A new breed of plug-in hybrid vehicle technology that allows cars to be recharged using a domestic power supply has been licensed by the University of California-Davis to a start-up launched to commercialize the work of a UC Davis inventor. Licensee Efficient Drivetrains Inc. (EDI), Palo Alto, CA, was founded in 2006 to commercialize decades of work by Andy Frank, professor of mechanical and aeronautical engineering. The company plans to partner with auto designers and manufacturers so they can rapidly introduce advanced plug-in hybrid technology into their vehicles. Unlike hybrid-electric vehicles currently on the market, plug-in hybrids can recharge their batteries from a domestic power supply, allowing most short-range trips to be completed on electric power alone. The licensing package includes a “parallel” hybrid powertrain that achieves significant increases in fuel efficiency compared with currently available hybrids, as well as an “intelligent,” continuously variable transmission that automatically selects the right power ratio and eliminates gear shifting. Go to: http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=8432

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