Drive Aphrodite to the Dairy Queen
We’re all looking for ways to save money. If we’re lucky enough to be able to afford a hybrid vehicle, then we’re enjoying significant fuel economy that keeps a pretty portion of those hard-earned dollars in our wallets for more important endeavors. Yet the idea of owning a new hybrid is a fantasy for many. We need payday loans now and then to cover when the budget comes up short. Nevertheless, let’s dream for a spell…
Ben Mack of Wired’s “Autopia” blog calls our attention to a carbon fiber-bodied, Corvette-inspired biodiesel hybrid that opens like a clam.
And Aphrodite emerged from a clam shell… but did her clam shell get 100 MPG?
Portrait of a rockin’ clam shell
Lightning Hybrids says their LH4 will achieve 100 mpg and go from zero to 60 in 5.9 seconds. A 90-HP Volkswagen diesel engine and a 150-HP Rexroth hydraulic hybrid system powers this marvel.
“Nobody in the world is applying this technology to smaller cars like we are,” Lightning Hybrids CEO Dan Johnson told Mack.
Waiting list – stat!
Don’t get too excited. The system hasn’t been tested in a road car yet. Lightning Hybrids wants their vehicles to hit driveways by 2010 and put out 3,000 cars a year within four years of production. That, says Mack, is optimistic – note what’s happened with Tesla Motors.
A prototype will appear at the upcoming Denver Auto Show.
How does a hydraulic hybrid like this work?
"I prefer my clam shell, mortal."
According to Mack, “hydraulic hybrids use a diesel engine to drive a hydraulic pump, which charges an accumulator – essentially a high-pressure tank. The accumulator, in turn, drives smaller pump motors that send power to the axle or power the wheels directly.” See the video below for more information.
They’re working “night and day” to make the necessary parts compact enough to be practical for a passenger car. If they reach their goal of making the LH4 look like the 1963 Corvette (see above), they will be cashing in on America’s love of classic auto design – but with much more environment-friend parts and function.
How much will it cost?
That has not been determined as yet. However, it’s safe to say it will cost you more than India’s new Tata Nano. If you can afford it, however, you owe it to yourself, American innovation and the environment to buy one…
Related Video:
Discussion of 100-MPG Biodiesel Hybrid Emerges Like Aphrodite