10:05PM - 03.03.'16
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News Source: autoblog.com
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Beijing-based startup Techrules has officially unveiled its 1,030-horsepower AT96 and GT96 Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle concepts. They both use the company's turbine-based series hybrid range extender, which allegedly gets over 1,300 miles per gallon US. The AT96 runs on aviation kerosene, and the firm imagines it as a future track car. Conversely, the GT96 is for the road and runs on biogas or natural gas. The company plans to put a production version on the road in a few years and then intends to build more attainable models. These are all big promises that seem too good to be true, but we'd love to see the firm prove us wrong. The specs for the company's powertrain are amazing, if they're actually attainable. Six electric motors – one in each front wheel and two in each rear wheel – provide a projected total output of 1,030 hp and 6,372 pound-feet of torque. The run to 62 miles per hour happens in a reported 2.5 seconds, and an electronic limiter keeps the top speed to 218 miles per hour. Even with so much performance, Techrules claims a maximum driving range of over 1,243 miles. To make this possible (assuming it is, indeed, possible), the system uses a micro-turbine spinning at 96,000 revolutions per minute. According to Techrules, the turbine produces 36 kilowatts. Thirty kilowatts powers the generator, and a 20-kWh lithium-manganese-oxide battery stores the energy. The remaining 6 kW is for the auxiliary equipment. The company claims all of this, with the exception of the batteries and motors, weighs 221 pounds. To make all of these impressive numbers even harder to believe, Techrules claims that the powertrain needs almost no maintenance, and the only service item is the air filter. Still, the firm reports that it already has a prototype testing at Silverstone. We'll be surprised if a production car ever comes out of this company, but it'll at least be a happy surprise. |
