Capstone to Power Velozzi Plug-in Cars

Electric car manufacturer Velozzi will use microturbines made by Capstone Turbine Corp. in its high-performance electric car and “Solo” crossover vehicle. Velozzi is the first customer from the auto industry for Chatsworth-based Capstone. The Velozzi Supercar will be powered by a 770-horsepower AC-induction electric motor charged by an on-board Capstone C65 microturbine. The supercar is designed to accelerate from 0 to 60 m.p.h. in just three seconds and reach a top speed of more than 200 mph, according to Velozzi. Microturbines can extend the driving range of vehicles, an improvement over current technology in which the driving range is short between battery charges. Velozzi vehicles will operate on 100 percent battery power in zero-emissions mode for a range of up to 200 miles. Then, when the batteries reach a pre-determined state of discharge, the Capstone microturbine recharges the batteries to add hundreds of miles to the driving range. The diesel-fueled Capstone microturbines produce ultra-low emissions and require less maintenance than traditional combustion engines, which are used in today’s hybrid-electric vehicles. The microturbines can also run on diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol, methanol, jet fuel, propane and compressed natural gas. Capstone was recently awarded a Department of Energy grant to develop a flex-fuel turbine that will operate on agricultural “syngas” and hydrogen. “Capstone’s fuel system gives the driver the flexibility to use a multitude of energy sources available today and in the future,” said Velozzi CEO Roberto Velozzi. “You don’t have to wait years for plug-in infrastructure or a new fuel infrastructure to be developed to charge or power Velozzi vehicles because our vehicles can use many fuels available today.” Capstone joins the ranks of other Velozzi partners including several big-name suppliers, including Bayer, Bosch, PPG, Nanoledge, Camoplast, Pirelli, Visteon, Worwag, Bradford Industries, Henkel, Ashland, Saminco and Syvex. “Velozzi has included microturbines in their car designs since the company’s inception,” said Jim Crouse, Capstone’s executive vice president of sales and marketing. “It’s an extremely progressive company committed to producing environmentally friendly, powerful and practical electric vehicles.” Thom Senzee