Capstone Turbine Corp. is pushing traditional hybrid-electric vehicle barriers with the introduction of the CMT-380, a high-performance, hybrid-electric supercar powered by traditional batteries and an untraditional, ultra-low emission, range-extending microturbine.

The Capstone microturbine is essentially an ultra-clean and quiet jet engine under the hood.

The prototype hybrid-electric supercar with microturbine technology will debut at the LA Auto Show Dec. 2-13.

“The sleek-looking, high-performance supercar car definitely raises hybrid’s cool factor several levels,” said Jim Crouse, Capstone’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “The CMT-380’s design performance numbers speak for themselves: 0-60 mph in 3.9 seconds, 150 mph top speed and an unheard of driving range of up to 500 miles on a single tank of fuel, all with ultra-low exhaust emissions that rival any hybrid on the market today.”

Electronic Arts Chief Creative Director Richard Hilleman, creator of popular video games, developed the concept for the high-performance hybrid-electric microturbine vehicle with support from Capstone Turbine, the world’s leading clean technology manufacturer of microturbine energy systems.

Capstone and Hilleman’s microturbine hybrid supercar features a Capstone C30 (30-kilowatt) microturbine that runs on diesel or biodiesel, which is housed inside a sleek Factory Five Racing GTM body. The Capstone C30 microturbine is so clean it does not require any exhaust after treatment to meet stringent clean air requirements of the California Air Resources Board or EPA 2010.

The CMT-380 features lithium-polymer battery cells that can be charged at home or at a public recharging station. While driving, the sports car can operate on 100 percent battery power in zero-emissions mode for a range of up to 80 miles. When the batteries reach a pre-determined state of discharge, the Capstone C30 microturbine quietly fires up and recharges the batteries on the fly to extend the driving range up to 500 miles.

The diesel-fueled C30 microturbine requires less maintenance than traditional combustion engines and produces ultra-low exhaust emissions.

“Capstone’s CMT-380 is in the final conceptual design and first article-testing stage,” said Darren Jamison, Capstone President and CEO. “Soon we plan to finalize a limited production plan, in part, based on interest from the LA Auto Show. We anticipate customers will be a select group of individuals who appreciate its many innovative high-performance and high-technology driving characteristics, long driving range and ultra-low emissions.”

“Not only does this car look great and is fun to drive, but its low-maintenance, high-efficiency turbine engine makes it a stress-free, no-compromise hybrid,” said Richard Hilleman, CMT-380 co-creator. “The CMT-380 is perfect for people who want it all. These kinds of customers value a high level of driving performance, but also are concerned about social issues such as reducing greenhouse emissions and limiting our country’s dependence on foreign oil.”

“The Capstone CMT-380 is a fun hybrid car with tremendous performance, but it’s not in Capstone’s business plan to start manufacturing complete cars,” Jamison said. “However, the limited production CMT-380 and Langford Whisper hybrid-demonstration vehicle are intended to showcase the technology and demonstrate the value proposition of microturbines as electric-vehicle range extenders.

“Both Capstone and Langford have been in discussions with automotive-industry companies and these concept and demonstration vehicles help showcase the technology and generate public awareness of the benefits of microturbine technology,” Jamison added.

Capstone has shipped over 5,000 microturbines worldwide, which produce energy ranging from 30-kilowatts up to 5 megawatts and are supplying power at sites around the world, including office buildings, hospitals, hotels, universities, oil-and-gas applications, landfills, wastewater treatment plants, farm digesters, industrial manufacturing operations and others.

Capstone microturbines can run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas, waste methane from landfills, biodiesel, diesel, kerosene and propane.

Microturbine efficiency increases when used in Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Combined Cooling, Heat and Power (CCHP) applications. These applications use waste heat energy produced by the microturbines to recapture and heat water or buildings, or to run through an absorption chiller to create air conditioning.

What is a Microturbine?

The CMT-380’s 30-kilowatt microturbine features an electric generator and turbine components mounted on a single shaft that are supported by air bearings — so there are no liquids to lubricate or cool the microturbine.

It uses a patented combustion system to achieve extremely low exhaust emissions that do not require expensive exhaust after-treatment to meet stringent California Air Resources Board and EPA 2010 requirements.

Even more efficiency comes from the microturbine’s patented recuperator (or air-to-air heat exchanger), which extracts energy from the exhaust stream and recycles it to preheat air coming into the combustion chamber, thus greatly increasing efficiency. Capstone microturbines are well-known for several reasons:

• Air bearings support the entire rotating assembly. No oil or other lubricants are needed, so maintenance is extremely low and the need to dispose of hazardous materials is eliminated.

• Capstone microturbines operate at extremely high speeds, up to 96,000 rpm, which results in a very high power-to-weight ratio.

• Microturbines have a smaller footprint and lighter weight compared to traditional combustion engines.

• Continuous combustion and lean premix operation allows for extremely low exhaust emissions.

About Capstone Turbine Corporation

Capstone Turbine Corp. (www.capstoneturbine.com) (Nasdaq: CPST) is the world’s leading producer of low-emission microturbine systems and was the first to market commercially viable microturbine energy products. Capstone Turbine has shipped more than 5,000 Capstone MicroTurbine(R) systems to customers worldwide. These award-winning systems have logged millions of documented runtime operating hours.

Capstone Turbine is a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Combined Heat and Power Partnership, which is committed to improving the efficiency of the nation’s energy infrastructure and reducing emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases. A UL-Certified ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 certified company; Capstone is headquartered in the Los Angeles area with sales and/or service centers in the New York metro area, Mexico City, Nottingham, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo.

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” as that term is used in the federal securities laws, about increased market share and the advantages of Capstone’s products. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “expects,” “objective,” “intend,” “targeted,” “plan” and similar phrases. These forward-looking statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks and uncertainties described in Capstone’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that may cause Capstone’s actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied in such statements. Capstone cautions readers not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. Capstone undertakes no obligation, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

“Capstone Turbine Corporation” and “Capstone MicroTurbine” are registered trademarks of Capstone Turbine Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Capstone Turbine Corporation