Citroen HybridAir C3 prototype
Disappointing news from France: PSA Peugeot Citroen has put an indefinite hold on the development of its promising-sounding Hybrid Air powertrain, apparently because the company has been unable to find a development partner willing to split the huge costs of engineering the system.
Hybrid Air was a brilliantly French idea – a way to harvest energy for reuse by compressing air rather than recharging a battery pack, and then by using this to turn a hydraulic motor to lend assistance when required. So equipped, a subcompact Peugeot 208 supermini (pictured below) was claimed to be capable of up to 118 mpg equivalent on the European fuel-economy test. PSA said the system could reduce urban fuel consumption by up to 45 percent, and could also offer the prospect of zero-emissions running using air that had previously been pressurized by the conventional engine.
Peugeot 208 HybridAir
And now the dream seems to be over. The LesEchos website reports that negotiations with potential partners including Ford and Chinese manufacturer (and PSA shareholder) Dongfeng came to nothing, and that incoming boss Carlos Tavares was cool towards the new technology. PSA's financial position has improved over its dire post-crash situation, but the company was still unable to fund the estimated 500 million Euro development costs for the system itself, which would apparently have need to be fitted to around 500,000 cars a year to make sense. Project leader Karim Mokaddem has left the company, and PSA admits the 180-strong engineering team working on the project has been "thinned out."
- So Funky, So French: Wild Citroen C4 Cactus Airflow 2L Uses Compressed-Air (!) Hybrid Powertrain to Achieve 118 mpg
- A Pair of Peugeot Concepts Debuts in Paris: One Prescient (and Possibly Good for 118 mpg), and One Practical
- PSA Peugeot Citroen Looking for Partners to Share Cost, Benefit of Hybrid Air Technology
Officially Hybrid Air is just sitting on the shelf, and it's moment may still come. It's a great shame if it doesn't go further, as it's not often the motor industry manages to come up with something so original these days. (We'll leave the breath of fresh air gag unspoken. Obviously.)
Alas, the dream of a car that runs on air remains elusive.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/nSHy27
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