Hybrid-electric carmaker readies 220 mpg 'super car'
Hybrid Technologies is preparing a '"green" sports car to submit in the Automotive X Prize contest, according to a report in Popular Mechanics.
The car will come in two versions: one for the Auto X Prize that will have a gasoline engine and battery and another all-electric version.
The as-yet-unnamed electric sports car being developed by Hybrid Technologies.
(Credit: Hybrid Technologies via Popular Mechanics.)The gas-battery hybrid will get the equivalent of 220 miles per gallon while the all-electric will get 150 mpg to 180 mpg. A drivable prototype is set to hit the streets in September.
The idea is to make the X Prize entrant something that will result in a mass-produced electric car, the company told Popular Mechanics.
"We're looking for this car basically to end up mainstream--not just built for a one-and-done," project development engineer Ron Cerven told the magazine. "The X Prize car is going to be the purchasable--obviously a higher-end car, but there might be something else from us in the X Prize."
Hybrid Technologies doesn't get nearly as much attention as Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, which are both preparing hybrid-electric sports cars.
But Hybrid Technologies has ambitious plans to make a range of vehicles that run on lithium-based batteries, including scooters, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and cars.
Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. He started at CNET News in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at IT publication InfoWorld. E-mail Martin.
The ALL ELECTRIC will get 150-180 miles PER GALLON. Please clarify.
Could it be that the X Prize requires a real product?
Also, I noticed that, so far, no one has commented on this sentence: "But Hybrid Technologies has ambitious plans to make a range of cars that run on lithium-based batteries, scooters, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, cars." I wonder how many miles per scooter that car will get, or maybe miles per car -- I would love a car that runs on lithium-based cars, but only if I can get it in black.
For the nitty gritty, here's a snippet from Tesla's web site: Conversion from electric consumption to gallons of gasoline equivalent is calculated using the EPA conversion factor documented in the Federal Register: June 12, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 113), Rules and Regulations, Pages 36985-36992.
1 gallon of gas has 1.3 X 10^8 joules of energy in it.
1 KWH is equal to 3.6 X 10^6 joules
therefore
1 gallon of gas is equivalent to about 36.1 KWH of power
Here's what they mean then.
The car is efficient enough to average 220 miles per gallon of gas, but the all electric version of the car is not so efficient; it only gets 150-180 miles on 36.1 KWH stored in it's batteries. This is probably due to the extra weight of the batteries. Liquid fuels store more energy per pound than batteries. Gas is stored in a tank, and electricity in this car is stored; probably; in Lithium Ion batteries. As per unit weight, gasoline stores more joules of energy per unit mass than lithium ion batteries.
Gas also has the advantage of being used up as it goes. When you burn the gas, it's mass is converted into exhaust, and goes from the tank to the atmosphere. The batteries don't lose mass when the energy is used up. Think about it, your dead AA batteries aren't any lighter than when they were new, but carrying a tank of gas from the station to your lawnmower is harder than walking the empty tank to the station.
So, the article does make perfect sense.
About the car, it sounds like a great idea, but honestly my concern is price point and actual usability. Look at the other entrants for the X Prize they are cars that yes can get you from point A to B but are so light and small that they have less room than a Smart car. I have seen in persona many of the entries for the contest and so far have seen none that would make a good reliable usable method of transportation.
The reason most of these vehicles are getting great gas mileage is due to their weight and lack of structure. Good examples include the K1 Attack that was created as a hybrid, and the entry using an Ariel Atom chassis. I would not think it too hard to get great gas mileage when you are converting a car that already can get 30 mpg on a supercharged 4cyl gas motor over to a electric/gas hybrid.
Now lets look at cost, the Tesla Roadster which has gotten a great deal of fame is great for gas but the trade off is now you are spending $110K for the car. My annual gas cost on my 700rwhp turbocharged mustang is less than $4,000 a year so with a car that I have $40K into it would take me over 17 years to break even. Where is the trade off. A Toyota Prius has a better return on value.
I would love to see a production car come out of the X Prize but the rules for the contest do not focus on that and thus it will not happen. What I would pay more attention to is the auto manufacturers who are doing their own testing. Examples include the BMW Hydrogen 7Series, the Nissan Cube, the Audi's with their Bio Diesel and lets look at the fact that many race cars are running on E85 Ethanol.
In the end we will have to wait and see but at some point the manufacturers are going to need to pick a direction, just at the moment no one can decide which is the better option to adopt.
Charles R. Whealton
Charles Whealton @ pleasedontspam.com
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by strategynode
June 7, 2008 1:04 PM PDT
- Cool exterior design, not so sure about its innards.
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