Google planning hybrid car

Recently a billion dollars was set aside for Google to begin a ‘philanthropic organization’ – this differs from a charity in that it is for profit, and therefore pays taxes and is run like a business. So, what does Google do with a billion dollars and a mission to tackle poverty, disease and global warming?

They build a hybrid car.

According to the New York Times, Google has plans to develop an ultra-fuel-efficient plug-in hybrid car engine that is powered by ethanol, electricity and gasoline.

The ultimate goal of the Google hybrid car project is to build a car that does 100 miles to the gallon, and therefore combat global warming. Google is consulting with hybrid-engine scientists as well as automakers, and has even arranged for the purchase of a small fleet of cars to experiment with.

If you thought driving a car that says “powered by Google” would be weird, then you obviously haven’t met the man directing the organization. His name is Dr. Brilliant (no, seriously) and he’s a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who also studied under a Hindu Guru in a monastery at the foothills of the Himalayas.

While the effusive Dr. Brilliant and his team are certainly enthusiastic about the projects that are possible under the Google philanthropy, the idea of a high-mileage car is nothing new – there are already several companies developing these, from manufacturers as large as Toyota all the way down to start-up companies that are virtually unknown. So, it seems that Google’s efforts to save the world may be a little bit late – unless of course they have something new to add to the game. As always, the brilliant Dr. Brilliant is tight-lipped about the project, so we will just have to wait for the Google philanthropy to reveal its plans in its own time.

New York Times | Via Autoblog.nl