Who says American car makers lack innovation, aside from everybody? Chrysler is out to prove them wrong with a new kind of hybrid. No, hybrid vehicle, the chicken-man is still just a wonderful, beautiful dream.
It works on the principles of hydraulics. A car with this system has a low-pressure container of hydraulic fluid and a high-pressure chamber with tasty nitrogen gas. When you brake, the hydraulic fluid is pumped into the nitrogen canister to compress it, and when you floor it, that compressed gas pushes the wheels.
You might notice there’s a total lack of batteries in this particular design. That’s because there aren’t any.
This system is actually road-proven; it’s already being used in UPS trucks, but Chrysler wants to put it in the Town and Country minivan. Hooray, your mom can actually be energy efficient in an area other than the bedroom!
[ via the ninja-pirate hybrids at Engadget ]