyno testing was completed this past Friday, so now there is a motor capable. Next step is to get a controller mapped to the motor, and the then next step is to work on a 6.7" or 7" motor and controller for passenger vehicles!

Enjoy,
George

Hey, you guys are in the Chicago area correct? Any chance I can stop by and see what you guys are doing over there?

Certainly - sometime next week would work best (except Friday as I try to sneak out early...)
best to give a call a first...
George

Wow, that's quite an accomplishment. Good for you, George!

To answer your question about the tax credits, I think they have an approved list of models, not a general definition of 'new hybrid vehicle,' so my initial reaction is that I wouldn't think you'd be eligible for the tax credit. Here's the page about it; see what you think:
http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/...157632,00.html

There's a new Illinois program from the State Treasurer's office that gives a $1000 credit if you buy a hybrid and finance it through a credit union or bank on a particular list, (see other threads in the forum for more info) but again, that wouldn't apply to you since you aren't buying it new. Maybe if you'd built it and sold it to a family member or friend, she could get it financed and so on? But it wouldn't be worth it if you had to pay taxes and title fees, never mind, random idea.

Hey, thanks for the quick response. Not this week or next. Towards the end of the month I was thinking actually. I'll email you privately. Assuming of course I can locate an email.