ALTe's PHEV F-150 unveiled at Work Truck Show

Putting a bigger battery and a plug-in hybrid powertrain into a pick-up truck isn't exactly a new idea. Of course, sometimes, old ideas are worth keeping around.

At the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show this week, ALTe LLC, based in Michigan, showed off a Ford F-150 that has a plug-in hybrid powertrain installed. Of course, because everybody's got to make their mark, ALTe calls their system a range-extended electric powertrain (REEP).

File this along with General Motor's extended-range electric vehicle (ER-EV) as a different name without a meaningful distinction. These are all plug-in hybrids.

In any case, the demonstration truck uses a 25 kWh lithium-ion manganese oxide polymer battery pack and 82 kW Remy DC drive motors that provide a 52-mile (84 km) all-electric range. When needed, a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder normally aspirated gasoline engine generates power for the battery. In this charge-sustaining mode, reportsGreen Car Congress, the truck's fuel economy is about 32 miles per gallon (7.34 l/100 km).

The powertrain offers 295 pound-feet of torque and has a towing capacity of 6,500 lb.

Source : AutoBlogGreen, by Sebastian Blanco, March 12th, 2010