Kyleigh Williams

Final Paper

Professor Marx

June 7, 2007

Hydraulic Hybrid Vehicles at Cal Poly

“Now is the time to gain as many miles per gallon as possible, now is the time to seriously research alternative fuels, now is the time to have as clean an exhaust as possible, now is the time to develop hybrid technology.”

- Cal Poly Hybrid Vehicle Development Team

                As defined in the Cal Poly Sustainability Catalog, “Sustainability is often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. As Cal Poly educates future leaders, it also recognizes the benefits of promoting a sustainable lifestyle and culture (Cal Poly Sustainability).” This outlook has set the standards at Cal Poly when it comes to preserving natural resources and protecting the environment. Sustainability has also been defined as “the way we, as individuals and as a campus community, can use natural resources so that our current and future needs for the resources can be provided for (Biennial Progress Report).” The Hybrid Vehicle Development Team (HVD Team) here at Cal Poly has dedicated their club to develop a hydraulic hybrid vehicle on campus with the mentality of this sustainability motto.

According to Dr. James M. Widmann, the supervisor of the Team, the HVD Team was created at Cal Poly after a competition with Ford motor company several years ago. The competition asked for over 40 college campuses to develop a more environmentally friendly Ford Explorer motor. After Cal Poly didn’t place in the competition, some of the students involved in the competition decided to continue working on the idea of a hybrid motor. The team composes of “undergraduate students from several departments of Cal Poly’s College of Engineering” and they intend “to prove that performance, economy, and versatility can come in one package (College of Engineering Projects)” by building a car from the ground up. They intend on “developing hybrid technologies that will increase fuel efficiency and reduce pollution of future on-road vehicles (College of Engineering Projects).” Their intent states and proves the team’s dedication and support to the sustainability slogan at Cal Poly.

While many may know how a hybrid car works, not many are aware of a hydraulic hybrid sports utility vehicle (SUV) such as the one the HVD Team is devoted to creating. According to Dr. Widmann, a hydraulic hybrid is exactly the same as a standard hybrid car, but instead of an electric drive it has a hydraulic one. For instance, when you stop in a hydraulic vehicle, a hydraulic pump pressurizes fluid from a tank to convert the energy used to go again. “This hydraulic system captures and stores a large fraction of the energy normally wasted in vehicle braking and uses this energy to help propel the vehicle during the next vehicle acceleration (Hydraulic Hybrid).” This process recovers and reuses over 70% of the energy normally wasted while stopping the vehicle which is more than that of the original hybrid car. This unique design allows for the engine to completely shut off at certain stages while driving causing the engine use and emissions given off to cut in half.

One of the unique benefits to this specific kind of vehicle the HVD Team is making is that their vehicle is going to run on biodiesel fuel rather than regular gasoline. This new fuel will contribute to the vehicles intention of the 60-70 percent better fuel economy (Hydraulic Hybrid). Also an owner of one of these vehicles would save up to 1,000 gallons of fuel each year because of the biodiesel incorporation saving them lots of money. Although these vehicles are individually expensive to purchase, the car has the prospective to be less than 15% of the original price. This means that the technology it took in making the car would essentially pay for itself within two to three years after purchasing the vehicle (Hydraulic Hybrid).

Some benefits of the biodiesel addition to the Hybrid Vehicle Development Team vehicle is that it is “a cleaner burning diesel fuel made from any type of vegetable oil or locally from waste vegetable oil (What is Biodiesel?).”  This new fuel will contribute to the decrease of pollution given off from the car as a whole therefore benefiting the environment. Biodiesel is also a “biodegradable and non-toxic alternative fuel (What is Biodiesel?)” made from vegetable oil and doesn’t need any modifications in the engine for it to work properly. To gain all the biodiesel needed to run the hydraulic hybrid, the HVD Team is working with the Biodiesel Club on Cal Poly’s campus to get naturally grown biodiesel fuel.

As appealing as this vehicle sounds, it does have several drawbacks. This type of vehicle is only used for stop-and-go driving such as school buses and urban delivery trucks. It hasn’t yet been designed for a passenger car making them inconvenient for mass production and distribution. Also the pressurized oil frequently leaks making it a messy car and stains the ground underneath (Widmann). Another negative aspect to the hydraulic hybrid is that the pumps and motor needed to make the vehicle run are very expensive, increasing the overall cost of the car. The Team intends on perfecting these problems in the near future to produce this technology for passenger vehicles.

The HVD Team is also getting financial help from a variety of places around the San Luis Obispo area.  The Advanced Adaptors Company in the Paso Robles area donates some of the hydraulic equipment necessary for the motor to be attached to the hydraulic pump and also givens discounts to the Team for some of their other purchases. Cal Poly also donates some of the money given from the students enrolled at the school which is given to academic affairs in return. They then donate the HVD Team some of that funding as well as other clubs that are contributing time and effort to projects that help with the “Learn by Doing” mentality. Also a few years back, Engineering students decided to charge themselves more fees to contribute to their labs and projects and the HDV Team receives some of that money as well to contribute to their vehicle. With the support from the school and from neighboring towns, the students involved with creating this car don’t have to come out of their own pockets for funding.

Overall the Hybrid Vehicle Development Team here at Cal Poly has worked hard to create their dream in building a hydraulic hybrid engine. They donate their time and efforts to better the environment to build a hydraulic hybrid SUV for the college. However many complications and controversial issues these new vehicles may cause, they will continuously strive to better the environment. These cars are a necessary contribution to what this campus needs and what the future will depend on. The Team has really proven their commitment to the sustainability act at Cal Poly and are praised for their intentions in creating a hydraulic hybrid sports utility vehicle. The next and final step for the Team is just to complete the task at hand.

References:

1. Cal Poly Biodiesel Club. What is Biodiesel? 22 May 2007. http://www.bdc.calpoly.edu/whatis.html

2. Cal Poly Sustainability Committee. 25 September 2006. Cal Poly Sustainability. 22 May 2007.  http://suscat.calpoly.edu/

3. College of Engineering. College of Engineering Projects. 23 May 2007. http://me.calpoly.edu/projects/

4. Facility Services, Facilities Planning, & Capital Projects. Biennial Progress Report 2006 Sustainability at Cal Poly Facilities & Operations. 22 May 2007. http://www.facilities.calpoly.edu/campusprojects/projects/sustainability/SusInd06.pdf

5. Office of Transportation and Air Quality. 15 February 2007. Hydraulic Hybrid- The Most Efficient Lowest Cost Hybrids. 22 May 2007. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/technology/420f06043.htm

6. Widmann, James M. Interview by Kyleigh Williams. 23 May 2007.

A diagram of how the hydraulic hybrid engine works. (Hydraulic Hybrid)