Minnesota professor works on hybrid hydraulic project

MINNESOTA - University of Minnesota researchers are working on an alternative to the electric hybrid vehicle.

Hybrid hydraulic vehicles have recently been built as the new model for large vehicles that start and stop frequently, such as delivery trucks.

But mechanical engineering professor Kim Stelson says he hopes to develop hydraulic technology for small passenger cars.

Hydraulic hybrids store energy in the form of compressed gas, while electric hybrids store electricity in a battery.

Stelson says he'd like to test the technology by building a hybrid hydraulic Metro Transit bus. The funding for the project still has to be worked out, but Stelson says such a bus would get 10 miles per gallon as compared to about three that most buses get now.