Powerboost or RamCharger

[Snakebitten]

I just want something like the Ram Charger to exist. It doesn't matter to me who builds it.
We are all witnessing an amazing time in automotive engineering. Because we are living/experiencing it, we might very well underappreciate the impact on the future that the vehicles we are seeing today are making.
The Powerboost, for example, is entering its 5th year of production. So it's very much hohum at this point. But the first meeting in some conference room when/where the concept of building it was actually taken seriously? That was longer ago than you might think. And it was a wild idea at the moment. I'm sure there were plenty of legacy eye-rolling going on by the establishment.

I appreciate the boldness that it took to tip the balance in favor of going for it.
The Ram Charger had the same kind of meeting. And I believe the Powerboost laid the groundwork for such an idea to be at least discussed in sincerity.

I'm old. I'm having a ball watching the evolution of the industry. The Powerboost has me completely mesmerized by the potential of what could be achieved. I've been driving a Powerboost now for 3.5 years and I still turn and look back at it when walking away. The machine is more than just one of the trucks I've owned in my near 70 years.

This morning when I got to the airport early and parked in an empty hangar.

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[amschind]

I just want something like the Ram Charger to exist. It doesn't matter to me who builds it.
We are all witnessing an amazing time in automotive engineering. Because we are living/experiencing it, we might very well underappreciate the impact on the future that the vehicles we are seeing today are making.
The Powerboost, for example, is entering its 5th year of production. So it's very much hohum at this point. But the first meeting in some conference room when/where the concept of building it was actually taken seriously? That was longer ago than you might think. And it was a wild idea at the moment. I'm sure there were plenty of legacy eye-rolling going on by the establishment.

I appreciate the boldness that it took to tip the balance in favor of going for it.
The Ram Charger had the same kind of meeting. And I believe the Powerboost laid the groundwork for such an idea to be at least discussed in sincerity.

I'm old. I'm having a ball watching the evolution of the industry. The Powerboost has me completely mesmerized by the potential of what could be achieved. I've been driving a Powerboost now for 3.5 years and I still turn and look back at it when walking away. The machine is more than just one of the trucks I've owned in my near 70 years.

This morning when I got to the airport early and parked in an empty hangar.

I think that these innovations are coming to aviation as well, but the ingrained conservative nature of aviation due to safety will make civil the last space to adopt it. Still, the civil aviation space is the one that benefits the most. Right now, 15 companies are coming out with prototypes and videos of battery powered drones with VTOL capability. Given the checkered past of the Osprey and the cost of the Valor, I doubt that there is any market niche for a dual turbine VTOL, BUT I believe that electric motor fans with a hydrocarbon prime mover change that calculus. The Cessna 172/182s aren't going away, but the Cirrus SF50s, the old Cessna Mustang/tiny Citations, the Piaggio P.180 and the Beech turbos/twins may sit in a middle tier price point where an upper middle class IFR pilot-owner would see a lot of locations open up with the range of a turbine/mini jet coupled with VTOL.

My fear is that the first models will suffer the same fate as the Beech Starship: an extremely advanced design that was crippled by the fears of the FAA. I think that the Rutans designed the sort of scaled up EZ that they had always dreamed of and then the FAA balked at carbon fiber and demanded that it be built heavily enough to double as a dump truck. The first civil VTOL fixed wing may well be required to helicopter its way to safety because a few Ospreys crashed in the 1990s, which will add so much weight that it negates the inherent advantages. Once the FAA figures out that a VTOL fixed wing isn't a helicopter airplane, but a whole different thing, the next generation will be better (i.e. exactly what happened with the Starship and P.180).

 

[Snakebitten]

We are actually putting in the infrastructure for electrified aircraft at our facility in Gulfport Mississippi.
(FBO industry)

I haven't a clue why, or what's the reason we are doing it there. I only know I saw the backhoe dirt work being done in preparation.

 

[Samson16]

Legacy auto really needs to get with the program on improving products instead of trying to monetize customer data.

Just a fantastic observation there.

 

[Samson16]

I just want something like the Ram Charger to exist. It doesn't matter to me who builds it.
We are all witnessing an amazing time in automotive engineering. Because we are living/experiencing it, we might very well underappreciate the impact on the future that the vehicles we are seeing today are making.
The Powerboost, for example, is entering its 5th year of production. So it's very much hohum at this point. But the first meeting in some conference room when/where the concept of building it was actually taken seriously? That was longer ago than you might think. And it was a wild idea at the moment. I'm sure there were plenty of legacy eye-rolling going on by the establishment.

I appreciate the boldness that it took to tip the balance in favor of going for it.
The Ram Charger had the same kind of meeting. And I believe the Powerboost laid the groundwork for such an idea to be at least discussed in sincerity.

I'm old. I'm having a ball watching the evolution of the industry. The Powerboost has me completely mesmerized by the potential of what could be achieved. I've been driving a Powerboost now for 3.5 years and I still turn and look back at it when walking away. The machine is more than just one of the trucks I've owned in my near 70 years.

This morning when I got to the airport early and parked in an empty hangar.

“Wtf? The boss never beats me in! Can’t be good.”

 

[Samson16]

Tri-coat looks great!

 

[dochawk]

a 2 speed "transmission" that is small enough to fit at all 4 corners as unsprung mass

As a wild thought . . . divide the coiling into, say, five windings, which can then be run either in parallel or series to get two "transmission" ratios . . .

 

[amschind]

As a wild thought . . . divide the coiling into, say, five windings, which can then be run either in parallel or series to get two "transmission" ratios . . .

Really interesting thought.

 

[HammaMan]

As a wild thought . . . divide the coiling into, say, five windings, which can then be run either in parallel or series to get two "transmission" ratios . . .

Honestly the most simple is just a planetary clutch that uses a compression screw motor for lockup. It doesn't need to be hydraulic auto fast, just ~1 second engagement. When all 4 wheels are powering you can do each axle separately.

Alternatively if they could do it with double stacked motors where when they turn in-sync it's one ratio, but when one reverses direction it's another. This doubles the cost of the inverters though net price may be the same as they're each half-power so basically a dual motor inverter but using the same number of components sans a few.

 

[RickBullotta]

The ICE charges the HVB faster than the load drains it? And heat buildup is nonexistent? What an amazing marvel! No wonder it doesn’t exist.

The ICE outputs a fairly significant amount of juice - about 130kw.

 

[Snakebitten]

The ICE outputs a fairly significant amount of juice - about 130kw.

Yeah, on a fully dolled up (pig) Powerboost, I can cruise at 50mph with about 17KW. (280V*60amps)

Admittedly that is cruising, or simply sustaining 50mph on flat ground. But 130KW should be a decent amount of electricity to drive traction motors on a pickup.

A Mach-E is flat out getting it when you are consuming 130KW. That's better than 350amps from it's battery pack. WOT is using more than that, but nobody needs their truck to do 0-60 in ~3.5 seconds. (even though they would WANT to ???)

 

[Samson16]

The ICE outputs a fairly significant amount of juice - about 130kw.

That’s true. My point is that the V6 is barely adequate to move the RamCharger in a conventional manner. It will certainly struggle trying to power the electric motors and charge the HVB simultaneously. I’m far from convinced that you would not have to stop and charge the HVB rather frequently when under load.
I hope they steamroll right over my doubts with a revolutionary EREV breakthrough truck.

The PowerBoost is a breakthrough for full hybrid real use utility in a half ton truck, and I am rooting for the RC to take us to the next level.

 

[RickBullotta]

That’s true. My point is that the V6 is barely adequate to move the RamCharger in a conventional manner. It will certainly struggle trying to power the electric motors and charge the HVB simultaneously. I’m far from convinced that you would not have to stop and charge the HVB rather frequently when under load.
I hope they steamroll right over my doubts with a revolutionary EREV breakthrough truck.

The PowerBoost is a breakthrough for full hybrid real use utility in a half ton truck, and I am rooting for the RC to take us to the next level.

Given the sluggish sales of the F-150 Lightning, I'm hoping that Ford is actively working on a PHEV F-150. Even 50-100 miles of electric range would be great (as long as it was 600+ miles in extended range).

 

[Samson16]

I've noticed there are two sometimes competing benefits to hybrid operation. One is fuel economy and the other is power. The ability to perform work.

The PowerBoost leaned heavily into the latter while still providing top of the class overall fuel economy.

Perhaps the RamCharger will have Modes that don't just nibble around the edges with slight strategy adjustments, but transform the vehicle according to need.

Example. Severe duty tow/haul up and down grades with high ambient temps.

Solution. Sacrifice fuel economy and run that generator to help the HVB stay in optimum SOC window.

 

[Samson16]

"For a 12,000-pound truck, it would require approximately 43.0 kilowatts to move up a 3% grade at 60 mph for 1 mile."

Get's more challenging as the load increases obviously, and the length of grade can be the cooling stack back-breaker.

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