Mitsubishi ESR

The Mitsubishi ESR, for Ecological Science Research, is a hybrid electric vehicle concept that Mitsubishi Motors showed at the 30th Tokyo Motor Show in 1993 to demonstrate its work on alternative energy. A 70 kW AC induction motor drove the front wheels, with 28 alkaline batteries under the passenger compartment and a rear-mounted 1.5 litre gasoline engine running an onboard generator. The car recycled its own kinetic energy and took in solar power through roof-mounted cells. It was estimated to cover 620 miles on hybrid power at a constant 25 miles per hour, or 310 miles on batteries alone, and a GPS receiver could switch it automatically from hybrid to battery-only operation on entering an urban area. Mitsubishi claimed a top speed of 200 km/h, helped by a drag coefficient of 0.25.