Honda will be making hybrid snowblowers

Daox · 11-09-11, 12:21 PM

Yup, you read right, hybrid snowblower. Sounds like either a commercial type machine or super luxury machine. I'm not sure what to think about this, but they're making them...

Quote:

The all-new Honda HS1336i boasts superior control/ease-of-use; powerful operation/snow throwing; reliable operation; and enhanced technology.

Honda gears up to electrify winter with hybrid snowblower

creeky · 11-10-11, 09:13 AM

okay, that is hilarious!

strider3700 · 11-10-11, 12:42 PM

Maybe it's more efficient or cheaper to have a small gas generator charging a battery and then an electric engine powering machine instead of a large gas engine directly connected?

I've often though cars with electric motors that are powered by a generator should be more efficient since the generator could be tuned to run in the perfect RPM range and a small battery bank could be used to carry things through when the generator falls a little bit short.

creeky · 11-10-11, 12:53 PM

The torque from the electric motors driving the treads must come in handy too. Still. Seems like a bit of overkill. I have to confess my first thought was that maybe this was a joke ...

11-10-11, 06:20 PM

Why not just make an electric snow blower with a battery warmer?

strider3700 · 11-10-11, 08:16 PM

I'm assuming the battery/weight ratio just isn't good enough to go pure electric.

Daox · 11-11-11, 08:33 AM

For those with shorter driveways apparently there are commercially sold corded snowblowers. If I had a short driveway I'd probably go that route.

I also know local guy here who just did a conversion on a gas blower to corded AC snowblower last year. He says it works great and the quiet is so much nicer than having a gas engine running.

launboy · 12-26-11, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creeky

The torque from the electric motors driving the treads must come in handy too. Still. Seems like a bit of overkill. I have to confess my first thought was that maybe this was a joke ...

You hit the nail on the head. Honda uses the hybrid electric system because of it's superiority over traditional disc and platter systems. Electric motors provide high torque at any RPM from extremely slow creep to full walking speed. Believe me sometimes that slow creep is the exact speed you need to power through deep heavy snow. It's these speeds where disc and platter drivetrains fall short. When the disc gets very close to the center of the platter(slower speeds) it doesn't have as much grip as it does toward the outside(higher speeds).

It may be overkill, but that machine is built for a niche market where a ton os snow is the norm, primarily Canada and parts of Japan, where features like electric track drive and power chute control are worth the price. It's a whooole nother world.

Adam

11-11-11, 08:33 AM	#7
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	For those with shorter driveways apparently there are commercially sold corded snowblowers. If I had a short driveway I'd probably go that route. I also know local guy here who just did a conversion on a gas blower to corded AC snowblower last year. He says it works great and the quiet is so much nicer than having a gas engine running. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

11-10-11, 09:13 AM	#2
creeky Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: a field somewhere Posts: 304 Thanks: 64 Thanked 44 Times in 31 Posts	okay, that is hilarious!

11-10-11, 12:42 PM	#3
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	Maybe it's more efficient or cheaper to have a small gas generator charging a battery and then an electric engine powering machine instead of a large gas engine directly connected? I've often though cars with electric motors that are powered by a generator should be more efficient since the generator could be tuned to run in the perfect RPM range and a small battery bank could be used to carry things through when the generator falls a little bit short.

11-10-11, 12:53 PM	#4
creeky Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: a field somewhere Posts: 304 Thanks: 64 Thanked 44 Times in 31 Posts	The torque from the electric motors driving the treads must come in handy too. Still. Seems like a bit of overkill. I have to confess my first thought was that maybe this was a joke ...

11-10-11, 06:20 PM	#5
Angmaar Guest Posts: n/a	Why not just make an electric snow blower with a battery warmer?

11-10-11, 08:16 PM	#6
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	I'm assuming the battery/weight ratio just isn't good enough to go pure electric.