If you happen to be a green tech inventor or knows someone who is working on a compact microturbine engine/generator for automobiles, then this is the opportunity for which you’ve been waiting. A company called NineSigma is representing a Fortune 100 company that is looking for just a device.
The microturbine APU (auxiliary power unit) will serve as a range extender for a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicle. The timeline for proof of concept is six months. The microturbine APU must help the vehicle achieve PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) standards for air pollution as it works part-time over the driving cycle.
The APU must also be able to produce 10 – 20 kW of continuous power, be able to operate on a variety of liquid fuels and must demonstrate better than 25-percent efficiency. The microturbine APU must create minimal noise and include controls for start up and shutdown on demand.
The point of the microturbine APU is to recharge the batteries as needed to extend the range of the vehicle. The device must be developed beyond the paper study or computer analysis stage in order to be considered.
The company is taking a request for proposal from entrepreneurs, inventors, small and large companies as well as academic researchers right now. So, if you have such an invention and would like for a Fortune 100 to commercialize it, now is the time to submit your proposal.