Comments

Volvo should be acknowledged for reviving some work done by the engineer R.G. LeTourneau. LeTourneau invented Electric Wheel Drive in 1950 for use in heavy equipment, earthmovers and the like. My father was an operating engineer in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, and had occasion to use LeTourneau heavy equipment many times; he noted that operating the electric wheel driven equipment was very much easier than some of the other heavy equipment of the day. Few folks realize, too, that the hybrid power system is not new. Every modern locomotive is a hybrid. Those massive diesel engines are there to drive generators to power the engines electric drive system. I find it refreshing that these old tried and true approaches, half centuries old, are beginning to be acknowledge for their versatility and economy. My only lament is that the automotive industry has taken so long to move out of their comfort zone and look at true innovation.