Team Enertia to enter biodiesel-electric hybrid Studebaker Avanti in Auto X-Prize
Way back in the early 1960s, famed designer Raymond Leowy locked himself and his team in a rented house for five weeks with the intent of designing an exciting new sports coupe for Studebaker. The result was known as the Avanti, and it's often looked back upon as one of the most attractive automotive designs of the era. At least one competitor for the upcoming Progressive Automotive X-Prize must agree with that assessment, as the team from Enertia Motors is using one of the old fiberglass-bodies Studebakers as the basis of its high-mpg entry.
In place of the original 289 cubic-inch V8 engine sits a twin-cylinder engine from Kubota running on biodiesel, which spins an onboard generator that charges a dozen lead acid batteries (if it goes into production, the Enertia team plans to use Firefly batteries). Enertia expects its diesel-electric Studebaker Avanti to match the 120 mile per hour top speed of the original and be able to travel 100 miles per initial charge while averaging over 100 miles per gallon thereafter.
[Source: Enertia Motors, Wired]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Azrael 5:56PM (5/26/2009)
I'm not so sure an Avanti is the optimal choice for a ER-EV. It's not exactly light, and I'm not sure of the aerodynamics. Back then, wind tunnel testing was rare from even the big automakers, and Studebaker was on it's last legs when the Avanti was built.
Nonetheless a cool idea. An Avanti is on the list of cars I want to own, though I wasn't considering a EV one. I wanted to convert a '60 Hawk to an EV.
Not sure the EV-only range is possible with only 12 lead acid batteries. But we'll see.
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required 1:50PM (5/26/2009)
Nice!
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Harry 8:50AM (5/30/2009)
Awesome idea. Go Brammo!
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vherczeg 10:32AM (10/05/2009)
The Studebaker Avanti,is one of the best ideas to drop a bio-diesel engine into.Mr.Azreal,is right,about the Avantis,being heavy.However,you should look into a brand new Avanti....2010.The timeless design of Raymond Loewy,and Sherwood Egbert,refuses to go away and die.They all still being made in Can-cun.Only slight aero-dynamics,have been applied,to the original 1963 body design.The Avanti...will never-ever die.Thank You,Victor Herczeg
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