Brit firm unveils hybrid coupé

Axon Automotive is a new name in car making, focusing on alternative fuels and technology in a bid to reduce emissions and fuel consumption. Axon's new plug-in hybrid car has just been unveiled, with CO₂ emissions claimed to be as low as 50g/km.

Unlike many of the plug-in hybrid concepts we've seen lately, Axon's two-door coupé is intended for imminent production, with the first buyers scheduled to receive their cars in 2011.

Previewed at the Milton Keynes Science Festival, Axon's car operates on just electricity for lower speeds and short journeys, while its petrol engine kicks in for higher speeds and motorway travel. The latter also runs on bio-ethanol and charges the compact battery on the move. Additionally, the battery can be recharged by plugging into a conventional electricity supply.

Steve Cousins, Managing Director of Axon said: "As a plug-in hybrid we have no limitation on range but we can maximise the benefits of electrics day to day without the cost and weight of large batteries."

Taking the form of a compact two-seat coupé, the plug-in hybrid is constructed using mostly carbon fibre, which Axon is at pains to point out can be recycled. Continuing that theme is an interior featuring jeans and recycled pinstripe suits in the seat trim.

No performance figures have been released as yet, but Axon explains how it came to the headline 50g/km figure for CO₂ emissions: "We have had our greenhouse gas emissions calculated to include typical UK powerstation emissions when driving in electric mode. The result gives us just under 50g CO₂ per km for the mix of electric and petrol used in the Government test. This is just half the level needed for free annual road tax in UK for this car."

The development of Axon's car has been funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board, along with private investment. Full production starts in 2012, with small assembly plants planned for the UK, Spain, France, Ireland and Holland.

Shane O' Donoghue