A few weeks ago, we reported on a press release from Agni Inc., an alternative energy technology company, that announced the registration of the design rights for a car that could run on hydrogen, diesel, biodiesel, grid-electricity and the sun. Unfortunately, the press release was short and left many questions unanswered, so the car remained a bit of a mystery. We contacted Agni directly to obtain additional information and just a few days ago they were finally able to get back to us with a more thorough description of the vehicle they're calling the REAL AF (Renewable Energy Automobile - Ambiente Futuro).

Back in October, we speculated that the car would be powered by a hybrid drivetrain incorporating an electric motor and a small-displacement diesel engine, however, we were very wrong. Instead the car uses two electric DC motors - one to provide primary propulsion, the other for rapid acceleration - which are linked to a gearbox through an electric clutch. If needed, the car is able convert its diesel or biodiesel fuel to hydrogen through a fuel processor which is incorporated in its two Agni Hydrogen Power Modules.

As for electrical energy storage, the REAL AF uses a bank of super capacitors instead of batteries. The capacity of the reservoir for non-operational storage which is used when pulling electricity from a wall outlet is listed at 160 MJ (about 44 kWh). It appears as though the Hydrogen Power Module is linked to a separate storage unit capable of holding 64 MJ (about 18 kWh).

As expected, the car uses regenerative brakes, but also incorporates a thermal energy management system that is able to recover energy from waste heat generated by the fuel processor and on-board electronics and use it to chill water for air conditioning. It's up to the Intelligent Energy Management System to manage the generation, storage and deployment of energy to deliver either optimal efficiency or maximum performance.

Unfortunately, the description isn't a full spec sheet, but we've certainly obtained a much clearer vision of the car's capabilities and intentions. One last note is that the description only mentions European safety standards, so we probably won't get a chance to see the REAL AF state-side.

You'll find the entire vehicle description after the jump.

Related:

• Agni registers design rights for a different kind of hybrid car

[Source: Agni, Inc.]

When you say "hybrid" in these parts, it's possible you could mean a couple different things. Gas-electrics are the well-known norm while diesel-electrics are slowly gaining some press and exposure. Well, how about combining hydrogen, biodiesel, grid-electricity and the sun?

Today Agni Inc., an alternative energy technology company, announced the registration of the design rights for its second generation REAL AF (Renewable Energy Automobile - Ambiente Futuro). The car has got an electrical propulsion system that runs on Agni's Hydrogen Power Module, however, for longer trips the car will run on diesel or biodiesel. If that weren't enough, the car also has a large electrical storage unit that can be charged either by solar cells (which appear to be mounted to the top half of the hood and roof in the picture) to get the most out of those sunny days, or from a wall outlet. Oh, and the car also comes with a kit that will allow you to make your own biodiesel fuel from vegetable oil. Unfortunately, the press release is very brief and doesn't list any detailed specs. (I already shot them an email request for additional info. Hopefully, we'll hear back shortly.)

As for performance, the REAL AF will take you from 0 to 62 mph in 8 seconds and delivers 100 km/L on diesel power. That comes to about 235 mpg (if I did the conversion properly) which we remain skeptical about. Considering, though, that the car's got all four wheels firmly rooted in environmental friendliness, we'll hold judgment until we hear more. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure if the vehicle's diesel power plant drives the wheels, or charges a battery. Take a look at the wording of the press release, yourself. Either way, 235 miles per gallon seems awfully high.

Until we get more information, click here to visit their website or here to read the old press release for the first generation REAL which was fuel cell-only.

[Source: Fuel Cell Works]