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Hybrid Car Powered By Micro-Jet Turbine

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 July 2009, 06:28 CDT

As automakers race to create green and more efficient vehicles that minimize emissions, a privately held Israeli startup company is testing what it hopes will be the hybrid electric vehicle of the future:  a jet engine powered hybrid plug-in.

The vehicle, built on the shell of a Toyota Prius, ignites without the need for an internal combustion engine, using instead an electric engine containing a micro-jet turbine engine and a supercapacity battery. 

With a short, muted hiss of a jet engine, the car ignites, and powers from the rear as it moves silently around a test track.

Although the idea of turbine-powered electric vehicles is nothing new, ETV Motors says it has found a way to make the technology commercially viable.

The company, located just outside Tel Aviv, says it has raised some $12 million in funding so far.  It says it has developed a micro-turbine engine that can act as an on-board charger, and a high-density battery that can power the vehicle for roughly 35-50 miles on a single charge.

Although the car employs newly designed components still under development, ETV said a final product should be ready for tests sometime in 2010.

A separate Israeli project called Better Place has been gaining momentum throughout the world.  The initiative, launched in 2007 with $200 million in venture funding, is pushing for fully electric cars that recharge by plugging in to a grid network.  Better Place has partnered with Nissan and Renault to develop the infrastructure for electric cars.

Meanwhile, leading hybrid automaker Toyota has said it would begin leasing 500 plug-in hybrid cars by the end of this year. The company said lithium-ion batteries would power the cars, which will be able to run 12-18 miles on battery power alone at full charge, according to a report earlier this month by Japan's Nikkei business daily.

But ETV says their batteries will power a car more than twice that far.  Furthermore, the on-board charger will not depend upon complicated electric-charging infrastructure, although the vehicle will be plug-in compatible, the company said.

ETV’s jet turbine system differs from General Motors’ Chevy Volt plug-in, which is also powered by a conventional internal combustion engine. GM plans to introduce its 40-mile-range Volt late next year.

ETV’s groundbreaking development was its higher density battery, based on Lithium Manganese Nickel Oxide, said Arieh Meitav, the company’s chief technology officer, during an interview with Reuters.

The batteries will be the first to use 4.7-volt cells, compared with current Lithium-ion batteries with 3.2 volts.  This will allow for a longer range with a smaller battery projected to last the entire lifetime of the vehicle, Meitav said.

The electricity producing micro-turbine, the second part of the system, is being developed in conjunction with an Israeli aviation firm.  ETV Motors did not disclose the name of the company.

The turbine can run off a number of fuel sources, such as gasoline, diesel and biofuel, ETV said.  The fuel will only operate to charge the battery when it runs low.

CalCars.org founder Felix Kramer said the vehicle offers two very promising solutions, although they were not yet close to commercialization.

"Today, every major automaker is now hard at work developing its first production plug-in vehicles in the next four years using existing technology," said Kramer, whose Palo Alto-based nonprofit startup promotes plug-in hybrids.

"Once ETV Motors has fully developed prototypes, potential customers will be able to analyze both the performance and cost benefits of the new systems compared to other contending advanced technologies," he told Reuters.

Arnold Roth, ETV Motors' chief operating officer, said the company was entertaining options to either manufacture the system’s part themselves or license it out to a larger company.

"We have been approached by Tier 1 manufactures who are interested in our technology," Roth told Reuters, adding that their hybrid system would cost less than currently available hybrids.

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On the Net:

• ETV Motors

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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