Milner AirCar Spawns Extended-Range ElectriCar; Prototype to be On View at New York Auto Show

 ElectriCar prototype is latest hopeful in nascent extended-range EV segment.

Everyone, it seems, wants into  the extended-range electric vehicle business since General Motors corp. drew attention to that strategy with its Chevy Volt concept.

The latest entry is Washington-based Milner Motors -- designer of the not-yet-off-the-ground Milner AirCar.

The company says its it will show a prototype of its Milner ElectriCar next to the AirCar at the New York auto show next month.

The ElectriCar, which uses the AirCar body minus wings and engines,  is a four-door, fuselage-shaped "sedan" that Milner says will be capable of cruising 100 miles on speeds of up to 85 miles per hour on a plug-in battery pack's initial charge.

When the plug-in charge is depleted, the 11 kilowatt-hour battery pack would be  recharged while on the go by an on-board gasoline-fueled generator that also would keep the car running til the battery charge is replenished.

A pair of 48-volt direct current motors would provide 40 horsepower at peak demand and 15 horsepower under continuous load, according to Milner's Web site.

The company isaid it ntends to sell the AirCar initially as a build-it-yourself kit car while it works on attaining the federal safety certification necessary to sell it as a completed vehicle.

Milner also it also will display a prototype of the AirCar at the New York show.  The prototype is driveable, the company says, but cannot be flown.

Plans call for a vehicle with a 28-foot wingspan (they fold  into a open box shape at the rear of the vehicle when it is on the ground) that can fly at 200 miles per hour for up to 1,000 miles,  propelled by a pair of rotary engines driving 28-inch "pusher" fans.

On the ground, the AirCar  would be propelled by a separate, 40-horsepower engine.

Posted by

John O'Dell February 25, 2008, 3:55 AM

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Plug-ins and Electric, Transportation Alternatives