Mira designs hybrid conversion

Automotive designers MIRA have unveiled a retro-fit hybrid conversion that unlocks the potential to save 61% on fuel costs and lower tailpipe emissions by 39% without designing a new car.
The hybrid conversion with a novel removable battery pack upgrades existing vehicles to the technology some concept cars are showcasing at this year’s motor shows.
A technology demonstrator has been built around a popular b-segment car to show the potential of the technology. As a “plug-in hybrid” the vehicle can charge its batteries by running its engine or by plugging into the mains.
Plug-in hybrids are at the vanguard of new vehicle design; yet MIRA has taken the idea one step further to make the concept far more practical and useful for motorists.
Philip Sellwood, CEO of the Energy Saving Trust, which is managing the initiative, said: “This project has designed a new system allowing hybrids to be more flexible and practical for every day use.
“With over 20% of the UK’s total carbon emission produced by road transport every year, these advances in technology are vital.
“Over 80% of people believe that climate change is having an impact on the UK right now, so it is important to bring more technology like these to the market place.”
Commenting on the new design Transport Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said: “With the challenges of climate change, we need to find opportunities to contribute positively to protecting our environment.
“Working with the Energy Saving Trust has been just such an opportunity, and I'm delighted that funding from the DfT's Low Carbon R&D programme has been put to good use in developing an efficient petrol hybrid car.
Road transport is key in our efforts to cut carbon, and bringing cleaner vehicles on to the market is vital to achieving this goal.
I understand that MIRA have comfortably exceeded their emission target after tests, which is a really encouraging result, and I look forward to hearing more good news about the programme.”
Explaining the rationale behind the project, MIRA’s advanced powertrain manager, Derek Charters, said: “Despite advances in powertrain technology you can still obtain electricity from your domestic provider far cheaper and greener than you can produce it via an automotive combustion engine, so ‘plug-in’ hybrids make sense.
“With this project we’ve removed the primary limitation of the ‘plug-in hybrid’ concept by allowing the battery pack to come to the mains, rather than having to park right next to a socket …which is more than a little difficult if you live in a terraced house or flat.”
The H4V project was conceived to show just what’s possible with a regular car and some specialist knowledge.
“MIRA’s hybrid vision is to lower tailpipe emissions and deliver better fuel efficiency than an equivalent diesel, at a diesel level ‘on-cost’; whilst delivering driver delight features such as an EV mode and 'two-pedal' town driving,” Charters added.