Russian Billionaire Launches Hybrid Cars

by David Kiley (RSS feed)
Dec 14th 2010 at 7:01AM

Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire perhaps best known in the U.S. for purchasing The New Jersey Nets NBA franchise, is launching a line of hybrid vehicles, named Yo, in Russia this week.

Prokhorov said Monday the cars, powered both by gasoline and electricity, are "socially important products" that he hopes will "overcome existing stereotypes ... that Russia cannot make normal cars."

The vehicles are to be sold in three models - sedan, sporty and a small truck - with an expected price of around $10,000 (€7,550).

The name is written in Russian by the letter E with two dots over it.

There are no plans to introduce the cars to the U.S. Eastern Europe still has much lower standards than the West for safety and emissions standards, so the cost and difficulty of entry into the Russian market is much lower than in the U.S.

Tags: Hybrid Cars, Mikhail Prokhorov, New Jersey Nets, Yo hybrid cars

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Willy Dec 14th 2010 12:43PM

I have to laugh at this, not because of the Russian-made car; but rather of the USG supported monoply of the manufacture of American cars. In other words, try to build a new car for the masses in America. May be former president of the former USSR, Gorbachov was right when he said: "... the only country where the communist party is legal is the US."

James Dec 14th 2010 11:55PM

Interesting take on a serial hybrid design, that's for sure. But with only ~10 seconds of storage, the engine seems like it would have to turned on an off all the time; since once you get up to speed, it would roll with just a fraction of the generator's output, and if the capacitors only store 10 seconds, that would seem to be less than ideal? If the engine doesn't stop and start, then it would just be generating excess power much of the time? I think it would be better with a small-ish plug-in battery pack.
I'll be interested to find out more about the ICE -- a rotary design has the potential of being very efficient.
-James
4insure
http://www.4insure.net

anuradha.arora30 Dec 22nd 2010 4:19AM

Hybrid cars contain a very unique experience for the driver. These cars contain two different motors under the hood: both a gas motor and an electric motor. Having these two motors allows the car to run more smoothly on the road. These two motors work together to make the best driving experience available for the rider.
http://www.greenautozone.net/category/hybrid-vehicles