I have had a very poor experience of hybrids to date – a Prius tried to kill me and they just don’t tick (any) of the boxes as far as I am concerned. However, Jaguar may have just come up with something that does……
The £700,000 hybrid C-X75 supercar.
The original concept C-X75 used two on-board micro-turbines to generate power for its batteries, a technology it says it continues to develop now that parent company Tata has taken a significant stake in Bladon Jets. According to Jaguar this technology will not appear ”on the majority” of production versions of the C-X75. Instead, most cars will be powered by a small-capacity, highly boosted petrol engine along with a pair of electric motors, one at the front axle and the other at the rear. Rumours suggest the petrol engine could be based on the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder Williams will use in its Formula One car from 2013.
But a proportion will have gas turbines!
The car maker and Williams F1 are combining to produce 250 examples of the supercar, each costing around £700,000 with Williams providing its engineering expertise for the carbon-fibre chassis, aerodynamics and hybrid powertrain.
The targets set out by the company for the car include a top speed in excess of 200mph and CO2 emissions of less than 99g/km, an all-electric range in excess of 50km or, when the engine and motors combine, accelerate from 0-60mph in less than three seconds.
Jaguar is taking expressions of interest in the car, which is expected to go into production in 2013, via its website. I can’t wait to see one on the road!
