Anyone interested in DIY hybrid parts?

[Islander53]

I have been messing around with adding an electric motor to my drive line. Parallel hybrid seems like a no brainer for most cruising boats with large battery banks .

It adds a ton of redundancy to a single motor boat.


I'm interested in how many people would want to build there own parallel hybrid systems?

I have built 2 prototype ideas and have a some parts and ideas that might be useful if someone else was interested in building their own system.


I have manufactured adapter plates and custom input shaft to mate a Dana 300 transfer case to a velvet drive transmission 71c or 72c series .

When I had the input shaft made It was nearly the same price to make 5 shafts vs the cost of 1
So I have 4 extra input shafts that will mate a Dana 300 transfer case to a velvet drive. As well as adapter plate template.

This set up takes a velvet drive transmission with a gear reduction, and removes the gear reduction part of the transmission and the Dana 300 replaces it.

This set up ends up being 2" longer than a stock velvet drive.

The main limitation of this idea is, the standard gear ratio for the transfer case is 2.6 - 1 The only other ratio available is 4 to 1

The Dana 300 transfer case is easily be modified to a twin stick shifting configuration. This gives you lots of gearing options. This allows you to have a 2 speed transmission for diesel propulsion, 1 to 1 or 2.6 to 1. You can use "overdrive" for motor sailing conditions.

The electric motor is coupled to the transfer case front output shaft with a belt or chain, with a 2.6 to 1 pulley ratio. (Large pulley on the transfer case output.) This allows you to charge at 1 to 1 engine rpm , or overdrive 1 to 2.6 engine rpm.


When under electric propulsion the drive gear ratio is the 2.6 to 1 (or whatever pulley ratio on the front output)


The gear ratios are completely independent, so you could be motoring under diesel propulsion at your normal 2.6 to 1 gear ratio, the. Charging with the electric motor at 1 to 2.6 engine rpm .



If any one else is interested in building your own set up like this let me know. The input shaft was the hardest part and I have a few extra
Someone could probably put this together for around $3000




I'm also working on a propeller shaft disconnect that incorporates a sprocket or pulley to couple an electric motor directly to a velvet drive transmission. (Could be adapted to any trans)

This is much simpler and cheaper.

The disconnect allows charging the electric motor without spinning the propeller.

This uses off the shelf remco driveshaft parts used for towing vehicles behind RVs . As well as off the shelf sprocket's or pulleys. The parts still require custom machining .

This system adds a out 3-4" of length to your existing transmission. Depending on using belt or chain.

This is probably $1500 or less not including any of the electric motor parts .


I'm not necessarily really trying to make money off this, or create a product, but I ended up with lots of parts and ideas that someone else might find useful.

[Jim Jones]

This is VERY interesting. I would love to chat to you about it.

[mcarthur]

Very interested - we're planning parallel hybrid with a pair of ZF45's.
Putting a half-and-half bolted drive sprocket just after the gearbox, attached to the electric motor via a toothed belt seems the easiest.

I was trying to not have a clutch since it's extra things to fail, costly (?), and I don't mind the electric motor generating power when the diesel is on. The ZF45A can freewheel ok, at least upto the speeds I'm likely to go on the electric, so no worries there.

I hadn't thought about modifying or changing the gearbox at all. Very interesting - how about @jim and I connect with you offline?

[Jim Jones]

This is a new product Lynch are developing. See the pdf.

They say early next year. I dont know the projected pricing though.

The Lynch idea is on the same track of the topic of this thread. How to home brew this? With competent engineers available I should imagine its doable.

[Simi 60]

Originally Posted by Islander53

I have been messing around with adding an electric motor to my drive line. Parallel hybrid seems like a no brainer for most cruising boats with large battery banks .

It adds a ton of redundancy to a single motor boat.
.

We are a single engined boat with a large battery bank