With the arrival of spring, many of us have been busy preparing our gardens for the upcoming growing season. The soil needs to be tilled, fertilized and well hoed to ensure a bumper crop. And speaking of bumpers, the folks over at AFS Trinity have been polishing theirs (you see what I did right there?), getting ready for an epic cross country trip from the gritty streets of San Francisco to the gleaming metropolis of Washington. With their D.C. arrival to correspond with that of Earth Day, they have hopes of finding some politicians on the Capitol Mall in search of a good green-tech photo-op with their XH-150. One thing is certain, with a gas hitting $4.00 a gallon in some places, the semi hauling their hi-tech hybrid, with a glossy picture of an SUV and "150 miles per gallon" in big letters should get them lots of attention from the gathered masses.
Since they have two weeks to complete the journey, there are plans for several stops along the way. There will be a detour through Austin, TX to give a demonstration of their miracle machine to municipal utility, Austin Energy as well as Plug-in Partners, "a consortium of electric utilities and others supporting the development and introduction of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies", according to a press release published at The Earth Times. There will even be an opportunity for a select few to take their 40 mile PHEV SUV FATD (for a test drive) in one of several communities along the way. We wish them a bon voyage and await their invitation. See pictures of XH-150 and the billboard disguised as a semi-truck in the gallery below. Hit the jump for a press release full of details and remember that the way AFS Trinity defines "150 mpg" is slightly skewed.
Since they have two weeks to complete the journey, there are plans for several stops along the way. There will be a detour through Austin, TX to give a demonstration of their miracle machine to municipal utility, Austin Energy as well as Plug-in Partners, "a consortium of electric utilities and others supporting the development and introduction of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies", according to a press release published at The Earth Times. There will even be an opportunity for a select few to take their 40 mile PHEV SUV FATD (for a test drive) in one of several communities along the way. We wish them a bon voyage and await their invitation. See pictures of XH-150 and the billboard disguised as a semi-truck in the gallery below. Hit the jump for a press release full of details and remember that the way AFS Trinity defines "150 mpg" is slightly skewed.
Press Release
SAN FRANCISCO, April 8, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- The 150 MPG Extreme Hybrid SUV, the XH-150 introduced in January by AFS Trinity Power Corporation, starts a cross country tour here today to give Americans their first on-road look at what CNN and others suggested may be "the car of the future" as the XH-150 works its way to Earth Day on the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, April 20, 2008.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/LATU055)
Halfway through the cross country trip, the XH-150 will be demonstrated on April 11 for Austin Energy, a large municipal utility as well as for the leadership of Plug-in Partners, an Austin headquartered consortium of electric utilities and others supporting the development and introduction of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technologies.
AFS Trinity intends to make the XH-150 available for selected test drives in several communities from coast to coast.
According to tests recently conducted at the Michelin Proving Grounds in South Carolina, proprietary new power and control electronics and other advances allow the Extreme Hybrid to plug into house current and store sufficient power to run a 200 horsepower electric motor at speeds up to 86 miles per hour. Mileage estimates are based on average driving patterns set by USEPA and will vary depending on how people drive.
"With the XH-150, most Americans would use no gasoline at all most days and electricity is a small fraction of the cost of gasoline," said AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia. "We expect the fuel cost savings will pay back the additional cost of the Extreme Hybrid system in 2 to 3 years . . . or much faster with government incentives."
The new, patent pending AFS Trinity system gives the driver a choice of Extreme Hybrid, all-electric mode at 200 horsepower where no gasoline is used for the first 40 miles -- more than the great majority of Americans drive most days -- or, with a push of a single button, access to all 370 horsepower by empowering both the electric and gasoline engines in parallel for towing or emergency vehicle applications.
Road test data, schematics of the drive train and extensive technical detail are available at HYPERLINK "http://www.afstrinity.com/" http://www.afstrinity.com/.
AFS Trinity CEO Edward W. Furia said the company is now in discussions with carmakers regarding licensing of the technology and with investment bankers regarding possible direct manufacturing. He said he expects the first Extreme Hybrid SUV drive trains to be available for purchase in two to three years.
ABOUT AFS TRINITY
AFS Trinity is a privately-owned Delaware corporation headquartered in Bellevue, WA, that is developing Fast Energy Storage(TM) and power systems for vehicular, spacecraft and stationary power systems utilizing batteries, ultracapacitors, and flywheels. The Company has conducted programs with private and government organizations including DARPA, NASA, the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army, U.S. DOT, California Energy Commission, Oak Ridge National Laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Labs, Lockheed, Honeywell and Ricardo. Although AFS Trinity is not currently using flywheels in systems that are designed for consumer cars, it is actively engaged in developing flywheel power systems for Formula One Racing (F1) and is currently also engaged in developing such a system for one of the world's top F1 teams. American Flywheel Systems, Inc. (AFS) received the first patent ever given for a flywheel battery in 1992 and merged with Trinity Flywheel Power to create AFS Trinity Power in 2000. AFS Trinity and Ricardo, Inc. have a Technology Partnership Agreement by which Ricardo is assisting AFS Trinity as a preferred customer and is installing into passenger vehicles AFS Trinity's Extreme Hybrid(TM) drive train technology, technology which is the subject of ongoing AFS Trinity U.S. and international patent filings. For more information, see http://www.afstrinity.com/.
Some statements in this news release are forward-looking. These statements may be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expects," "believes," "targets," "intends," and words of similar import. Actual results may vary depending on circumstances both within and outside the control of the Company including market acceptance of products, technology development cycles and other risk factors. AFS Trinity Power Corporation takes no responsibility for updating any forward-looking statements made in this release.
Extreme Hybrid(TM), XH(TM), XH-150(TM), XH-250(TM), Fast Energy(TM), Fast Energy Storage(TM), Just Plug It In(TM), Powered by XH(TM)are trademarks pending of AFS Trinity Power Corporation Patents Pending -- All Rights Reserved (C) 2007 AFS Trinity Power Corporation.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/LATU055" mime-type="application/octet-stream"/>
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080408/LATU055
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
AFS Trinity Power Corporation
[Source: The Earth Times]
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