I often wondered why a little hybred couldn't be built like that.
Makes sense to me. That little Honda works.
I almost tried it with a VW beetle, lawn mower engine+alternator, and tow motor parts, but then rust ate the car. I shouldn't have put it off for 10 years.
Charge the batteries with wind/sun when you can. It would get you to and from a beer run easy enough.
For longer trips.
I thought a 10HP diesel in the trunk running full tilt to an alternator, when you are driving, to charge the batteries as you go. Get to the grocery store with half dead batteries? Just let the diesel keep running when you are shopping. It would take less batteries, reducing the over all weight, increasing the 'mile per weight' (Wow! i just invented a new rating, I think), but decreasing the 'battery only' distance.
It wouldn't leave you stuck 20 miles from home. When the batteries get almost dead, stop for coffee. And leave the motor run to charge up the batteries enough to get home. It would charge enough to get home before a tow truck would get there (at least tow trucks around here).
When you get home with almost dead batteries, shut off the diesel, plug it into the windmill.
It makes more sense to me than a fully electric car that only goes X miles at low speed, and 1/2X miles at high speed. I wouldn't want to be doing math in my head as I drive to figure out if I must turn around RIGHT NOW to get home.
I didn't do any math, as I have no experience with electric cars. Just seems kind of a common sense.
Anybody find anything wrong in my thinking? Why wouldn't this be a good idea?