So, I see all these new sport compacts, the new CRZ or CRX wutever it is. \\

Has a 100+ horse power petrol engine then like a small electric motor to aid with power.

So my idea is this.. Everyone likes turbos and boost right...

So you take a common decent 4 cyl engine.

1.8L 120-150hp.... Have this electric motor installed. Lets say the Electric motor is 30hp.

That aids in power production in steps above 2k rpm.

So lets say 2-3k. the motor goes from 10-50% power, and 3-4k it goes from 50-100% power so like a rush of boost sort to say.

I think its a cool idea that would lead on the younger crowd but probaly never go in production.

You could have a percentage meter in the cabin so that everyone can see the percentage go up lol like a boost gauge.

 

good idea. i expect hybrids already 'map' electric boost variably, maybe even in the way you suggest.

having said that, remember hybrid engine adds weight of batteries and motors, so it's no free lunch. but then, so does turbo/intercooler/etc add weight.

 

The problem with that idea is that simple shunt wound DC electric motors produce their maximum torque at stall speed. You need to use the electric for launch where it can make a significant contribution to thrust. Then, as the speed comes up and torque from the electric motor tails off, the turbo is spooling up to produce the boost you need for the gas engine. If you minimize the size and weight of the battery pack, you could get a good launch and pretty fair performance at speed. That's a pretty good pairing, except of course that production of all that boosted horsepower is going to cost fuel. If your hybrid was purchased for fuel savings, that's out the window already. Still it's a thought.

There might be some middle ground to be found with an AC electric motor. These are pretty compact and produce scads of horsepower for their size. That advantage is partially offset by the large computer/controllers they need to get that kind of performance through a wide range of speeds, but they're still lighter than a DC motor per horsepower.

If you're looking strictly for performance and not concerned too much about fuel (or initial investment) hybrids might one day be the hot ticket, particularly for small cars that don't have to overcome a great deal of inertia on acceleration, braking, or handling. Colin Chapman, where are you when we need you?