How fast can an automobile manufacturer fit all the pieces of the Hybrid auto puzzle together - and come up with a superior solution?
The best solution for the low range and high lithium battery cost - in battery operated vehicles is almost a no-brainer... use a tiny, single rotor Wankel engine to provide the vastly increased range - but only when you need it (at less than 100 pounds of weight) with no worry of running out of charge on the freeway ... ...but it took quite a while to get here. This little Mazda gives great performance. Unlike the Chevy Volt, and others, which use a nearly regular-sized 4-cylinder engine at 400 pounds minimum, this small Wankel will fit in a suitcase (literally). What you see under the hood is the electric motor and controller. The Wankel is hidden away in the rear. http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/mazda/2/first-drives/mazda-2-ev-range-ex tender-prototype-first-drive-review Cough... cough... Funny I remember something like this coming up for discussion here about 5 years ago. The solution to the range problem of Hybrids was as obvious then, as it is now. http://www.mail-archive.com/vortex-l@eskimo.com/msg24415.html
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