Since the first hybrid-electric vehicles came on the market, most models have been small and didn’t carry a lot of kick.
This left some environmentally-cautious car enthusiasts dreaming of the day they would get a chance to go green while not losing the thrill of driving a sports car.
Over the last couple of years, automobile makers have started to design more powerful and sporty electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, making the dream become more of a reality.
Capstone Turbine Corp., maker of microturbines for electric vehicles, will be showcasing its C30 microturbine engine off this month at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The C30 microturbine will be under the hood of the CMT-380, a supercharged, hybrid-electric concept vehicle that was designed by Electronic Arts’ Chief Creative Director, Richard Hilleman.
Unlike regular combustion engines found in cars, the microturbine offers continuous combustion which makes allows for ultra-low exhaust emissions.
Because of its cleaner nature, the C30 does not require any exhaust after treatment to meet the California Air Resources Board or EPA 2010 clean air requirements.
Microturbines are cleaner than normal combustion engines because they do not require oil or lubricants because the rotary is supported by air bearings. According to Capstone, the “recuperator (or air-to-air heat exchanger), which extracts energy from the exhaust stream and recycles it to preheat air coming into the combustion chamber, thus greatly increasing efficiency.”
According to Capstone, the CMT-380’s diesel fueled-engine produces ultra-low emissions and can run solely off of the vehicle’s battery while in zero-emissions mode. Once the battery is depleted, the C30 can recharge the batter while the car is driving.
While the car might get noticed for its clean features, its ability to go from 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, with 150 mph as its top speed, and a driving range of up to 500 miles on a single tank of fuel, will also catch a lot of attention.
“Not only does this car look great and is fun to drive, but its low-maintenance, high-efficiency turbine engine makes it a stress-free, no-compromise hybrid,” Hilleman said. “The CMT-380 is perfect for people who want it all. These kinds of customers value a high level of driving performance, but also are concerned about social issues such as reducing greenhouse emissions and limiting our country's dependence on foreign oil.”
While Capstone has produced mircroturbines for hybrid electric buses, trolleys and transit shuttles, this will be the first time it has been under the hood of a sports car.
“The first microturbines Capstone designed and built were integrated into automotive applications,” said Darren Jamison, president and CEO of Capstone. “But like all new technologies, timing is everything and our initial hybrid design for cars was ahead of its time, so the company turned to the more mature stationary power markets. Now, more than two decades later, hybrid-electric vehicles are gaining interest in the market and people are taking another look at microturbines as electric-vehicle battery chargers and for public charging stations.”