4 ms·

A prius works in the same way, correct? In some ways this is a simpler system than conventional ICE-only drivetrains, I think this should have been pushed downm

A prius works in the same way, correct? In some ways this is a simpler system than conventional ICE-only drivetrains, I think this should have been pushed downmarket even faster than it has been. For people without the ability to charge (e.g. in Switzerland the vast majority lives in rentals without charging ports in the garage) this seems like the best solution so far.

pjc50 8y ago
The Prius system is actually much more complicated involving a set of planetary gears to couple torque in and out of the drivetrain. The Koenigsegg system doesn't use the ICE below 30mph (because that would stall the engine at its fixed ratio) where the Prius can. A modified Koenigsegg with ratios adjusted for cruise at the local speed limit (and a lot less power!) sounds like it would work quite well.
- ansible 8y ago
  For people interested in how the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive works, Weber Auto has a series of videos explaining it in detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRSQEgLk_2M&index=40&list=PLIn3FrDiB1lwNlNc1FhlzmMdTJ3PWw9fc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRSQEgLk_2M&index=40&list=PL...
- mywittyname 8y ago
  It's not more complicated; it's less complicated. The Prius eCVT is just like a traditional planetary gearbox, but instead of having a complex set of auxiliary gears on clutches which need to be closed in pairs to vary the speed of the planet gears, thus the output shaft, it uses electric motors to spin the planetary gears at exactly the speed needed to obtain the desired output speed. The Prius CVT is absolutely genius in its simplicity. Here's a good video on how a traditional planetary automatic operates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugao6jTyM7k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ugao6jTyM7k