Lightning Hybrids is a Colorado-based auto venture that will introduce its first hybrid at April’s Denver Auto Show. The company has only been in operation since 2008 but Lightning Hybrids is anxious to get the word out about its LH4 hybrid sedan. The LH4 and subsequent vehicles by Lightning Hybrids will use a biofuel/hydraulic drivetrain that can produce 240 horsepower. Visitors to the Denver Auto Show will not be able to see the prototype of the LH4 due to the laborious patent review process but you can see a rendering above.
The LH4 has three doors, four seats and a sleek design topped off by driver and passenger doors that flip upward. Lightning Hybrids says that the LH4 will reach 100 miles per gallon with the help of greener biofuels and hydraulics. The company wanted the LH4 to retain some aspects of its sports car physique, ensuring that it can reach 60 miles per hour from a dead stop in six seconds. The LH4 will be ready for full-scale production by 2010 and retail between $39,000 and $59,000.
The Denver Auto Show is only the first step for Lightning Hybrids as it enters the auto market. The LH4 will be followed by a three-wheel NEV called the LH3 to be produced in the next few years. Once the company’s biofuels/hydraulic drivetrain has been proven reliable in its models, the drivetrain will be offered as a retrofit to commercial clients. The Hybrid Retrofit System (HRS) will be offered by summer 2010 to government agencies, school districts and corporations interested in getting more mileage for their money.
Lightning Hybrids will enter the LH3 and LH4 into the 2010 Progressive Insurance Automotive X Prize to raise its profile. Since the Auto X Prize requires winning designers to achieve 100 miles per gallon, the LH4 may pass the test if barely. The much-vaunted Lightning Hybrids drivetrain may mean the difference between being an also-ran and winning the $10 million. The drivetrain is less than one pound per horsepower, allowing the LH3 and LH4 to run light. Lightning Hybrids employs 100% energy braking recovery to decrease the burden on the drivetrain. While auto show visitors may be disappointed in not viewing the LH4 in person, the figures add up to success for Lightning Hybrids.
