AFS Trinity

On Jan 2008 AFS Trinity [announces] the "150 MPG EXTREME HYBRID (XH™) SUV" PHEV based on a Saturn Vue mild hybrid.

While more interested in selling its technology to car manufacturers, AFT Trinity is not opposed to start converting HEVS to PHEVs on its own.

The Vue is a mild hybrid, and therefore unable to provide sufficient electrical drive for acceptable PHEV performance on its own. Therefore AFS Trinity adds a second motor to the Vue.

Form the block diagram, it appears that the PHEV conversion has the following characteristics:

• The battery pack is composed of low power (high energy) lithium batteries (probably not Phosphate, or they would have said so). Same as Tesla, one would guess.
• Ultracaps are added to handle the power peaks, which the lithium pack cannot handle.
• An AC electric motor is added to the drive train, to get sufficient power in all-electric drive
• Power electronics are a key factor in the conversion. To the stock electronics high voltage DC bus, they add:
  • a bidirectional step-up/step-down DC-DC converter for the ultracaps
  • an other one for the battery pack,
  • a bidirectional inverter for the additional motor
  • a synchronous rectifier for the charger

AFS Trinity states that this is patent pending technology. Yet, the characteristics described above are all already well known in the industry. It appears that [all the patents granted so far] have to do with a flywheel design.

AFS Trinity estimates that, if manufactured by a major car company, their solution would add $ 8700 to the price of the car.