Hybrid Technologies to compete with Tesla
It is certainly easier to use new and expensive technology in a luxury product package for rich people that are desperately seeking an expensive green image. Hybrid Technologies intends to compete head on with Tesla for sports car fans that are willing to pay a bit extra for startling acceleration and near perfectly quiet motoring.
The promised sports car will come in completely electric and hybrid petrol-electric versions. Promised performance includes a 240-290km range for the all-electric version, while the hybrid will need only 1.2liters/100km or less! Both figures are quite impressive and what I particularly like is that the presence of a hybrid shows some realism and respect for the final user. Being able to resort to existing refueling stations automatically removes range and geographic boundaries, a huge boon for those that want to enjoy the freedom that a car has to offer.
But all this if the actual car is built and tested. Because the sad truth is that there is many beautiful and ambitious designs around, but very few have been built and proven as working prototypes. Furthermore, getting a model sorted out for final production is a nightmare that even large manufacturers some times have problems with, imagine how hard it can be for a small engineering team. Don’t forget that it’s not only fuel economy that counts, modern cars have to satisfy very stringent safety legislation. Servicing and repairs are another worry because not all of us live in or near the Silicon Valley you know…
Soon we will have a torrent of hybrid models from virtually every car brand on earth. I think that small efforts like those of Tesla and Hybrid Technologies have no future for the masses, but they currently attract too much attention simply because there are so few all-electric or hybrid models around. When new hybrid and all-electric models from the likes of Audi, Renault-Nissan and Mercedes-Benz hit the market, it will be a completely different story…
[...] Tesla’s statement has certainly not gone unnoticed. We have for example written about the Hybrid Technologies sports car, as well as Audi’s electrical aspirations. But Shelby’s plans are on a higher plane, [...]
July 21st, 2008 at 2:32 pm