CleanNova testing a series hybrid vehicle

Cleanova is a unit of the Daussault Groupe in France and they are currently testing series hybrid vehicles with an eye toward offering them to the public in 2008. The vehicle they are working on is a small minivan type vehicle based on the Renault Kangoo. The test vehicle has a 55hp engine running a generator to charge the lithium ion battery, but it can also drive the vehicle in conjunction with the electric motor. They claim a range of 120 miles on the battery and a top speed of 80 mph. They are testing batteries with capacities ranging from 16 to 30 kWh. Unfortunately the Cleanova website is only in French, but it appears there is also a battery-only version of the vehicle.

[Source: Auto-future.blogspot.com, props to David for tip]