This Hybrid Subaru BRZ Gets 104 MPGe

A group of researchers from Mississippi State University has taken a Subaru BRZ and turned it into a unique hybrid test bed. The car is dubbed the “Car of the Future” and is a plug-in hybrid that uses a battery pack with 12.7 kWh of power.

The team says that the car can drive on battery alone for 50 miles. When the battery packs get low, motivation comes from a twin cylinder 850cc engine that is connected to a 100 kW generator. Between the gas and electricity the car and drive a total of 550 miles.

Each rear wheel has its own electric motor and the car can turn in a 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, a gain of 0.7 seconds over a stock BRZ. It’s also got rear wheel torque vectoring to help it corner on a dime. To help with efficiency, they also replaced the sub-frame with one made from cast magnesium, cutting 40 percent off the stock frame’s weight.

The plug-in hybrid is good for 104 MPGe, and is much cooler than the Chevy Volt, which is capable of an only slightly better 106 MPGe.