Capstone CMT-380 electric hybrid supercar with microturbines
Capstone Turbine Corporation has shown off its high performance hybrid electric car, the CMT-380, at the LA Auto Show. The car features a 30kW microturbine that extends the range of its traditional EV batteries, and which the company likens to having an ultra-clean and quiet jet engine under the hood. Capstone adds that the supercar, still in its test phase, reaches 0-60mph in 3.9 seconds, has a top speed of 150mph, and a range of up to 500 miles on a single tank of fuel – all with ultra-low exhaust emissions that rival any hybrid on the market today.
Housed inside a very cool-looking Factory Five Racing GTM body, the Capstone C30 (30kW) microturbine runs on diesel or biodiesel, and already meets the stringent clean air requirements of the California Air Resources Board or EPA 2010.
The CMT-380’s lithium-polymer battery cells can be charged at home or at a public recharging station and, according to Capstone, the sports car can operate on 100 percent battery power in zero emissions mode for a range of up to 80 miles. When the batteries reach a predetermined state of discharge, the Capstone C30 microturbine kicks in to run the motor and also recharges the batteries on the fly to extend the driving range up to a total of around 500 miles. It’s claimed by the manufacturers that the diesel-fueled C30 microturbine requires less maintenance than traditional combustion engines and produces ultra-low exhaust emissions.
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