Microturbine, hybrid, diesel, supercar, Electronic Arts and Capstone – not exactly a group of words typically found in the same sentence. But for the 2009 Los Angeles International Auto Show these words will all describe the CMT-380 serial hybrid supercar that boasts a total range of 580 miles.
The kit car-based CMT-380 supercar is based on the Factory Five Racing GTM supercar platform. This show car features a unique powerplant that combines a lithium-polymer battery driven electric powertrain and a range-boosting diesel-sipping microturbine.
The CMT-380 can sprint from zero-to-60 in just 3.9 seconds, and boasts a 150 mph top speed according to Capstone. The lithium-polymer battery pack will transport the CMT-380 without fuel for its first 80 miles, at which point the diesel-powered microturbine generator will kick in and provide an extra 500 miles of range.
This serial hybrid setup is similar to the Chevrolet Volt in the sense that the microturbine never directly drives the wheels of the vehicle.
Although the performance numbers for this unique hybrid supercar are impressive in their own right, possibly even more impressive is the fact that this diesel powered microturbine burns fuel so efficiently that it doesn’t even have an exhaust system or catalytic converters. Capstone says that the vehicle can even pass California’s very strict Air Resource Board requirements for emissions.
Capstone is a manufacturer of microturbine electricity generators and has been producing microturbines for special public transport vehicles since 1988.
