I have made some design revisions in the past days. Project AmpEater will now become a hybrid. NOT a “electrically limited” hybrid like the prius, or insight….while each a step in the right direction, they just totally miss the mark. All of the energy to propel these vehicles ultimately comes from the gasoline they burn, their batteries are only used to recover some electricity during braking for re-use during acceleration. Instead AmpEater will be an engine assisted electric vehicle, capable of driving totally from batteries for 40+ miles. The onboard diesel generator will only be activated if it is necessary to travel beyond this range. The engine/generator assembly will hereafter be referred to as the APU - Auxiliary Power Unit
I have not made a final engine decision yet, but it will most definitely be a diesel engine rated between 10hp-20hp continuous. An engine this size will weigh between 150 and 300lbs, and coupled with a generator provide between 7,500 and 15,000 watts.
The engine will be capable of running on 100% biodiesel in its unmodified form, and with the addition of a fuel pre-heating system it should be capable of running on straight vegetable oil (known as SVO) or WVO (waste vegetable oil).
Tags: Biodiesel Diesel Hybrid PHEV SVO WVO Vegetable Oil Emis
