January 22, 2008

Extreme Hybrid Gets 150 MPG!

Here it is...the amazing, plug-in, Extreme Hybrid SUV! At over 150 miles to the gallon, this machine puts the plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius to shame. The Extreme Hybrid XH by AFS Trinity Power will travel 40 miles on the electric motor, before it needs recharged electrically or the gasoline motor starts. The Toyota plug-in Prius will only travel seven miles on its stored electricity.

The Extreme Hybrid SUV (Saturn Vue pictured above) is considered a triple hybrid. Ultracapacitors are combined with batteries and a gas engine. According to the New York Times,

Typically, hybrids exploit the synergies of electricity and internal combustion by using only an electric motor at low speeds; the gas engine kicks in as speed increases, and both are used when maximum output is called for. AFS Trinity, on the other hand, took a purist position. In its system, the gasoline engine is not started until the batteries run down...In use, the capacitors function much like the water tank on a toilet. That reservoir lets the toilet get by with a small supply pipe, yet still delivers a large volume at once for flushing.

The Extreme Hybrid XH is expected to cost about $8,700 more than a gas-only SUV. AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia explains, "If the price of gasoline is, say, $2.85 per gallon, XH™ gasoline cost savings could repay the purchase price premium in 3.5 years." Increased fuel economy does come at a cost though, as capacitors contain PCBs, in a closed system. However, the ultracapacitors in the Extreme Hybrid help keep the lithium batteries within safe heating limits, thus extending battery life and preventing fire caused by overheating. The earliest the Extreme Hybrids will be available is in three years.

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Posted by Jennifer Lance at January 22, 2008 9:03 AM

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