Capstone Turbine’s latest electric concept car aims to simplify the concept of battery recharging.
Clean burning micro turbine charges batteries and extends car's range to 500 miles
Instead of pulling off the road to plug in and recharge the vehicle’s lithium polymer batteries, the CMT-380 fires up an on-board turbine that does the job on the fly.
The low-emissions turbine generator running on diesel or biodiesel fuel extends the car’s 80-mile battery range to 500 miles.
Capstone announced the sleek, Corvette-styled car on Monday and said it will debut at the Los Angeles auto show Dec. 2.
Capstone is a micro turbine maker and it designed the CMT-380 in conjunction with Electronic Arts Chief Creative Director Richard Hilleman.
The car is said to have a top speed of 150 miles per hour and acceleration that will take it from zero to 60 in 3.9 seconds. The emissions from the 30-kilowatt turbine are so clean they do not need to be treated with a catalytic converter, according to a press release.
Once at home, the car’s batteries can be plugged in to recharge. The company plans limited production run after measuring interest at the auto show.
Jean-Baptiste Su
Mark Boslet
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