Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
The only way the cars brought in by Techrules to showcase its new propulsion system could look more like sharks is if they had actual teeth drawn on their front ends, like the nose art on WWII fighters.
Luckily for them, this aggressiveness isn't just for show, with both electric hypercars having the numbers to back their exotic exterior design. Techrules came to Geneva with two variations on the same theme, with one being honed for circuit driving, and the other destined for doing great things on public roads.
The two models are named AT96 "Aviation Turbine" and GT96 "Gas Turbine," the former using liquid fuel (anything from kerosene to diesel or gasoline will do) to power its turbine, while the latter relies on gaseous fuel (biogas or natural gas) to do the same thing.
But what's all this talk about turbines, you ask? Weren't they deemed unsuitable for road vehicles a long time ago? Well, yes, they were, back when people used their power to actually turn the wheels through a mechanical link. Now, though, with the proliferation of the electric vehicles, the Chinese company decided it was time for the turbine to make a comeback.
Both these cars are EVs, with the turbine acting as a range extender. But unlike any other previous cars that used a similar setup, the Techrules system doesn't have a direct electrical feed from the generator to the motors, but instead everything goes through the battery.
Techrules calls this system TREV (Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle) and says it intends to launch a supercar powered this way sometime during the next few years. There are just two things we'd like to say about this: do it. If you think the EVs are too freakishly silent, just imagine the wonderful sound a small turbine would make. And I've just realized you never asked about these two cars' performance figures, even though I did try to tease you a little at the beginning.
Prepare to be amazed. The AT86 and GT86 both use an identical powertrain, so we'll talk about them as if they were the same car. First of all, they're built to be light, so they use a carbon fiber monocoque body to keep the weight down. Power is provided by six electric motors - two at the front on each wheel, and two on each of the rear wheels. That should give the all-wheel-drive electric supercar the "RWD-bias" everybody craves for.
The combined power output reads 1,044 hp, which becomes even more impressive when it's transposed to the car's actual dynamic performances: 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) comes after 2.5 seconds and the top speed sits at 217 mph (350 km/h). When driven with less aplomb, the supercar can go for up to 93 miles (150 km) on a full battery, while with the help of the range extender (80 liters of fuel), the maximum range jumps to 1,200 miles (1,930 km).
This almost sounds too good to be true, and it might just be for most of us since the final product will most likely be very expensive. The fact that Techrules announced it would only build a limited number of vehicles only adds to this supposition, but we're not the bitter kind, so we sincerely hope the cars get built, look this good and deliver everything that's promised. And maybe in the meantime we buy a metal detector and stumble upon some treasure.
The two models are named AT96 "Aviation Turbine" and GT96 "Gas Turbine," the former using liquid fuel (anything from kerosene to diesel or gasoline will do) to power its turbine, while the latter relies on gaseous fuel (biogas or natural gas) to do the same thing.
But what's all this talk about turbines, you ask? Weren't they deemed unsuitable for road vehicles a long time ago? Well, yes, they were, back when people used their power to actually turn the wheels through a mechanical link. Now, though, with the proliferation of the electric vehicles, the Chinese company decided it was time for the turbine to make a comeback.
Both these cars are EVs, with the turbine acting as a range extender. But unlike any other previous cars that used a similar setup, the Techrules system doesn't have a direct electrical feed from the generator to the motors, but instead everything goes through the battery.
Techrules calls this system TREV (Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle) and says it intends to launch a supercar powered this way sometime during the next few years. There are just two things we'd like to say about this: do it. If you think the EVs are too freakishly silent, just imagine the wonderful sound a small turbine would make. And I've just realized you never asked about these two cars' performance figures, even though I did try to tease you a little at the beginning.
Prepare to be amazed. The AT86 and GT86 both use an identical powertrain, so we'll talk about them as if they were the same car. First of all, they're built to be light, so they use a carbon fiber monocoque body to keep the weight down. Power is provided by six electric motors - two at the front on each wheel, and two on each of the rear wheels. That should give the all-wheel-drive electric supercar the "RWD-bias" everybody craves for.
The combined power output reads 1,044 hp, which becomes even more impressive when it's transposed to the car's actual dynamic performances: 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) comes after 2.5 seconds and the top speed sits at 217 mph (350 km/h). When driven with less aplomb, the supercar can go for up to 93 miles (150 km) on a full battery, while with the help of the range extender (80 liters of fuel), the maximum range jumps to 1,200 miles (1,930 km).
This almost sounds too good to be true, and it might just be for most of us since the final product will most likely be very expensive. The fact that Techrules announced it would only build a limited number of vehicles only adds to this supposition, but we're not the bitter kind, so we sincerely hope the cars get built, look this good and deliver everything that's promised. And maybe in the meantime we buy a metal detector and stumble upon some treasure.
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