Morgan pushing forward with LifeCar design, now a serial hybrid with ultracapacitors

One of last year's most interesting vehicles that debuted at the Geneva Motor Show was the Morgan LifeCar concept. Using a hydrogen fuel cell that sent a constant flow of electrons to a set of electric motors, this machine represented a radical departure for Morgan, a company that's generally most comfortable refining tried-and-true production methods. Although the LifeCar concept didn't make it to this year's show in Switzerland, evo reports that the British automaker is still working on the project, and it's seen plenty of changes over the last year.

Morgan reportedly plans to launch a production machine using the lightweight aluminum architecture pioneered on the LifeCar within the next few years. In place of the hydrogen fuel cell, the new model will use a small internal combustion engine to power a set of ultracapacitors that send power to an electric motor at each wheel. Instead of relying on electricity from the grid, this serial hybrid would sport an engine specifically optimized for efficiency over a narrow range of operation, minimizing fuel usage. If and when a hydrogen infrastructure ever exists, the platform can be adapted back in that direction.

[Source: evo]