Yes it’s an Oxymoron; a hybrid race car.  Hybrid cars are supposed to be the picture of fuel economy while saving the environment with less emissions being produced.  While race car are supposed to burn fuel at an ungodly rate and expel all kinds of harmful gasses.  Well the Nissan Altima built by Braille Battery shows you can have 440 HP while saving the environment.

The idea was spawned by Nissan North America who wanted a “forward thinking race car” and Braille Battery was a company on the cutting edge of battery technology since they make super cool carbon fiber batteries for professional race teams spanning everything from NASCAR to Le Mans.  The car was put together by University Technical Institute.  This car has competed in the Redline Time Attack Series and the One Lap of America race.

So how do you get over 440 horsepower out of a New Nissan Altima Hybrid car that can click off 12.9 second quarter mile times?  Well first a bit of hybrid car education.  Hybrid cars have a small gasoline engine and an attached electric motor that either powers the car at low speeds or adds power to the car as speeds increase.  So the Braille Battery Hybrid car is powered by the stock 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine.  Of course this engine has been reworked and now runs on E85 fuel.  But the real horsepower comes from a Vortech Electric Supercharger.    Other racing parts include a full BC Coilover Suspension kit, Wilwood Brake kit, and full array of Sparco safety enhancements.  Light weight Enkei LF-10 rims wrapped in Yokohama Neova tires hold this hybrid to the road.  Other racing upgrades include an APR carbon fiber splitter, VIS Racing Carbon Fiber Hood, Stillen Body kit, and custom exhaust featuring a “green leaf” exhaust tip.

This car not only has an eco-friendly engine with a cool carbon fiber battery pack; but it also features a couple other forward thinking modifications.  The paint is from DuPont and is called low VOC paint that is much better for the environment.  The Sparco seats are made from waste materials.  The tires are low rolling resistance and finally there are solar panels that help recharge the battery system.

This cool hybrid car represents the next logical step in racing.  At 440 horsepower with a 57% better fuel economy rate over non-hybrid race Altima cars, the Braille Battery ride is the real deal.

Source: http://www.braillebattery.com/index.php/events/view/braille_battery_debuts_north_americas_first_hybrid_race_car_at_sema

Ethanol is an additive in gasoline that accounts for 10% of its makeup. And E-85 gas contains….you guessed it…up to 85% ethanol. But the debate has gone on about the production of Ethanol using more energy than it produces, also that it takes a large amount of wheat, soybeans, corn, sugar, or rice to produce this fuel. Now that debate can finally be put to rest.

Picture a revolutionary $30 million dollar Ethanol Plant in the middle of nowhere. Well it is coming and will not use food staples for the production of Ethanol; rather it will use biowaste. Grass clippings, wood chips, paper products, and cardboard will all be used by this facility to create Ethanol as an alternative to gasoline! And with the landfill right next door, there should be plenty of biowaste to be had. Could you imagine a country where every landfill not only has a recycling center but an Ethanol plant right next door?