3 Cars That Were Way Ahead Of Their Time - Chrysler Turbine Car - The fate of the Chrysler Turbine Car - Electrobat

 

Chrysler Turbine Car

This extremely limited production vehicle was on the 1963 auto show circuit right out of the year 2000. The public had never seen anything like this car before or since. Instead of using an ordinary internal combustion engine, it drove the rear wheels with a gas turbine compressor. It worked mechanically like a mini-jet engine, but instead of using the turbine's thrust to propel the car like a full-size airliner would, the engine spun a typical three-speed automatic gearbox and driveshaft. 

As a result, it drove like many other cars of the time, but owners and the press noted that it ran much smoother and more quietly than a piston engine. With up to 60,000 revolutions per minute, the turbine spun much, much faster than anything ever put into a car. The driver would have 130 horsepower and an impressive 425 lb-ft of torque at all those revs. 

One of the new engine's most intriguing features is its ability to run on multiple fuel sources: vegetable oil, diesel, regular gasoline, or alcohol. A turbine car was famously loaned to the then-President of Mexico, Adolfo Mateo, for demonstration purposes. Mateo was able to demonstrate the capabilities of the vehicle by filling the fuel tank with Mexican tequila and driving it

The Fate of the Chrysler Turbine Car

The Italian coach builder GHI-A designed the Turbine Car's one-of-a-kind coupe body, which had a futuristic yet distinctly 1960s appearance. The jetliner theme continued with the huge exhaust pipes extending out the back hindquarters, as well as the false air admissions around the headlights. Even the gear shift inside resembled the throttle on an airplane. 

Unfortunately, the turbine engine would not be considered suitable for mass production due to its low fuel efficiency and high operating temperatures. Similar to the EV1, Chrysler repossessed and dismantled the approximately 50 Turbine Cars that were produced between 1963 and 1964. There are currently nine examples. The remaining six are housed in a variety of museums and collections, while three are still owned by the company. One of them ended up with Jay Leno, a veteran of late-night television and well-known car collector, who has made a video explaining how the car works. 

Even though the turbine engine was scrapped, it was a successful demonstration of the potential of alternative fuels like vegetable oils and ethanol derivatives. As we enter the 21st century, research into these alternative fuel sources has intensified in an effort to reduce emissions and improve efficiency

Electrobat 

It's possible that those who don't closely follow automotive history will be led to believe that GM or Tesla were the first automakers to produce fully electric vehicles. According to Car and Driver, electric drivetrains have been tested since the beginning of the automobile industry. The Electra bat, which was created in 1894, was one of the first examples. The completed horseless carriage had two seats and weighed a massive 4,400 pounds, 1,600 of which were batteries. 

The Electra bat II, which came out in 1896, successfully reduced weight to approximately 1,800 pounds and appeared to be ready for production. The rear wheels of the most recent model were driven by two 1.1-kilowatt motors, and it had enough lead-acid batteries to go 25 miles. In 1897, the Electra bat's creators established New York City's first motorized taxi service and promoted their creation as an alternative to public transportation.

They had as many as 600 Electra bats operating in New York at the beginning of the 1900s, with smaller operations in Boston and Baltimore. Due to the use of batteries that were removable and could be quickly replaced at taxi depots, the Electra bat II taxis were able to increase their range