Hybrids also had their place at the SEMA

These are times of electric cars, some running on hydrogen, and hybrids. The hybrid car, which has never quite taken off in the market but has some heavyweight exponents in its segment, such as the Toyota Prius, has gradually made its presence felt at the SEMA, an event devoted mostly to tuning. And precisely here two words that used to be very different from each other come together: tuning and hybrids.

Following some examples of tuning applied to hybrids, one could see a Nissan Altima Hybrid turned into a Nissan Altima Hot Rod Hybrid. Such a pretentious name hides something more than a placid hybrid sedan. A supercharger has been fitted to the engine, unleashing 450 horsepower. It is said that this hybrid can cover the quarter mile in about 13 seconds.

The pick-up (the SEMA was packed with pick-ups, and a hybrid could not be left out) is the Liquid Propane Ford 1956 F100, with a 460 V8 engine that runs on liquid propane, reaching 450 HP.

Besides the Ford 1934 Hot Rod with a twin-turbo Ecoboost engine, some strange experiments were on show, such as solar thermal collectors that feed water to turbines to supply electricity to the batteries. The Automotive X Prize organisation also brought 12 experimental cars aiming to achieve a car with a range equivalent to 2.35 L/100 km.

Via | Hybrid Cars