Revolutionary Idea!

I've got a new (I think) idea for a hybrid drivetrain! Instead of the motors and engine running seperately, the motors could connect to the transmission, spinning on the axles. Not only would it act as an extra clutch and power source, but it could be a secondary transmission. In between the manual gears, the motors could gradually increase the speed of the wheels, until the manual tranny shifts, creating extra speeds in between gears. Has anyone ever tried this and do you think it would work?

Uh... I dont get it... I think I am lost.

I've read it 5 times and still cant grasp it. Care to diagram it? A visual would really help.

I am taking a shot at what is going on here.

Seems to me that the dude is talking about connecting the electric motors to the axles, directly driving the wheels, rather than through the tranny. That way, the wheels can be brought up or down in speed to match the rpm of the rest of the drivetrain, thereby possibly eliminating major clutch wear, and allowing smoother acceleration. Or, I might be talking out of my ass....

The electric wheel drive motor idea is not new, it has been used in large mining equipment for years. Check it out and see what you think. These units run 15 to 1800 hp diesel engines, pushing generators to power the wheel motors. Or, in the case of full electric machines, step down transformers. But, thats way out there.

Yeah, might be a plan, the engineering would be a killer, but it could work.
In a reverse fashing, there is a company called telma, who make an electromagnetic retarding device for heavy vehicles, check it out.

Neat, food for thought.. MMMMMMMMfood

Hmmm... very complex transmission. Lots of transmission losses in terms of friction... lots of couplings or electronic controls.

You know the electrically driven hub idea was done in 1920 by porsche for Daimler/mercedes benz

Read about it if you'd like:
http://www.autoswalk.com/merss.html

directly on the hub? where the wheels bounce up and down? it would add more weight to the suspension, and cause lots of rebound, this is not good for handling/ride.