On 6 Aug 2014 at 3:37, Dennis Miles via EV wrote: > Ben, autos stopped using chain or belt drives 80 years ago ...
Thank goodness! Imagine having to crawl under your car to clean and lube the chain every month or so. That's something to think about for this Mustang hybrid conversion - how will you lube the chains, Ben? Curiously, one limited exception is/was early Solectria Force EVs. They used an exposed cogged belt between the motor and transaxle. Sales were on the order of a few hundred, though, so you could hardly call it a mass- produced automobile. There are a scant few others. I think one version of the Toyota Prius (2004-2009?) has a chain and sprockets somewhere in the PSD (driving the differential?). It's fully enclosed, however, so it's maintenance-free. I've never heard of one failing. Depending on how you define "chain or belt drive," another exception might be the FWD Oldsmobile Toronado (correct spelling) introduced in 1966, and still on offer into the early 1990s. It had a fully enclosed chain between the torque converter and transmission. The transmission was mounted next to the engine, facing "backward," driving the front wheels. The same "folded" front wheel drive system was also used in a Cadillac model, and in some GM RVs. FWIW, I don't know of any Toros that have ever been converted to EVs. It would be quite a challenge. They were monsters, very large and heavy, and I don't see any way you could replace that customized automatic with a manual. The Corbin Sparrow / Myers NMG EV also had/has a belt drive to the rear wheel, but that's really classified as a motorcycle, so I guess it doesn't count. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
