I bet you could homebrew something like this.  Motor/generator to drive the
front wheels with some kind of clutch to disengage it when it is not in
use.  Maybe a simple driver actuated control that would put power to it
when you wanted to use it to move the van.  And some kind of actuator on
the brake pedal that would engage it in regenerative braking mode as you
slow down.  There would have to be some kind of safety that would disengage
it under hard braking so it doesn't throw off the brake bias.  Probably a
pretty simple computer program could take over the application of power to
the electric motor based on gas pedal depression, battery charge level,
etc.  Hmmm, this might work better in an auto trans van.  Actually starting
and stopping the gas engine would add more complexity, and now the auto
trans doesn't seem as good since the engine has to be spinning its input
shaft while the vehicle is in motion.  Ok, leave the gas engine running,
the electric motor will still help you out and recapture the energy wasted
by braking.  There is room under the van between the frame rails for some
batteries.

Edward

At 05:58 PM 9/28/2005, you wrote:
>I have been following the discussions on Fuel Economy, and Diesel engines,
>and all the other ways to save $ and Fuel. I am wondering what else can be
>done on a stock Vanagon. I drive a 86 GL myself.
>I was wondering how hard it would be to hybridize a vanagon. Add a little
>helper motor/generator like in an honda insight? Could you take a synchro,
>and put the motor/generator up front? What other Ideas could be done?
>
>Just puting my .02 out there.
>
>Matt
>
>
>--
>Any opinions stated here are my own, otherwise someone else would have
>said them.