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The show Mean Green Machines is set to pit a lot of different vehicles against each other, but one of the most fun will be the all terrain hybrid vehicles. These are a brand of hybrid that has not had quite as much news coverage as its daily passenger brothers and sisters, but they are important none-the-less.
In order for hybrids to really make a difference in the world, they are going to need to take part in all things mobile, and that is exactly what appears to be happening. Some of these hybrid prototypes are looking to have a lot more potential than others, but as a whole they are an impressive lot.
One of the most impressive all terrain hybrid prototypes is without a doubt the Zero X Motorcycle, designed and founded by Neal Saiki, an ex-NASA engineer. The Zero is everything that you would ever expect from that of an engineer at NASA.
The Zero is fast, lightweight, sturdy, functional, reliable, and emits ZERO sound and ZERO emissions. It is capable of 0-30 in under 2 seconds using its phenomenal torque curve. Well, actually it is more like a torque square, as when you initially clip the accelerator, you are talking about 100% torque until you let off. There is not one single 250cc dirt bike engine in the world that can accomplish that!
To help give the electric engine an edge over its gas competition, Neal started his design with an 18 lb aluminum chassis, which allows the entire bike to weigh in at only 140 lbs fully assembled. The frame is "double pass" welded for extra strength and then heat treated.
This is no fragile prototype either, as it comes with fully adjustable front forks and rear spring coil shocks. The lithium battery cells are also designed for heavy duty use. It can deliver up to 300 amps of current to the motor while resisting overheating using an "intelligent monitoring system".
Along the same line as the Zero is the Bad Boy Buggy, which is a super stealthy all terrain "golf cart" with full-time 4-wheel drive. The buggy has a staunch appearance, beefy multi-leaf suspension, and full 130 lbs torque and 26 horsepower to get you where you need to go.
The one thing you will notice here with the hybrid ATV's, is most of them tend to be rather slow (3 mph), and while they can pull their weight plus yours, they certainly won't be able to match up to most gas ATV's (power to power) with quite the success that the Zero has shown.
With this in mind, the hybrid ATV really does not shine in the eyes of the performance off-road crowd as of yet. They still have a ways to go in that arena. Where it does shine however is with hunters and ranch hands.
One of the biggest downfalls of a gas powered ATV is its obnoxiously loud "groan" that only grows louder the more difficult the terrain being dealt with. A hybrid ATV however is quiet all the time, giving it the ability to sneak up on animals without letting them know your coming from 10 miles away.
The next time your in the market for a new "toy", don't forget that today they come in more flavors than just gas. Work or play, hybrids are proving themselves quite versatile in many different facets of our daily lifestyle...
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