Quote :

"A British engineering firm has put together a high-performance hybrid version of BMW's Mini Cooper. The PML Mini QED has a top speed of 150 mph, a 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds. The car uses a small gasoline engine with four 160 horsepower electric motors — one on each wheel. The car has been designed to run for four hours of combined urban/extra urban driving, powered only by a battery and bank of ultra capacitors. The QED supports an all-electric range of 200-250 miles and has a total range of about 932 miles (1,500 km). For longer journeys at higher speeds, a small conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) is used to re-charge the battery. In this hybrid mode, fuel economies of up to 80mpg can be achieved. Explains Martin Boughtwood, PML’s MD: “Until now, most electric vehicles have been little more than souped-up milk floats, limited by range and speed, with compromised performance. For those with a green conscience who also value an enhanced motoring experience, there is still something missing. “Working in partnership with our customer, Synergy Innovations, we set out to demonstrate what our electric wheel technology is capable of. We simply took a standard BMW Mini One, discarded the engine, the disc brakes, the wheels, and the gearbox. These components were replaced by four of our electric wheels, a lithium polymer battery, a large ultra capacitor, a very small ICE with generator (so small it almost fits alongside the spare wheel), an energy management system and a sexy in-car display module.”"

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/the_hybrid_mini.php

Wow...that's pretty impressive.

9/14/2006 2:28:52 PM

unsprung weight like whoa. I think hybrids ought to have a completely electric drive system with a turbine engine driving the generator.

[Edited on September 14, 2006 at 3:25 PM. Reason : -]

9/14/2006 2:35:35 PM

I like it, it will go fast in a straight line (By the printed stats), but how about handling with the motors in the wheels?
It would have a low center of gravity obviously.

[Edited on September 14, 2006 at 3:26 PM. Reason : -]

9/14/2006 2:41:20 PM

it really depends what the weight difference is compared to the stock model

9/14/2006 2:53:53 PM

i'd hit it

9/14/2006 3:10:21 PM

4 sec =/= 4.5 sec

9/14/2006 3:22:16 PM

Quote :

"The car has been designed to run for four hours of combined urban/extra urban driving, powered only by a battery and bank of ultra capacitors."

i don't know why this has not been widely used instead of batteries on the hybrids, csince they use electric motors to mostly help with acceleration

9/14/2006 11:49:35 PM

so i guess now we have 'independant wheel drive' to go along with independant wishbone suspension lol

9/15/2006 12:10:55 AM

http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com

100 years ago there were more electric cars on the road than gas...

9/15/2006 3:16:19 AM

neat site...i saw a link to that some where a while back...but it seems outdated. their first fact is predictions from 2004 lol

9/15/2006 4:10:11 AM