Cal Poly Hybrid Vehicle WebsiteCal Poly HVDT

OVERVIEW
This is a 1000 horsepower Ford Explorer. Let me repeat, this is a 1000 horsepower 2002 Ford Explorer with a top speed of 155mph, 10 second quarter-mile, 0-60 time of 3.0 seconds. Oh, yeah it gets 35mpg! Cal Poly's Hybrid Vehicle Development Team, a student group of Cal Poly engineers, has designed the Explorer to obtain performance and efficiency in the same package. The heart of the design is the two powerful hydraulic motors at each differential. They are rated at 500 horsepower each. In order to turn the motors, a hydraulic pump generates an operating pressure of 5100 psi using bladder type accumulators. Running the pump is a 1.9L Volkswagen TDI engine. This 110 horsepower engine runs on B20 biodiesel fuel and operates at its most efficient point at a constant rpm. Note, this is a series hybrid setup. The VW engine does not directly provide power to the wheels. The vehicle is currently under construction. We are sponsored by Cal Poly's Mechanical Engineering Department.

COMPONENTS

The hydraulic pump (above left) and two hydraulic motors(above right) are made by Bosch-Rexroth. The Hydraulic accumulators (below), valves, and manifolds will be provided by Parker-Hannifin. The vehicle was originally donated to the school by Ford for use in their Futuretruck hybrid-electric vehicle competition. Universities nationwide participated in the program until its last year in 2004. HVDT obtained the vehicle in 2005 and redesigned it into a high performance hydraulic hybrid.


Except for the main hydraulic components, HVDT designs and builds all necessary parts for the project using the campus facilities. Pictured above left is one of two engine mounts that were CNC machined from a solid block of aluminum using our CNC mill. Above right is the alternator bracket being made.

Look for future updates as we get closer to the project completion deadline in late May. Please rate our vehicle for the Green Car Challenge, in coordination with the 2008 GRM UTCC!