What does the Car of the Future look like? Well, sorry, no, it’s not an electric vehicle, or a DeLorean. The Car of the Future really looks like what your driving right now, but with what I call a SPDT Six Pack Drive Train. Basically the drive train of the future will have an internal combustion engine, a hybrid battery, an electric motor in an eAxle, engine overrun charging, regenitive braking, 110v, 220v, 440v plug in capability, a solar roof top charging panel, and 4 linear wind turbine generators, one in each corner of the vehicle.
These technology’s all exist today, and except for the solar charging roof panels and the wind generators, the first 8 systems are on many cars, trucks, minivans, crossovers, and SUV’s already. With the addition of the solar roof panels and the wind generators, the vehicle will have the ability to get motive power from the gas engine and the electric motor, and the battery can be recharged from sun power, wind power, grid power, engine override charging, and regenitive braking, with all systems working together 24/7.
Below are the minimum requirements for each system, and how they will work to power the Car of the Future, whether it’s a car, truck, minivan, crossover, heavy duty or an SUV.
First up is the ICE internal combustion engine that can be a 3, 4, 5, 6 or 8 cylinder engine with a minimum of 200 HP horsepower and around 200 ft-lb’s. of torque. This engine will be able to run on gasoline, flex fuel or synthetic fuel, and get from 40 to 50 MPG.
Second system: This is what is called electrification. The vehicle would have an electric motor and a hybrid battery, with enough storage capacity to drive the vehicle a minimum of 50 miles before needing to be recharged, from any of the 7 charging systems that can charge the on-board battery.
Third system: The vehicle will be a PHEV plug in hybrid electric vehicle that can be plugged into the electric power grid with a Level I 110 volt plug, a Level II 220 volt power source, or a Level III 440 volt DC fast charger, with charging times from just a few minutes, to a few hours, and everything in between.
Fourth system: Engine overrun and regenitive braking: Overrun is the ability to charge the hybrid battery when the engine is running at all times, plus every vehicle will have high capacity charging regenitive braking, with a one pedal driving option. OPD slows the vehicle down while fast charging the battery, with regenitive braking, all by itself.
Fifth system: All vehicles will have a roof mounted solar panel that will recharge the hybrid battery with at least one mile of driving range, for each hour the vehicle sits in direct sunlight. Park it in the sun all day and you get 8 miles of driving range, for free.
Sixth system: Four bi-directional linear wind turbine powered generators, with one mounted in each corner of the vehicle. The turbine wind generators would add electrical power to the hybrid battery as the vehicle moves forward at any speed. The bi-directional aspect of the turbine generators adds the ability to charge the hybrid battery when the vehicle is parked, day or night, with the wind blowing in any direction, that can spin the generators and add power to the battery on a windy day, when parked, 24/7, for free.
The advantage of having a SPDL Six Pack Drive Line on all vehicles built worldwide is the ability to drive the vehicle on refined fuel, battery power, sun power, wind power, regenitive braking power and grid power. These 6 systems all exist right now, and they can be integrated into any vehicle, with relative ease.
While the solar charging roof panels and wind turbines may take some time to get them right, the engineering and technology for these systems are at hand today. No need to try and reinvent the wheel, as the Six Pack automotive engineers just have to link all the systems together, and we will have a vehicle that will never run out of motive power, in any situation, ever. The SPDL vehicle can help save the entire planet, starting right now.
The EV eclectic vehicle has been around for about 15 years, and they can only move on power obtained from the power grid, or regenitive braking. At some point in time they must be plugged into the grid to recharge the battery. A Six Pack vehicle will have the ability to drive on electric power every day, with zero emissions, and no range anxiety.
And just what is range anxiety? Range anxiety, a term commonly associated with electric vehicles, refers to the apprehension and worry experienced by EV owners about the adequacy of their vehicle’s battery charge to complete a journey, and to find working charging stations along the way. All Six Pack Drive Line vehicles will have zero range anxiety, because they will be able to drive on several available power sources, 24/7.
Today, Toyota is the leader in hybrid vehicle technology. The first generation of the Toyota Prius was launched in October 1997 in Japan, making Prius the world’s first mass produced gas and electric hybrid vehicle. Since then it has been refined over the past 26+ years, and the Toyota Prius PHEV edition is very close to being the first SPDL car too.
So there you have it, a vehicle that can use multiple sources for engine fuel and battery recharging, and will cost $1,000’s of dollars less than an all electric vehicle. In the case of Electric Vehicles vs. the Six Pack Drive Line gas electric hybrid vehicles, you will be the Judge and Jury, and determine the overall sales winner, with your personal checkbook.
Be smart, stay safe, and just breathe. Remember, You Are What You Drive, and maybe, just for those reasons alone, you should Drive one, Buy one, Today. Have a great day, drive safely, and enjoy the ride, as the future looks bright – Tony the Car Guy.
This Bottom Line new vehicle review is a Nut & Bolt and Dollars & Sense editorial provided by Tony Leopardo. Tony the Car Guy is an automotive engineer, writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question, or comment for Tony, send it to [email protected] and visit AutoWire.Net.