The 150 MPG Extreme Hybrid SUV, the XH-150 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle introduced in January by AFS Trinity Power Corporation, starts a cross country tour here to give Americans their first on-road look at what CNN and others suggested may be “the car of the future” as the XH-150 works its way to Earth Day on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 20, 2008.
Halfway through the cross country trip, the XH-150 will be demonstrated on April 11 for Austin Energy, a large municipal utility, as well as for the leadership of Plug-in Partners, an Austin-headquartered consortium of electric utilities and others supporting the development and introduction of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies.
AFS Trinity intends to make the XH-150, which was developed in cooperation with technology development partner, Ricardo, available for ride-and-drive demonstrations in several communities from coast to coast.
According to tests recently conducted at the Michelin Proving Grounds in South Carolina, proprietary new power and control electronics and other advances allow the Extreme Hybrid to plug into house current and store sufficient power to run a 200 horsepower electric motor that propels the XH-150 for up to 40 miles in EV-only mode and at speeds up to 87 miles per hour without burning a drop of gasoline. Run in full hybrid mode the combined electric and gasoline power systems provide 370 HP, allowing 0-60 acceleration in 6.9 seconds.
Road test data, schematics of the drive train and extensive technical detail are available at www.afstrinity.com.
AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia said the company is now in discussions with carmakers regarding licensing of the technology and with investment bankers regarding possible direct manufacturing. He said he expects the first Extreme Hybrid SUV drive trains to be available for purchase in two to three years.
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