Save up for this powertrain upgrade if you REALLY wanna get better gasmilage...

[Blue]

been watching developments here for a while...

http://www.viamotors.com/news/electriccargovan/

VIA works closely with automakers to provide an electric power train upgrade to full size vehicles like the pick-up truck, cargo van and the SUV to achieve up to 100 mpg on average.

 

[GotSmart]

But how much is that 100 MPG goin to cost me?

 

[Blue]

no idea, not available yet, but would it be worth 10k with a new engine installed into an older van?

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Electric vehicles really only make sense if they operate from a base where they can be recharged regularly. I can't see how they could work for wandering vagabonds.

Regards
John

 

[Blue]

well if they are showing MPG they aren't pure electric, I would guess a highly efficient gas generator and electric motors, but just a guess.

 

[GotSmart]

no idea, not available yet, but would it be worth 10k with a new engine installed into an older van?

It would be extremely cheap at that price. The batteries for a Prius run about $3,500. It weighs 1/2 of what my van will. I am looking at about $5K a year for fuel this next year of traveling.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

well if they are showing MPG they aren't pure electric, I would guess a highly efficient gas generator and electric motors, but just a guess.

Yeah, Blue, I get that. But I think the 100mpg figure is based on STARTING with a fully charged battery, with the generator only kicking in as needed. If you've got nowhere to charge the battery and you're running the generator all the time, how is that going to be an improvement over an IC vehicle?

Regards
John

 

[Blue]

Think that's making too many assumptions, I'll wait till it's available before I speculate on potential problems, but the idea of 100mpg sure is exciting!

 

[Zil]

i also have a device that is not available yet. guarantied to get 150 mile per gallon if it does become available. Early investors send me a pm.

 

[grummy]

This looks like the first serious attempt at a useable hybrid TRUCK. They look to offer all electric models (plug in - NO ENGINE), but 35-40 miles of range in a service truck seems pretty limited. Not HP limited with 400hp, but useability/range limited. I know of not a single contractor with a Van or Pickup that only puts on those limited miles in a day.

Their eREV version though is really interesting in that they have emulated your modern diesel locomotive and added batteries. They start with a more than adequate 4.8L V8 coupled to a 100,000 watt generator. The large engine allows for tons more power generation in comparison to the dinky hybrid engines, and this means that they can drive the electric propulsion motor directly like a locomotive does, as well as charge the batteries because they will have EXTRA power to do so. And, Liquid Cooled batteries allow for much faster charging.

GM's V8 technology has come so far on its own in both economy and durability, that this is a perfect combination of efficiency.... perhaps the best you could get with available technology. The V8 does not necessarily have to run at higher RPM except to achieve full AC power output, and computer control can allow it to run at more fixed RPM ranges that match the specific moments real need.

I like the concept, but I dont think I would like the price. It's going to be up there.

 

[Blue]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it might be affordable enough to justify if you plan to keep a van for more than 10 years, still with new tech theres always expensive problems to recall etc. it seems...

btw the truck division of Izuzu (forgot the name, Tonku I think) I remember reading was coming out with something similar, and they already have hybrid mini-semi trucks running around japan.

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

This is getting really close to what my ideal looks like. I just wish they could use the AWD 1500 cargo van instead of 2WD only.

The website says the cost estimate is $79,000 if they are able to mass produce them. Too bad it's so expensive.

 

[Malibusurfer]

Not to get political ( cause we can't ), but where is all this magic power going to come from to plug these vehicles in???? Electricity cost are going to skyrocket with shutting down a lot of the coal industry in the next 3 years. Not political, just fact..

 

[AimlessWanderLust]

Well, you don't HAVE to plug these in, it just helps. They can operate just fine having never been plugged in once. Also, even if the cost of electricity goes up, it most likely will still be less expensive than buying the equivalent in gasoline. If the cost of electricity does manage to get that expensive, 90% of people that have not already done so will begin investing in off-grid power generation. Once that happens, the price of electricity will once again fall to reasonable prices.

It's all supply and demand.

 

[GotSmart]

Not to get political ( cause we can't ), but where is all this magic power going to come from to plug these vehicles in???? Electricity cost are going to skyrocket with shutting down a lot of the coal industry in the next 3 years. Not political, just fact..

We harness the hot air coming off the congress critters! (Also known as Biogas)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biogas

Solar, wind, geothermal Biogas. When one door closes, another one opens.

$80K. That buys a lot of gasoline, or a real nice solar setup.

 

[Simran]

I am not normally a pessimist but when it comes to automobiles in the USA; I am. They are going to get you one way or another. If not at the pump then the sticker price or the batteries or insurance. Lets face it; Americans LOVE automobiles. They will always be extraordinarily expensive to own, insure & maintain. There are few ways to get around it; if any!

 

[Blue]

Bicycle?

http://weburbanist.com/2012/10/15/bike-campers-12-mini-mobile-homes-for-nomadic-cyclists/

 

[steamjam1]

I'll just wait until Tesla comes out with a cargo van.. :-D

 

[spd2918]

$32,000 for an unproven technology? No thanks.

They project gas prices to continue to climb without saying why. $4 should be a stable number for a while due to oil shale and oil sands. We have more gas in the Bakken Oil Fields than we can pump.

 

[Simran]

I work on the edge of the Bakken. They are burning off so much natural gas this place is lit up like a Christmas tree at night. You can identify it from space at night there are so many fires burning. Problem is not near enough pipelines to transport it where it can be put to good use. It's a shame really. I'm not pro pipeline but this IS a real conundrum here. What to do . . .I mean really!?!?!?!?