Volta: Toyota's 32-Miles-Per-Gallon, Hybrid Supercar & the Hypercar

Volta: Toyota's 32-Miles-Per-Gallon, Hybrid Supercar

and The Hypercar

Holy !*&#^!&@^)!:

This second generation Hybrid Synergy Drive system uses the 3.3-liter V6 common to a variety of Toyota/Lexus products, plus two powerful electric motors to produce a phenomenal 408 horsepower (300 kW). Needless to say the lightweight sports car is quick, shooting forward from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a sizzling 4.03 seconds before reaching a terminal velocity of 250 km/h (155 mph).

Now, what's the most interesting aspect of this story? Read the second to last sentence carefully:

Ironic, but the one company that would have no financial challenges building a car this daring, probably won't.

So it goes...

Related: Toyota Unveils Highlander Hybrid SUV :.

After further research, I found out that Toyota IS releasing the Highlander SUV as a hybrid. Let's not kid ourselves, folks, hybrid SUVs are way too little, way too late. BUT... The hybrid platform could allow us to actually eliminate the use of gasoline---RIGHT NOW!

If you don't know anything about Aquafuel, none of what follows will make any sense to you, so, start with Blaze Labs and J.L. Naudin. Then return to this story.

I don't think hybrids are a big deal, on their own, since they still require petroleum based gasoline. The hybrid platform, though, is very close to being something revolutionary! The power recovery system that's integrated into the braking system is the big deal. We just need to eliminate the requirement of having to burn petroleum based gas in the damn thing!!!

Until the multiple issues with fuel cells are sorted out, the thing to do would be to build an Aquafuel generator into these hybrids. Integrate something like three 185watt solar panels into the top facing surfaces of this SUV and guess what! THE VEHICLE COULD BE MAKING IT'S OWN FUEL THE ENTIRE TIME IT'S SITTING IN THE SUN.

Obviously, any integrated solar power system isn't, on its own, going to make enough Aquafuel to accommodate most drivers' needs. (In sunny areas, where the vehicle isn't used everyday, it might.) Therefore, when larger amounts of Aquafuel are required, say, to fill up the vehicle for a long trip, high current electricity from clean or dirty sources may be utilized to top off the vehicle's Aquafuel tank. At that point, you just need to make sure the Aquafuel generator has a sufficient water supply.

In the early stages, this idea could be implemented as a duel fuel system. Aquafuel runs fine in unmodified, internal combustion engines that call for 87 octane, unleaded gasoline. In the event that high current electricity isn't available to produce Aquafuel in large quantities, the internal combustion engine could burn regular gasoline.

Now, if only the companies would make hybrids with diesel engines... Well, you would be done right there. Can you imagine? Being able to drive for about 600 miles on one tank of biodiesel, straight vegetable oil (SVO), or petroleum based diesel? The biodiesel and SVO freaks would snap up every last diesel hybrid vehicle.

Question/Answer

Q: Can Aquafuel systems be added to existing vehicles as well?

A: As long as they burn 87 octane, unleaded gasoline.

Q: Where can I buy an Aquafuel system?

A: Uh, you can't.

Q: Why not?

A: I don't know, exactly. Ask the good people at Santilli Magnegas. They say the U.S. government has hindered the development of this technology. They also own all the patents on this. You can see a Ferrari running on Aquafuel and some other vehicles converted to use it on this site as well.

These ideas are merely stopgap measures that would buy us some time. These are not solutions. The agricultural sector's dependence on petroleum products is far more frightening than automobile related consumption. I would say to get the gas out of our cars first, because that is actually possible. Getting the gas out of our food, on the other hand, will require much more time and effort. The nightmare scenario is that humanity will find itself in a situation where petroleum supplies have dwindled to the point where alternative solutions can't be bootstrapped into operation because the energy isn't available.

Hint: Nothing is being done about any of this (to any degree that matters) and our so-called leaders are allowing the energy situation to go off the rails, one can only assume, on purpose. I suppose it's possible that greed and criminal incompetence are involved, but in the final analysis, it doesn't matter. So, what's the moral of the story? Learn how to grow and raise your own food before you get hungry.

And dream about the world we could have had if untold trillions of dollars worth of our tax money hadn't been used for purely evil purposes.

 

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Back to: Rocky Mountain Institute--Home Page > Transportation   -- Select A Page -- Advanced Automotive News Hypercar Chronology—Advanced Automotive Milestones Why do You Want to Drive a Hypercar Vehicle? Getting There—The Transition to Hypercar Vehicles Hypercar Design and Technology—Whole-System Design Effect of the Hypercar Transition on Industry Transportation-Media Resources History of the Hypercar Concept at RMI Hypercar Vehicle Resources Transportation Links New & Notable New RMI Publication (23 March 2004) T04-01, Hypercars®, Hydrogen, and the Automotive Transition Lightweighting is the key to making vehicles superefficient but safe. In this invited technical review paper in the International Journal of Vehicle Design, RMI's CEO Amory Lovins and Hypercar, Inc.'s VP Engineering David Cramer explain why, using as an example Hypercar's 2000 virtual design of the Revolution 99-mpg SUV.   The Hypercar® Concept What is a Hypercar® Vehicle? A Hypercar® vehicle is designed to capture the synergies of: ultralight construction; low-drag design; hybrid-electric drive; and, efficient accessories to achieve 3 to 5-fold improvement in fuel economy, equal or better performance, safety, amenity and affordability, compared to today's vehicles. Rocky Mountain Institute's research has shown that the best (possibly, the only) way to achieve this is by building an aerodynamic vehicle body using advanced composite materials and powering it with an efficient hybrid-electric drivetrain. Initially, the hybrid-electric drivetrain in Hypercar® vehicles will probably use a specialized version of the internal combustion engine commonly used in today's cars. To reach their full potential, and virtually eliminate automobile pollution, Hypercar® vehicles will be powered by fuel-cells running on tanks of compressed gaseous hydrogen fuel.     Unlike other efficient vehicles, Hypercar® vehicles don't compromise performance, comfort, or safety. Indeed, by offering extra consumer appeal and manufacturing advantages, they stand a better chance of getting on the road—and forcing old, polluting cars off—in sufficient numbers to make a big difference to the environment. Hypercar® vehicles and their kin could profitably reduce carbon-dioxide emissions (the major contributor to climate change) by two-thirds, partly by greatly accelerating the shift to hydrogen fuel cells. In 1994 we founded the Hypercar Center® to research and promote this concept. Having proved its technical feasibility through rigorous technical modeling, the Center's staff spent the past several years making Hypercar® technology a commercial reality. Their unconventional approach has been to place the concept in the public domain and share it conspicuously with some two dozen major car companies and new market entrants to maximize competition in capturing its market and manufacturing advantages. The result: billions of dollars' private investment, and rapid movement of Hypercar-like concepts toward the marketplace. In 1999, we took this process a step further by launching a for-profit venture, Hypercar, Inc., to speed the industry's transition by exerting direct competitive pressure. This independent company, in which RMI has a minority interest, is now taking the lead in advancing key areas of Hypercar research and development. Here at RMI our transportation web pages continue to inform the general public and media on the Hypercar® concept in general. For the latest on what is happening today on the automotive scene, however, we recommend visiting Hypercar, Inc.'s own hompage (www.hypercar.com), and reading our bi-monthly selection of Advanced Automotive News. Advanced Automotive News Hypercar® Chronology—Advanced Automotive Milestones Why Do You Want to Drive a Hypercar® Vehicle? Getting There—The Transition to Hypercar® Vehicles Hypercar® Design and Technology—Whole-System Design Effect of the Hypercar® Transition on Industry Transportation Media Resources: Media Kit, Downloadable Hypercar® Factsheets History of the Hypercar® Concept at RMI Hypercar® Resources (useful articles related to our work) Transportation Links (to useful websites) Hypercar® is a registered trademark of Hypercar, Inc. (www.hypercar.com).

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