It's hard to describe the Velozzi SOLO in one sentence, because my words keep getting jumbled up. They just don't seem to jive: this minicar is a lightweight lithium-ion battery electric hybrid multi-fuel vehicle with an onboard turbine to charge its battery. It gets hazy after "hybrid," doesn't it? It doesn't seem like this tiny car can actually be all of these things at once, so let's break it down.
Velozzi has designed the SOLO to run as a battery-electric and multi-fuel hybrid. Multi-fuel means just about any fuel you can think of — gasoline, diesel, ethanol, methanol, butanol, biodiesel or natural gas. To charge its bank of lithium-ion batteries, the SOLO uses an onboard micro turbine charger, or your standard electrical outlet. You can even reverse the SOLO's polarity and use it as a power source. This sounds jaw-droppingly advanced, but Velozzi swears the driving experience will be the same as a typical gas-guzzling vehicle.
Now on to the "lightweight" part. The SOLO is made of carbon fiber "nano tube" modules, which make it lightweight. The modularity of the vehicle also makes it easy to assemble, which Velozzi says will lower manufacturing costs and reduce pollution. “To make an efficient, environmentally friendly vehicle one must utilize lightweight materials to improve MPG, reduce pollution and increase safety,” indicates Velozzi CEO, Roberto Velozzi.
What about performance? The SOLO will have a top speed of 130 MPH, get 100 miles to the gallon (of what, I wonder?), and will go from 0 to 60 in six seconds.
Source: Velozzi
