So like the title asks. Im planning a project, im trying to build a hybrid car (out of a conventional car). The only realisticly afordable route I know is to use a small 25hp engine in the rear of the car with multiple alternators to charge the batteries. Here in lies the problem, alternators output from 13.2ish volts to 14.2ish volts give or take .2volts.
Amperage is a non issue, but voltage is. The batteries in series will supply 144volts which is fine, but in order to charge them at a reasonable rate the voltage from the alternators needs to be stepped up. Theres no easy way to do this from what I have found with the kind of current / demand that would have to pass though a single converter.
So someone mentioned to me to use an isolated dc to dc converter. Problem is, I didn't fully understand the guys explination so im going to copy and paste it in here. (doesn't help that I don't understand how an isolated dc to dc converter works)
"What might be easier to find is an ISOLATED dc/dc converter with an input voltage that will work with your 13.5-14v alternator and puts out the voltage you want to charge to (14.4v for example) at the current you are looking for. (high current here might be hard to find as well) but basically you tie all the inputs together and put the output of one converter on each battery, since they are isolated it doesn't matter that the cells are in series."
Can anyone help me out? All the reading I have been doing isn't really helping explain this.
Amperage is a non issue, but voltage is. The batteries in series will supply 144volts which is fine, but in order to charge them at a reasonable rate the voltage from the alternators needs to be stepped up. Theres no easy way to do this from what I have found with the kind of current / demand that would have to pass though a single converter.
So someone mentioned to me to use an isolated dc to dc converter. Problem is, I didn't fully understand the guys explination so im going to copy and paste it in here. (doesn't help that I don't understand how an isolated dc to dc converter works)
"What might be easier to find is an ISOLATED dc/dc converter with an input voltage that will work with your 13.5-14v alternator and puts out the voltage you want to charge to (14.4v for example) at the current you are looking for. (high current here might be hard to find as well) but basically you tie all the inputs together and put the output of one converter on each battery, since they are isolated it doesn't matter that the cells are in series."
Can anyone help me out? All the reading I have been doing isn't really helping explain this.