Delta Electronics Unveils Hybrid Propulsion System

It is not everyday we see an automotive supplier taking a chance at car manufacturing, but in those rare occasions that we do, we can't but be pleasantly surprised. So is the case with Taiwanese supplier Delta Electronics.

Used to manufacturing switching power supplies and DC brushless fans, the company decided to show its might by creating a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, which has already found its way into a test vehicle.

The supplier took an unnamed car, stripped the petrol engine and transmission and replaced them with a hybrid propulsion system. This system features a petrol engine as well, but it is used only to charge the 18 kWh lithium-ion batteries.

According to the limited data gathered so far, burning one liter of petrol is enough to generate the electricity needed to propel the car for anywhere in between 20 and 30 km. This great fuel economy does not take its toll on the car's performances. The electric motors generate 134 hp and 830 Nm of torque, while the whole contraption weighs 1,660 kg.

"Delta Electronics is able to provide a complete propulsion system solution whether it is a purely electric, tandem or parallel petrol-electric hybrid propulsion vehicle," Simon Chang, Delta Industrial Automation Business Unit.

The car and its propulsion system are still in development stages. As Delta says, LED lighting, high-efficiency brushless DC fan cooling systems, electric power steering (EPS), passive keyless entry (PKE) and various types of DC/DC and DC/AC inverters, are still to be developed.