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British Company Designs “Retro-fit” Hybrid Package
Written by: Autocar staff   http://www.autocar.co.uk
04/29/2008 - 04:34 AM
London, UK
 
Removable batteries mean there's no need to park next to a socket to recharge. (Mira photo) ยป More Photos

British automotive designer Mira (Motor Industry Research Association) has unveiled a retro-fit hybrid conversion that can potentially cut tailpipe emissions by nearly 40 percent and improve fuel economy by 60 percent.

The hybrid conversion system negates the need to design an entirely new car because it features a removable battery pack, arranged into three 30kW portable cassettes, that essentially upgrades existing vehicles to hybrids.

The technology demonstrator has been built around a Czech-built Skoda Fabia as a plug-in hybrid. The vehicle can charge its batteries using the petrol engine or by removing the battery pack and charging it through the mains.

Mira claims the test model returns 64mpg on the combined European cycle, while its top speed and acceleration are similar to a standard Fabia’s.

Derek Charters, Mira’s advanced powertrain
manager, said, “Despite advances in powertrain technology you can still obtain electricity from your domestic provider far cheaper and greener than you can produce it via an automotive combustion engine, so ‘plug-in’ hybrids make sense.

“With this project we’ve removed the primary limitation of the ‘plug-in hybrid’ concept by allowing the battery pack to come to the mains, rather than having to park right next to a socket, which is more than a little difficult if you live in a terraced house or flat.”

The engineers are aiming to see if the power pack can be transferred from the car into other motorized devices such as jet skis or quad bikes.

Unfortunately, Mira has said that the system is not about to go into full production, so you won’t be able to escape the save a few bucks in your Porsche Cayenne Turbo just yet.
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