April 12, 2009
GM announces hybrid car with horse
General Motors announced the new Chevy Caballo Hybrid with ‘ComesWith Horse’ technology at the New York Auto Show this week.
The Caballo includes a fairly beefy V-6 engine paired with a natural gas engine. But the big selling point is the included space for a horse.
“Our new Equus module allows you to add horsepower. Literally,” said GM spokesperson Pat Mitchell.
The module makes it possible to put a horse inside the car to provide drive train power and fuel.
“Because all four hooves of the horse leave the ground at the same time, it’s not efficient to use it as direct propulsion. So the horse is placed on a treadmill that creates energy for the drive train,” said Mitchell.
“The Equus module does take up cabin space, but we make up for that with the entertainment and green value it provides,” Mitchell added.
The module sits in the rear part of the SUV-like cabin and fully encloses the horse except for roof ventilation slots. Passengers can look through windows in he side of the module to see the horse in action. Feeding drawers allow them to give the horse snacks like sugar lumps and hay. GM calls all this the entertainment value.
The green value comes from the fact that any waste created by the horse is collected and reclaimed as fuel for the natural gas engine.
GM expects the vehicle to be very popular in the horsebelt of the United States.
“We see this as combining the best of old and new,” said Mitchell. “Eventually we hope to sell add-on modules, even trailers that allow you to add as much horsepower as you like.”