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How would you like this for your next hybrid vehicle?


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A Texas startup has finally pulled the wraps off its 40-mpg,450-horsepower Scorpion roadster, a hand-built hydrogen-burning"eco-exotic" that is sexier than Angelina Jolie and has the performanceto provide more grins than nitrous oxide.

LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTS unveiled the Scorpion today at the big LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTSin Las Vegas, which may be the perfect place to debut so flashy — andinnovative — a car. The company hopes the Scorpion does for hydrogenwhat the Tesla Roadster has done for batteries.
"We want to build cool cars, just more responsibly”, companypresident Ronn Maxwell told Wired.com. "Our hope with the Scorpion isto implement a paradigm shift not only in how the industry looks atsupercars but at cars in general."

The Scorpion gets its sting from a hydrogen delivery system the company calls H2GO. While cars like the LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTS and LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTS use hydrogen fuel cells to drive electric motors, the Scorpion uses LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTSto convert water into gaseous hydrogen. The hydrogen is mixed with91-octane gasoline to improve the fuel economy and reduce the emissionsofthe car's 3.5-liter internal combustion engine.
Maxwell, a 40-year auto industry vet and lifelong gearhead who holdsseveral patents, is using the limited production — just 200 will bebuilt — Scorpion to prove the technology works and legitimize the H2GOsystem the company will begin selling for $1,000 early next year. Theway he sees it, if H2GO works on the Scorpion, it'll work on yourCivic.

Maxwell didn't offer much in the way of specifics, saying the LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTSis still dotting the i's and crossing the t's on the venture. But hesays H2GO is good for a 15 percent to 33 percent improvement inmileage, a noticeable increase in power and a significant reduction inoverall emissions. The company is pursuing EPA certification of theScorpion so people can get a better idea of what the system is capableof. Maxwell insists the 40-mpg figure is the real deal.

The trucking industry has been using LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTSfor years. But the Scorpion is significant because it uses what thecompany calls real-time hydrogen delivery as part of an originalfactory design. And unlike BMW’s LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTS, Scorpion does not keep any 30-gallon tanks full of liquid hydrogen lying around at −253 °C (−423.4 °F). “Our system does not require any pressurized hydrogen storage. It’scompletely safe and uses water from your garden hose to create hydrogenon demand. We are simply increasing the efficiency of what’s alreadythere”, says company COO Damon Kuhn. “Even better, the infrastructureto support this technology is here right now, not 10 years from now.” Kuhn is referring to the biggest challenges to hydrogen's use invehicles — the need for a fueling infrastructure, a venture that by anymeasure will take many years and many millions of dollars.

Ronn Motors is confident that the sexy Scorpion will top 200 mph.The chrome-moly chassis and carbon-fiber body surrounds a twin-turbo3.5-liter V6 in a car that weighs just 2,200 pounds. The engine wassourced from Acura — it's the same mill found in the TL Type S, albeitturbocharged — and mated to a six-speed gearbox. The car will set youback $150,000, and if 450 ponies isn't enough, another $100 grand willget you a tweaked version with another 150 horsepower.

Tom duPont, publisher of the LOG IN TO SEE LINKS IN POSTS,pulled the sheet off the Scorpion this morning and said, “If it was asquare box with a bunch of batteries, I wouldn’t be getting pre-ordersfrom NBA basketball players. The exotic styling and amazing performancemixed in with the environmental angle is really inspiring a lot ofattention.”


Photos courtesy Ronn Motor Co.
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I could definitely get used to this kind of innovation. To be honest, I would entertain the idea of buying one of the aftermarket systems they mention in this article. Good looking car!