Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power

Think of a traditional hybrid and you probably think of a Toyota Prius . Then, after you’ve woken from your nap, you probably envision some complex system of batteries and electric motors and gears to capture power when braking and spit it back out when accelerating. Chrysler is now looking to deploy a different way, a seemingly much simpler way that’s all based on hydraulics. The vehicle is outfitted with a low-pressure reservoir of hydraulic fluid and a high-pressure chamber filled with nitrogen gas. When braking, pumps move the fluid into the nitrogen chamber to compress it and then, when accelerating, that compressed gas is used to push the fluid and drive the wheels. It’s a setup that was actually developed by the EPA and is currently in use by some commercial vehicles, most notably UPS trucks, but a hybrid Town & Country minivan could bring it to consumers — though not until 2012 at the earliest. Now, there’s a good chance the idea of a hybrid minivan is threatening to put you back to sleep, so we wish you pleasant dreams. Continue reading Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power Chrysler announces battery-free hydraulic hybrid tech, compresses gas to make power originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 07:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Posted by on January 20, 2011. Filed under News, Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry