Do you know that you can convert your gasoline car to a hybrid? Here are the keys that explain the invention of a young Australian.
Electric cars have a series of advantages over options based on fossil fuels. Even so, the truth is that there are still drawbacks that significantly slow down the momentum of this technology. Price and autonomy continue to act as barriers, so an intermediate option may still make a lot of sense. There are multiple hybrid alternatives on the market, being the strongest defender of this Toyota technology. After all, this proposal has been established since the nineties.
Now, what if there was the possibility of converting a conventional gasoline engine into a hybrid? This is exactly what a university student in Australia has asked us. Alexander Burton, 21, is currently studying Sustainable Systems Engineering and Industrial Design at RMIT University from Melbourne. The creation of a new hybrid concept has not gone unnoticed, obtaining various innovation awards. Today we want to show you more details about this curious invention.
A college student’s method to convert gasoline cars into hybrids
Alexander Burton has created what is known as Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofit (REVR). This is a new solution to convert a gasoline car into a hybrid one. Among the objectives that this future professional engineer had in mind was the possibility of reducing the consumption of his 20-year-old Toyota Corolla and, additionally, reducing the carbon footprint of his travels. So, how have you managed to adapt his revolutionary hybrid system into a two-decade-old conventional vehicle?
The key is in the benefits that the axial motor presents us. Installing it around the car brake disc, it is possible to obtain an efficiency that is noticeable very soon after starting off. Operation is simpler than any other standard alternative on the market. You only need a sensor, which is coupled to the accelerator pedal, and a battery. The latter, in general, should be attached to the space present in the spare wheel, but it could be installed in another free space.
Each REVR kit, in accordance with the information that can be consulted in The Driven, can have the ability to move the car up to a maximum of 150 kilometers with each full battery cycle. Taking into account what most current plug-in hybrid models usually offer, the record is very positive. His maintenance need is practically zero and the efficiency is very high considering that there are hardly any energy losses during the process.
This project was born as a simple university project, but the truth is that the celebration of the James Dyson awards motivated him to present his idea. He won first prize pocketing a total of $8,800. It is hoped that this money can be used to explore the possibility of marketing this kit. Can you imagine the incredible energy savings that could be achieved if it had many buyers? This is one of the solutions with the greatest potential to reduce the fuel consumption of conventional vehicles.