Inside Chrysler's Two-Mode HEMI Hybrid System

On the outside, a hybrid is usually just a badge and a smug driver. On the inside is where all the fun happens. In that spirit we bring you the internals of the Chrysler version of the two-mode hybrid system (after a long day of previews and reveals we thought you deserved a little mechanical pr0n). This system is considered "two-mode" because it utilizes a continuously variable transmission with two modes. When going slow and not carrying much the hybrid can use electric power, engine power or duel power to propel itself. At high speeds or with high loads, the system switches to full power from the HEMI with the electric assist. Full details below:
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Chrysler Two-Mode Hybrid System


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The Advanced Two-mode Hybrid System
Chrysler's advanced, state-of-the-art two-mode full hybrid system -- developed in partnership with General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and The BMW Group -- integrates proven automatic-transmission technology with a patented hybrid-electric drive system to deliver the world's first two-mode full hybrid.
As a result of low- and high-speed electric continuously variable transmission (ECVT) modes, the system is defined as a "two-mode hybrid." In addition, the sophisticated fuel-saving system incorporates four fixed-gear ratios for high efficiency and power-handling capabilities. During the two ECVT modes, the system can use the electric motors for acceleration, improving fuel economy, or for regenerative braking to utilize energy that would normally be lost during braking or deceleration. The energy is stored in the batteries for later use.
The system's two modes are optimized for city and highway driving.
In the first mode -- at low speed and with light loads -- the vehicle can operate in three ways:
• Electric power only
• Engine power only
• Any combination of engine and electric power
The two-mode hybrid provides all of the fuel-saving benefits of a full-hybrid system, including electric-only operation. In this mode, the engine is "shut off," with the vehicle moving under electric-only power at low speed. The result is a significant reduction in fuel consumption in heavy stop-and-go traffic.
The second mode is used primarily at highway speeds. In addition to electric assist, the second mode provides full power from the 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 when conditions demand it, such as when passing, pulling a trailer or climbing a steep grade.
The two-mode programming integrates a host of technologies to improve efficiency including Chrysler's patented Multi-displacement System (MDS), standard on the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8.
An elegantly complex design, the two-mode system also allows for more proliferate packaging via compact and powerful electric motors designed to fit within a conventional automatic transmission space -- a clear efficiency advantage compared with today's typical single-mode systems that rely on much larger electric motors.
A sophisticated controller determines when the vehicle should operate in the first or second mode. Input from the controller determines the necessary torque for the driving conditions and sends a corresponding command to the engine and electric motors. The engine and electric motors transfer torque to a series of gears in the transmission, which multiply torque similar to a conventional automatic transmission to propel the vehicle. Unlike conventional continuously variable transmissions, however, the two-mode full hybrid's electrically controlled system uses no mechanical belts or bands. Shifts between the two modes are synchronous -- meaning no engine speed changes are necessary for the mode shift to occur -- resulting in seamless accelerations.
The 300-volt battery pack provides electric power for the system, and is designed to fit in the vehicle without compromising passenger space. A rectifier located under the vehicle's hood converts AC to DC, to power conventional 12-volt accessories, such as interior lighting, climate control and the audio system. The vehicle's internal-combustion engine efficiently maintains the battery pack.
Hybrid Development Center
Located in Troy, Mich., the Hybrid Development Center (General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz and The BMW Group) jointly developed the overall modular two-mode hybrid system and the individual components: electric motors, transmission, high-voltage battery, high-performance electronics, wiring, safety systems, energy management and hybrid-system control units. In addition, the Hybrid Development Center is responsible for system integration and project management.[/align]

 

Are you kidding, is this a joke? The MDS bugs the crap out of me. I can only imagine how this would be, if you want fuel economy buy a YUGO. I want good old fashion American muscle with year 2007 reliability!

 

This is more power and better mileage. Plus you get a stealth mode to sneak around with.... completely silent. There is an amazing amount of power in those electric motors. Instead of long tube headers, you will be adding capacitor banks, or even a "Mr Fusion"...

 

Maybe they'll come with the "Flux Capacitor".

That wouldn't be so bad. Then I might buy one after a couple of years of them being out. I bought the 3.5L and I'm getting pretty good mileage out of it now, but with the hybrid.... hmmm.

Supposedly they're a lot more torquey than a regular gas engine.

 

Ok, an electric motor is capable of 100% torque at 0 rpm. The 6.1 liter hemi has no low end to speak of.... So put one of these on a 6.1 to help it get into the power band and you have an unstoppable combination.

No one really thought much of the turbo diesel trucks when they came out, but now when an
F-350 turns low 11's everyone looks. Once the programming tools are available everyone will want one of these. Instead of engine killing NOS, people will be finding new places to stuff capacitors, or batteries in their car. This should help cut 60 foot times to half of what they are now, and that in turn will take SECONDS off of the 1/4 mile ET. I have seen many top fuel dragster blow their engine 60 feet into the race and still turn a 9 second 1/4 mile.

I have driven a Lexus 460H and it has a Kilowatt meter where the tachometer should be. I want a kilowatt meter and the incredible ooomph that comes with it.

The only problem you will have now is traction!

The new look will be hoods covered in solar cells...

<Now all I need is some friggin sharks with laser beams.... mu ah ha ha ha haaaa>

 

I love the line "elegantly complex". That seems to be an oxymoron (like military intelligence and politically correct). It seems that most of the gripes in this and other forums are about the "elegantly complex" systems (MDS, ESP, Torque Management, etc) that deliver mediocre results.

My first question about the system is how much weight is the extra hardware and betteries going to add. It takes more power to move that extra mass. Given the 4200 lb average weight of the Charger, will a comparable car be in the 5K range? The present hybrids have fallen short on the promised mpg and they are much lighter.

I'm holding out to see what direction fuel cell technology develops.

Redbeard

 

I don't think fuel cells will be the way to go. Just my opinion. GM had a great electric car some years ago. They leased them to a very few people, and the people loved them! Then, there was some kind of problem with a California governmental "board" of some kind and a lawsuit was filed against GM to hault further production and/or development of the car. Even the federal government joined in the law suit against GM. An electric car's power is 100% available as soon as you mash the peddle. There is no lag in waiting for the engine to get into its power band - it's there - RIGHT NOW! So, yeah, you would have a traction problem - unless. Hmmm. I'll bet our old friend HAL would be pumped up, too. I think Hal would take all the fun out of having any extra power that an electric motor would add. I would guess, iif this thing actually did happen, it would take a few years before all the bugs were sorted out. But, in the mean time, I'm just not buying into the fuel cell thing. Just too many problems, i.e., where to put it, distribution system implementation, etc. Electricity is there. GM has the technology, if the government and other "governmental" boards will let them develope it.

dave

 

Do you have any info or may a reference about the particulars of the law suit? I'll bet it had little to do with the technology. Until recently, I worked for a government environmental agency so I've seen some of the inner workings. The reasons for these stop action things usually boils down to money (taxing the technology) or slowing down the developement so they can gain more control (and money). In government, the laws that govern technology are made by politicians and lawyers. There are good engineers working in these agencies, but their functions are more advisory and the final decisions are still made by the politicians.

Presently the California Air Resource Board (the famous CARB who certifies equipment to be environmentlally compliant) is a participating member of the California Fuel Cell Partnership to develop the technology. Now that government is buying into the technology, we should see more progress with this energy alternative. Most major auto makers including Daimler have ongoing projects to develop this technology. This isn't just an automotive thing either. Most industries are exploring this as a clean and efficient energy solution. All this cumulitive research should add up fast.

As far as the electric vehicle, they have been around for a long time in various forms. I remember a number of years back reading an article on an electric land speed car. This thing would fly. The traction problem was overcome by using a series of control relays to ramp up the power so it wouldn't tear up the salt. A little over a year ago, I was using a power chair while waiting for hip surgery. It was a blast. Grab the "throttle" and go. Couldn't get a wheelie or a burnout though [:-]. Maybe the carpets held me back.

The biggest problems with electrics have been limited range, weight and storage space for the batteries, and time to charge the batteries when they run low (range again). The diesel electric locomotives have been moving the goods across our country for a long time, but it's the diesel engines that provide the electric power to drive the motors, not a bank of batteries. Hybrids address the range problem by using duel power sources. The disadvantage is still the weight and storage of the electric power source batteries. There is also the replacement cost and the environmental impact to dispose of those batteries when they come to the end of their useful life. In both cases, you still have a petroleum based power source driving the vehicle emitting pollutants.

If you think of the fuel cell as a replacement for a battery bank, the range, weight and storage issues are drastically reduced and the all-electric vehicle has become a practical alternative/replacement for burning dead dinosaurs. Because of the max torque at full lock characteristic of electric motors, most all-electric vehicle applications do not have a transmission (more weight saved). You go forward or you go backward depending on the polarity of the motor connections controlled by a switch. You go faster by applying more voltage.

Now if we could unscramble HAL's brains, an ethenol burning Hemi/fuel cell electric hybrid would be interesting.

Redbeard

 

Redbeard - as luck would have it, the program that I got most of this info on was on TV last night - "Who Killed the Electric Car". The car was the EV-1.

The "governmental" board in Cal was CARB. There was also a guy on who worked for Toyota and was talking about Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars. The biggest problems are, besides their cost right now, is the cost of the hydrogen, the infrastructure to gain access to hydrogen, there were a couple more, but one that stuck out was when he said, "Oh, yeah. They don't work very well in the cold".

Now, our scientists and engineers have developed synthetic oils. Indy cars run on Alcohol and, I believe, NASCAR is using E85 now. My point is this - Alcohol is a renewable energy source; one that current technology can make run current internal cumbustion engines. That, along with synthetic oils would, I think (but sometimes that gets me into trouble) greatly reduce our dependance on oil. Perhaps hydrogen fuel cells can, and will one day, be made to work. But right now it would seem a more viable to develope the technology to make it more efficient to produce renewable alcohol, both from the view point of being much more affordable to "you and me-joe" and an infrastructure that could be easily converted from gasoline to alcohol. I know I make this sound so very easy, and I'm sure it's not. But, the fact remains that this is something that could be done NOW. 10-15 years ago they were saying we'd have hydrogen fuel cells in 10-15 years. Well, it is now 10-15 years later, and "they" are still saying in 10-15 years.

Something that might be really workable in a hybrid would be an alcohol burning engine with an electric motor - just like the hybrids now, only the gas engines would burn alcohol.

At any rate, something has got to be done. If for no other reason, to get away from Iran, Iraq and all those oil rich companies who think that they have us over a barrell (no pun intended). Wait! Actually, right now, they do.

dave

 

I'm in agreement that we need to find an alternative to dead dinosaurs for our energy needs. Now that you mention it, I remember the EV-1 (vaguely). Even with the government interference, it got the creative juices flowing and raised public awareness of the alternatives.

Alcohol blends like E85 and straight alcohol are a good alternatives to petroleum but there needs to be some realistic expectations presented. The big plus, as you pointed out, is that it is renewable over a short time frame. It also burns cleaner than petroleum fuels. The drawback is that it doesn't "contain" the same amount of energy that petroleum does, so more of it is needed to do the same amount of work. This results in lower mpg and a shortened driving range on the same amount of fuel. From an economic perspective, to be competitive, there needs to be a price offset to compensate for the increased usage before John Q Public will really embrace it.

There are also some compatibility issues with alcohol and older vehicles' fuel systems. This will eventually minimize as these vehicles are taken off the road by attrition but is is a problem that needs to be kept in mind as we switch from one fuel source to another. The diesel camp has the same issue as the pressure is put on to use biodiesel. The new fuels are not compatible with critical components like seals and hoses and create potential fire hazards.

The biggest problem I have with the present hybrid technology is the batteries. They are heavy, expensive and become a toxic waste issue when they are depleted. We need a way to reclaim and reuse the elements in them so we don't poison our water and food supply along with other resources when we dispose of them. Burying them only put the problem in our children's lap.

With all that said, the good news is that the engineering is in progress to address these problems. I saw an ad on TV last night from Honda describing their fuel cell vehicle. The oil companies seem to be changing their mindset from a petroluem supplier to an energy supplier. This means more money and resources for R&D.

The US and Russia are setting on the largest oil reserves on the planet. We could become the oil superpowers if those in control would so deem. We also have the ability and resources to become the primary source of ethenol for the planet. Maybe it's time to break some of these controlling ties and regain our independence like we did 230 years ago.

It appears that we agree in concept but not entirely in execution but that is a good thing. We are thinking about the future and how to make it better and sustainable rather than blindly accepting the status quo.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Redbeard