Hybrid vehicles finish US tour

AFS Trinity Power's Extreme Hybrid technology employs a dual-energy storage system that combines Lithium-Ion batteries and ultra capacitors with XH power and control electronics.

The XH-150 Extreme Hybrid, developed by AFS Trinity Power and built under contract by Ricardo, has recently concluded a tour of the US, culminating in an appearance at the Earth Day celebrations on Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C.

The cross-country tour was intended to enable the public in selected communities across the US the opportunity to test drive the two XH-150 plug-in hybrid demonstrator vehicles.

According to tests recently conducted by AFS Trinity at the Michelin proving grounds in South Carolina, new power and control electronics and other advances allow the Extreme Hybrid to plug into house current and store sufficient power to run the vehicle at up to 140km/h.

AFS Trinity Power's Extreme Hybrid technology employs a dual-energy storage system that combines Lithium-Ion batteries and ultra capacitors with AFS Trinity's XH power and control electronics.

The system aims to satisfy performance expectations of consumers and providing extended vehicle range in a highly energy-efficient and cost-effective package.

Ricardo's responsibilities in building the two demonstrator XH-150 vehicles included integrating AFS Trinity's proprietary power and control electronics module into the vehicles, incorporating off the shelf ultracapacitors and batteries selected by AFS Trinity, design and development of a completely new Ricardo transmission for the vehicles, modifying the host vehicles' suspension and chassis control and, finally, the vehicle build.

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