Lithium Technology and Zytek team up on diesel hybrid Smart ForFour
Having built engines for almost every class of racing up to and including Formula One, Zytek is company long familiar to racing fans. They have also done development work on road vehicles for various manufacturers. Lithium Technology Corporation is a manufacturer of lithium-ion battery systems. The two companies have now teamed up to build an experimental diesel hybrid based on a Smart ForFour (which is no longer in production).
The project was funded by Energy Saving Trust as part of the Low Carbon Car Challenge to the tune of £1.8 million. Zytek has modified the 1.5L turbo-diesel Smart with two permanent magnet electric motors and the battery system. The 288V lithium ion battery can output 25 kW of power to drive the car about 20 miles on electricity alone. The combination of the diesel and regenerative braking allow the car to achieve over 70 mpg (US).
[Source: BusinessWire via GreenCarCongress]
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