The Brabus Technology Project Hybrid E-Class features a tiny 2.2-liter clean diesel engine combined with two in-wheel electric motors from Protean Electric. According to Protean, each in-wheel motor is capable of producing 110 hp at 590 lb.-ft. of torque. When combined with the diesel, the package is capable of propelling the sedan from 0 to 62 mph in a claimed 7.4 seconds.
Rather than creating a powerplant for outright performance, Brabus and Protean Electric claim that the application of the Protean Drive system can improve fuel economy by as much as 30 percent.
“We’re pleased to work with Brabus to demonstrate what Protean’s in-wheel electric drive can deliver to the world. Our in-wheel motors not only provide significant performance improvement, but do so in a very responsible way,” Protean CEO Bob Purcell said.
Unfortunately, full spec details on the car’s system aren’t available so we can’t report the size and added weight of the complete electric system or determine specific fuel economy gains.
Protean Electric and Brabus aren’t the only folks developing a high-performance hybrid — earlier this month, Ferrari announced its development of both a front- and mid-engine V12 HY-KERS system for a future line of hybrid road cars.
