APR 30

Do you want a hybrid Honda Fit? Or how about a hybrid Passat, or Yaris, or Cobalt, or....Yeah. Too bad. While the number of hybrids available is certainly increasing, there are just a lot of cars we can't get as hybrids, and we're just going to have to deal with that.

Or are we? A UK company has revealed a retro-fit hybrid conversion kit that has the potential to cut exhaust emissions in existing cars by nearly 40%, and improve fuel economy by 60%. The system, developed by the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA), features a removable battery pack, arranged into three portable 30kW cassettes, which upgrade existing "conventional" vehicles into hybrids.

The technology, currently being demonstrated on a Skoda Fabia, allows the car to run as a plug-in hybrid. In practice, it means the battery can be recharged via the gasoline engine, or by removing the battery pack and charging it through the mains. The rear wheels are driven by two 30 kW (50bhp) motors, while the petrol engine drives the front ones, effectively turning your car into a 4WD. Regenerative braking appears to be not included.

According to MIRA, the test model achieves an average of 64mpg (up from 39mpg), while top speed and acceleration remain similar to a standard Fabia. While this certainly isn't as impressive as the Hymotion plug-in conversion kit for the Prius, it is cheaper (probably only $4,000) and can be installed in any front-wheel-drive car.

Speaking about the new project, Derek Charters, advanced power train manager at MIRA said, “You can obtain electricity from your domestic provider far cheaper and greener than from a car engine, so plug-in hybrids make sense.

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

Unfortunately, MIRA hasn’t yet set a date for putting the technology into production. However, providing the new system is affordable and easy to install, there’s a compelling case for launching it in the market as soon as possible. Watch this space for more.

Comments (11)

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written by Dan, April 30, 2008

This is awesome, I was just having a discussion about this concept about 3 hours ago. Glad a company is developing it.

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written by Robbert, April 30, 2008

Ideally this would be adopted by car dealerships as a standard option. The same way that LPG is a standard option for almost every car here in the Netherlands.

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written by Jim, April 30, 2008

I heard on NPR a coupe onths ago about someone who sells diesel-electric hybrid conversion kits that can be installed in any car. His '65 pontiac gets 60 miles to the gallon or something. If I had the money, I'd love to do that to my '57 Chevy.

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written by luke, May 01, 2008

This would be great in the 2009 model honda jazz/fit.
4WD would be fantastic. The new honda fit/jazz has a space under the boot which would hold the batteries and gear very nicely having no impact on the storage capacity of the car.

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Battery Packs
written by Martin, May 02, 2008

Great idea, and if it's that cheap, I'll get my Alfa GT done in a few year. Trouble is though, those battery packs look heavy. Not that I'm averse to a bit of heavy lifting, but for the disabled and those with back problems, lugging around packs for charging isn't ideal.

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I Want One
written by Tom Martin, May 02, 2008

Since I have a garage, I hope that one can charge it without lifting.

Then again, maybe I'll take the batteries into work and charge them for FREE while I work!!!

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Energy vs power please?
written by Ben C, May 04, 2008

It would be a Very Good Thing if authors of these articles learned the difference between power (horsepower, kilowatts) and energy (kilowatt-hours). Saying the cassettes are 30 KW tells me NOTHING! 30KW for ten seconds won't drive your car very far.

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MIRA Ford Focus Hybrid?!!
written by John Logregg, May 04, 2008

Imagine taking a FWD Focus Hybrid and making it 4WD while adding to plug-in hybrid efficiency to the regenerative braking it already has?!!! Or for that matter doing it to any current hybrid!!!

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MIRA Ford Focus Hybrid?!!
written by John Logregg, May 05, 2008

Imagine taking a FWD Focus Hybrid and making it 4WD while adding to plug-in hybrid efficiency to the regenerative braking it already has?!!! Or for that matter doing it to any current hybrid!!!

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Regenerative braking from the petrol eng
written by Dave Spicer, May 06, 2008

A large alternator could put a substantial load on the petrol engine when braking is required; this would provide "regenerative braking" indirectly, wouldn't it?

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Installation the most difficult part
written by Ben Stanton, September 10, 2008

The most difficult part of this concept is not the technology. Regenerative braking controllers, electric motors driving wheels and batteries are nothing new. The hard part is modifying the existing rear wheels to incorporate a drive train. On some vehicles this would take over a week and would cost well over $1500 - then you need to get certification for the modified vehicle. But nothing is impossible!

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