Altigreen promises 20 percent better efficiency with hybrid drive

Altigreen Propulsion Labs, a Bengaluru-based technology startup with Chetan Maini of Reva on its board, is currently putting together an aftermarket hybrid system that could improve the fuel economy of your car by more than 20 percent. While the final product isn’t fully ready and tests are still going on, the product named HyPixi, should be in the market in coming months. The aftermarket kit comprises a 5kW motor generator, a 48V battery pack and an ECU or hybrid controller. The system that will cost in the region of Rs 60,000 will be installed by the company on your car by removing the alternator and it will place a 55kg battery pack in the boot too.

An intelligent mix of high and low tech, the latter to help keep costs down, the HyPixi system will make your car run like a mild hybrid by putting power otherwise lost, back to the wheels. The main component in the system is the custom-made motor generator that uses a combination of a brushless (as on the Leaf and Prius) and induction (e2o, Tesla) motors, the system combining to provide the best of both worlds. The induction motor gives it good start-up torque, to deal with our constant start-stop conditions, and the brushless motor helps it accelerate better later in the powerband. The real clever bit, according to the three PhDs that founded the company, however, are the software and algorithms that tell the motor/generator exactly when to charge via regenerative braking, and when to wind the other way and provide electrical power back to the car.

The rest of the system is centred on the boot. The battery pack currently used is a pretty low-tech solution that comprises four 12V lead acid batteries rigged together to give you a 48V system. This makes it bulky but quite cost effective. And in the back, there’s also the hybrid controller, which, apart from other things, is responsible for stepping the 48V supply down to 12V for consumption on other systems on the car.

The only fly in the ointment is that the HyPixi system, once fitted, will void your car’s warranty, and this is why, at least initially, Altigreen will focus on supplying the burgeoning app-based taxi market. The company will be looking at working with a few manufacturers in the future, but for now, the system will work best on private cars that are out of warranty.

While there’s already a similar system on sale from KPIT known as Revolo, the HyPixi is unique because it uses a 48V battery pack and has a powerful 5kW motor. CEO Amitabh Saran, a PhD in computer science and an ex-NASA employee, is in fact so confident of his product, he’s promised to allow us to conduct one of our detailed fuel-efficiency tests on a car fitted with the HyPixi system. Will it really deliver a 20 percent jump in fuel economy? Watch this space.