Extreme Hybrid Plug-In Car Gets 250mpg

AFS Trinity Power Corporation filed its patent application disclosing the company’s new technology for an Extreme Hybrid™ car capable of carrying the average American motorist more than 250 miles on a singlegallon of gasoline or ethanol.

The Extreme Hybrid™ will plug into a house’s electrical current overnight to run without gasoline or ethanol for the 40 miles that the average American drives each day. For longer trips, the vehicle will operate as a conventional hybrid that efficiently burns gasoline or ethanol.

AFS Trinity plans to build the XH™ drive train with the help of UK-based Ricardo plc, a leading supplier of automotive design and engineering to the world’s major carmakers.

AFS Trinity and Ricardo have signed a mutually exclusive Technology Partnership Agreement to work together to develop plug-in hybrid technology. With sufficient funding they expect that XH™ demonstration vehicles could be in the hands of fleet owners in two years and could be licensed for mass production by car makers in three years.

The AFS Trinity patent filing discloses that Fast Energy Storage™ technology, including ultracapacitors, controllers and power electronics, will enable the Extreme Hybrid™ to overcome the limitations of the energy storage components of conventional hybrids and other plug-in designs.

AFS Trinity Concept Car

AFS Trinity’s Extreme Hybrid™ drive train will enable practical and cost-effective plug-in hybrid vehicles that can achieve 250 MPG in a five-passenger sedan and 150 MPG in an SUV. The Extreme Hybrid™ drive train consists of an advanced, two-part energy storage system, a power converter and control software.

Their studies show that an Extreme Hybrid™ five-passenger sedan would be four times more fuel-efficient than today’s best hybrid cars and ten times more fuel efficient than today’s standard gasoline engine cars.

Depending on vehicle size and weight, a plug-in hybrid that will use the XH™ drive train will easily achieve 150 to 250 MPG. This is because it will run on electric power for up to 40 miles per day before it would have to turn on its gasoline or diesel engine. Note that 75% of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day.

The Extreme Hybrid™, incorporating AFS Trinity's Fast Energy Storage™ Technology, will attain much higher petroleum fuel economy than any other hybrid or plug-in hybrid, still be able to achieve rapid acceleration of under 8 seconds, travel at least 40 miles in electric only mode, have a top speed above 90 MPH and a reserve range in full hybrid operation of 350 to 500 miles.

Ownership Costs

“The Extreme Hybrid™ won’t only cost less to operate on a daily basis, it will also be the first hybrid that will save enough money from reduced operating costs to more than offset the higher purchase price of the car,” added Furia. “In fact, over five years, we estimate that the XH™ owner will be $11,000 ahead and, over 10 years, $22,000 ahead.”

Filling up once every 10 weeks

“The advantages to the environment and our independence from foreign oil are obvious, but the reason we believe consumers will want this car is because they will save money and because the performance of the XH™ will be no different than that of conventional cars,” Furia said.

“To recharge the Extreme Hybrid™ for your daily driving you will need to plug in your car to house current every night, but the average American will only have to fill up with gasoline or ethanol once every 10 weeks or so unless they take a longer trip.”

[source: afstrinity.com]