EREV, Hybrid (Series vs. Parallel), PHEV in the Scout

[NotGrandpasScout]

Reserved the Harvester. So, now for long trips with getting the most out of a charge and a tank of gas, I will need to charge AND get gas. With a smaller battery, it may take less time to charge....which will afford me some time to fill up on gas afterward.

 

[maynard]

The Harvester hybrid has more total range at 500 miles than the BEV version at 350 miles between recharging events. The difference to you will be in the MPGe efficiency. MPGe is the EV equivalent of MPG for an ICE-powered only vehicle. The 500 mile range rating is based on a fully charged battery and a full tank of gasoline (assuming the engine is not a diesel). So, it is just a matter of cost-per-mile you will spend to travel in the Scout depending on how you use the Scout. If most of your trips will be within the 150-mile range of the EV-only mode and you recharge at home, then your cost will be nearly as low as the battery-only version. Nearly as low because the engine will consume the fuel in the tank over time to (a) prevent stale fuel build up and (b) to keep the engine operating at peak efficiency (i.e. not letting it sit in a non-running state). If you frequently drive your Scout long distances and only refuel at a gas station (vs. recharging the battery) your cost will be higher because of the less efficient conversion of the energy stored in the gasoline by the engine combustion process.

This is exactly how my ELR behaved... I saw the message stating the engine was in use a few times when it shouldn't have needed to run, so it must have been as you have described.

 

[smashmars]

Thanks for that detail.

Question: Say theoretically you are out in the wilderness and manage to completely deplete both the batteries and the gas generator.

Could you fill up the engine with gas from a can, and just take off again? Or would the generator have to run a whole to first charge up the batteries a little?

As an off road enthusiast, I am interested to see if you could (theoretically) drive indefinitely on electric regeneration from the range extender.

“Can I drive 800 miles (mostly slow crawl during an extended off road expedition) without having to plug-in - assuming I brought enough fuel?”

 

[TwoJacks]

What are the experts thinking? 75% of the normal size? Half? Too early to say>

Info from Scout has said current plans are 150 EV plus another 350 with the harvester generator.

 

[Photog_69]

An EREV is a Series-Hybrid. EREV is a stupid marketing name conjured up because most non-technical people don't understand there are two types of hybrid vehicles: Parallell Hybrid (i.e. Prius) and Series Hybrid (i.e. Volt* or BMW i3).

*the Volt was unique in that its transmission could switch to parallel hybrid operation under specific circumstances.

Hybrids are divided into two architectures: (a) Parallel Hybrid and (b) Series Hybrid.

Parallel Hybrid means the gas motor (it can be gasoline or diesel) runs in parallel with the electric drivetrain to power the electric motors and charge the battery and has a mechanical connection to the road wheels. There are several sub-variations of the Parallell hybrid system.

Series Hybrid means the gas engine operates to create electricity that powers the electric drive motors and charge the battery. The gas engine is not mechanically connected to the road wheels. It's called "series" because the engine-powered electric generator has to make electricity first before the car will move. Make electricity first means the generator either supplies the electric drive motors with power or charges the battery, or both.

It appears the Harvester architecture will also be a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), which means it can be plugged in to a charger to charge the battery in advance of the engine-generator supplying power to the electric drivetrain. Once the battery reaches a predetermined level of energy depletion the engine-generator starts and begins powering the electric drivetrain.

Thank you for that excellent explanation. I think the more educated we all are on this subject the better.