There are still brakes that prevent electric cars from taking off. Its autonomy, limited charging network and price hamper its expansion. As an intermediate alternative between them and diesel or gasoline vehicles, many consumers opt for hybrid models, that is, they combine an internal combustion engine and an electric one.
With a view to making the final leap towards electrification, Alexander Burton, an Australian engineering student, has devised a tool that would allow almost any vehicle with an internal combustion engine to be converted into a hybrid one.
Thanks to his invention, Burton has received the innovation prize awarded by the James Dyson Foundation, which has been awarded with 8,800 Australian dollars (about 5,318 euros at the current exchange rate).
The device, called REVR (Rapid Electric Vehicle Retrofit), effectively solves the technical problems posed by most conversions from normal cars to hybrids, and at a very affordable price.
As its inventor has explained, it is a kit that has axial flow electric motors that can be attached to the brake disc supports, and that are connected to a battery housed in the spare wheel well. Gas hybrid cars usually use this space to locate the LPG tank.
The device also has an energy control module and an accessory control connected to the accelerator pedal, which can be installed in a matter of a few hours without the need to be a mechanical professional.
Likewise, when the driver activates the device to drive in electric mode, it acts through the wheel hub and pushes the vehicle only with the electricity from the battery, which allows the car to travel up to 150 kilometers on a single charge.
