Today I am talking about Obrist Mark II, a Hyperhyrbid prototype of Tesla Model 3 which is kind of a range extender vehicle. The Hyperhybrid Tesla, and I am not making this up, comes with a 2-cylinder petrol engine along with a 17.3 kWh battery and an electric motor.I know at first glance none of this makes any sense. I mean why would anyone put a petrol engine in an already fuel-efficient Tesla Model 3. But the reality is that someone did it, so we might as well take a look at it.
Hyperhybrid Tesla Model 3: What Is The Obrist Mark II Powertrain?
Obrist is a 20-year old Austrian company with expertise in building powertrains for automobiles and waste thermal management systems.
With their prowess in automobile engineering, the company developed the latest version of its electric powertrain to ease the public’s transitions to renewable energy.
Obrist began by taking apart a Tesla Model 3 and retrofitting their own powertrain into the car.
The Obrist Mark II Hyperhybrid powertrain for Tesla consists of:
- A zero vibration generator
- A Lithium-ion battery pack
- Traction electric motor
Parts Of The Hyperhybrid Model 3
One of the main problems related to electric cars touted by Obrist is less range, heavyweight, and high purchase price. Although electric cars are cheap to drive and maintain, their price point is still a tad premium for a common bloke.
The starting price of a base Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus is around $40,000, which is almost pretty high for an average consumer.
Enters the Hyperhybrid Tesla Model 3. From the outside, it looks exactly like a Model 3 but inside is where all the witchcraft happens.
The Obrist-made Mark II powertrain replaces the large and heavy lithium-ion battery in the Tesla Model 3 with a smaller battery of its own. The size of the battery can be either 17.3 kWh or 25.9 kWh.
The Obrist hybrid powertrain then swaps the large electric motor with one of its own, preferably a smaller one generating 70-120 kW.
Lastly, the hybrid powertrain adds a 2-cylinder petrol engine that acts as a generator, drawing power from a retro-fitted 30-liter fuel tank at the back of the Model 3.
In order to accommodate these new parts, some changes have been made to the Model 3. For example, a 30-liter fuel tank has been installed in the car’s boot. The “frunk” or the front trunk of the car is gone and in its place is the engine.
Furthermore, for efficient combustion, the new front bumper consists of air vents.
How Does The Hyperhybrid Model 3 Work?
The Hyperhybrid Model 3 mostly runs on electric power. The battery provides a range of 70-80 km on a full charge. Whenever the battery is about to run out of charge or the driver pushes the car beyond a certain speed, the 2-cylinder petrol engine, placed at the front, takes over.
The engine acts as a generator, charging the battery and thus the car runs without any vibration. YouTuber TechMagnet drove the car and confirmed the same in one of his videos.
The hybrid setup is designed to be as efficient as possible. That’s why the Tesla Model 3 with its hyper hybrid powertrain, delivers an astonishing 117 miles per gallon, or 50 km/l. With a full tank and full battery, the range of this Tesla Model 3 is easily over 1000 km, whilst consuming minimal fuel.
Why Does The Hyperhybrid Model 3 Make Sense?
The world is transitioning to electric cars so why would someone want to go back a step further and adopt hybrids?
It is because a lot of people still don’t buy electric cars. The Tesla Model 3 sold like a hot-cake in 2019 and its sales figures were nowhere near the 900,000 units Ford F-150 sells in the United States. It also has an abysmal 24 mpg fuel efficiency.
Therefore, it makes sense to give people an option to drive the car which they want but make it highly fuel-efficient for better mass adoption.
Furthermore, according to Volvo, a major chunk of their customers who bought plug-in electric vehicles majorly drove their vehicles in electric mode.
The next car for these customers will now be electric, according to Volvo.
Vehicles like the hyper hybrid Tesla aren’t here to destroy the sales of electric cars but to push the public towards buying an electric vehicle.
It is doing so in a different manner. Also, I’d like to stress that people trying to reduce their carbon footprint should have as many options as possible.
And the Hyperhybrid Tesla Model 3 is a fine one.
Read the full article on Fossbyte.com