PML Flightlink to show Ford F-150 PHEV
This article was on the AutoBlogGreen.com blog this morning. It is an interesting application of the technology of individual electric motors in each wheel driven by an ICE powered generator. I have wondered how long it would take for technology and innovation to develop to the point that this could be done. After all, practical application of the idea has been around for at least a half century or more. The diesel electric railroad locomotives that ended the era of the steam engine railroad locomotive utilize the same technology. A diesel engine drives a generator which in turn drives electric motors in each drive wheel.
Web surfing from this site led me to the “PML Flightlink” site, http://www.pmlflightlink.com/ which, in time, led me to this very interesting site, http://www.pmlflightlink.com/archive/news_mini.html. The Pml Flightlink Ltd company has converted a mini to its system, too, but what makes this particular conversion unique is that it has no friction brakes, but relies strictly upon regenerative braking. Quite interesting, I think.
SEMA 2008 Preview: PML Flightlink to show Ford F-150 PHEV
Posted Oct 25th 2008 at 4:39PM by Jeremy Korzeniewski
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Ford, SEMA Show
PML Flightlink, makers of the 640-horsepower electric MINI from 2006, is headed to SEMA this year with a new concept vehicle to display. Based on a full-size Ford pickup truck, it would be hard to come up with a platform further from the MINI that the company originally used. Still, the concept F-150 will feature a similar setup to those used on PML’s earlier concepts, including the Volvo ReCharge concept. The motors themselves are a permanent magnet pancake style and are integrated within the wheels. This design could potentially rid the truck of many drivetrain components such as, of course, the engine and transmission as well as the driveshafts and transfer case that would otherwise be necessary for a four-wheel drive truck. Instead of going the full electric route, though, the SEMA-bound F-150 will use a plug-in series hybrid powertrain, so the truck’s on-board battery can be recharged by the stock gasoline engine. We’ll see if we can’t track down more details closer to the truck’s debut.
Source: http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/10/25/sema-2008-preview-pml-flightlink-to-show-ford-f-150-phev/