Hybrid-electric carmaker readies 220 mpg 'super car'

Hybrid Technologies is preparing a '"green" sports car to submit in the Automotive X Prize contest, according to a report in Popular Mechanics.

The car will come in two versions: one for the Auto X Prize that will have a gasoline engine and battery and another all-electric version.

The gas-battery hybrid will get the equivalent of 220 miles per gallon while the all-electric will get 150 mpg to 180 mpg. A drivable prototype is set to hit the streets in September.

The idea is to make the X Prize entrant something that will result in a mass-produced electric car, the company told Popular Mechanics.

"We're looking for this car basically to end up mainstream--not just built for a one-and-done," project development engineer Ron Cerven told the magazine. "The X Prize car is going to be the purchasable--obviously a higher-end car, but there might be something else from us in the X Prize."

Hybrid Technologies doesn't get nearly as much attention as Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive, which are both preparing hybrid-electric sports cars.

But Hybrid Technologies has ambitious plans to make a range of vehicles that run on lithium-based batteries, including scooters, bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, and cars.