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Robert Q Riley shouldn't be real.

He's like some mad Professor Brainstorm character who has accidentally stepped off the page of a comic and into reality.

A truly uninhibited inventor of all things you don't really need - a one-man submarine, a high-powered hovercraft, a recumbent bicycle - Riley's latest foray into free-thinking is a three-wheeled diesel-electric hybrid that carries two adults and can top 85mph.

Called the XR3 Hybrid, this 590kg Personal Mobility Vehicle will do 125mpg on pure diesel power. Or up to a claimed 225mpg if the plug-in electric motor is used too.

The XR-3 uses lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries to power the front two wheels and the 23bhp diesel engine sends its meagre output to the rear wheels.

The drivetrain is switchable by the driver, so you can either have a front-wheel, rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicle depending on your need for speed, economy or traction.

Kits for the car go on sale in June, apparently. Be interesting to see how many people sign up to make Riley's mad dream come true.

source: topgear

Ярлыки: Hybrid