Saleofcar.com :Other

Other Makes Mongrel none (2003)
for sale

Price: US $37,500.00

Description:

The high bidder of this auction will own this one of a kind Military Recon Concept Car. Please read the entire description because it contains a great deal of information about the car. You can also watch the informative videos below.
If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask before you place your bids.
THE
MONGREL
This Baha Style Hybrid Electric four wheel drive vehicle is a one of a kind prototype...Propulsion is from four 50KW, liquid cooled, axial gap permanent magnet motors energized by four 100kW continuous duty, liquid cooled, DC to 3 Phase AC inverter controllers, one for each motor. The motors are cutting edge high torque dense motors.
The suspension is performed by four coil over magneto-rheological controlled shocks with programmable controller.
The on-board internal combustion engine (ICE) is a 1.9L Turbo Diesel Volkswagen engine to be strictly used as a generator when batteries run low or as additional power when high demand requires more power. The engine is not mechanically connected to any part of the drive train. The engine includes its control box as pictured.
I have bullet proof panels and high tech Aerogel thermal insulation that I can offer to the high bidder at a considerable discount if the buyer is interested in outfitting the vehicle with this type of protection.
Construction of this vehicle began in 1997 when the first SBIR Grant was awarded and was again modified in 2003 during a second SBIR Grant. Abstracts of each SBIR are detailed below.
Hybrid Electric High Mobility Scout Mongrel Vehicle with Active Suspension $747, 913.00 1997 PHASE II SBIRDavis Technologies International, Inc.5025 ARAPAHO RD - STE 505
Dallas, TX 75248The objective of this project is to develop a significantly improved ground vehicle or military reconnaissance considering high speed over rough terrain and high mobility as prime requirements. Concepts in hybrid electric drive and active suspension will be explored, and a practical system selected. Independent-drive wheels, combined with advanced compressible fluid active suspension, all supervised by advanced fuzzy logic controls, provide the synergy to achieve greater vehicle performance levels in mobility, better speed over various terrain and side slopes, and gradeability speed improvement beyond the state of the art. The project will investigate the use of a single combination joystick control to adjust speed, direction, ride height, and chassis attitude. By using vehicle attitude control, side slope capability will be enhanced, approaching the 60 degrees requirement, constant torque motors will provide high gradeability speeds and series parallel motors will provide the speed range capability. The proposed concept is feasible and has the potential to fulfill the Army's need for a high mobility scout vehicle. BENEFITS: The future need for a high speed, high mobility scout vehicle has already been identified by the military. This class of vehicle will have a significant potential as a civilian off-road vehicle as well. This project will significantly advance the envelope of off-road performance and wartime maneuverability.Complex Obstacle Traversing Suspension System for Wheeled Ground Vehicles $729, 934.00 2003 PHASE II SBIRTiax LLC35 Hartwell Avenue
Lexington, MA 02421The goal of this Phase II project is to develop and fabricate propulsion and suspension components for the Army Mongrel Test Vehicle. The suspension system will be built around a swing arm design that is common to all four corners of the vehicle. Each corner will have electric in-wheel motors with planetary gear hubs (for torque amplification) for propulsion and hydraulic brakes for quick stopping (the electric motors will provide for regenerative braking capability). The swing arm design will also be fabricated to accept two different semi-active suspension systems. The first utilizes a magneto-rehological (MR) damper with coil-over spring made by Carrera. The second uses a compressible fluid damper system made by Liquid Spring Technologies. This compressible fluid system will be used in parallel with a wheel lift mechanism to allow for greatly improved obstacle traversing capability by allowing for the independent lifting or lowering of each wheel corner.More Info:This vehicle is a one of a kind prototype made for the Army. I have spoken to a civilian test driver who said he drove this vehicle on the Army test course and through the desert. Reporting that while driving at 55mph over railroad tracks, he didn't even spill his coffee. He also stated the Army test driver inadvertently launched the vehicle into the air during its climb of a 60 degree slope. The vehicle reportedly landed on all four wheels and sustained no damage.When tested, this vehicle was reportedly controlled by a fuzzy logic controller and F-111 fighter joystick, neither of which were present when I received the vehicle. The interior was removed from the vehicle prior to my ownership. However, the vehicle does include the Palmverter Electric Motor Inverters, Engine Controls, and Programmable Shock absorber controller. The tubular steel chassis is completely custom made and includes an integral roll cage. The front of the car has a set of guide rails for the original battery box which slid in and out the front. There is a onboard electric winch for pulling the battery box inside. Under the hood is a radiator and coolant reservoir for the cooling system related to the electric drive motors and the inverter controllers. It can also be adapted to cool a battery box as well. The radiator has two electric fans on the back side. The rear mounted internal combustion engine does not include the generator that was attached to it, but does include the bell housing and flywheel for the generator. Engine fuel is provide via the mounted Fuel Cell Racing Tank just in front of the engine.The wheels are driven by electric motors at each wheel. As you can see in the pictures, the car has some over sized steel plates protecting the bottoms of the motors during testing. These can be either removed or shortened by about 4. It looks like a beast because it is. The car has four wheel disc brakes. The wheels are attached to specialized geared hubs that cost over $4000 each and can have their gear ratios changed for different capabilities. So, just the planetary geared hubs would cost you $16000 if you were to buy them. Currently the ratio is about 4:1 which should net a higher speed than the 9:1 tested in the soft sand environment.I will provide a bill of sale for this vehicle as it has never been titled because it is a military prototype concept vehicle. The date of manufacture is 2003 because the last SBIR funded modification took place in 2003. Ebay requires a Vin number to list a vehicle built in 2003, however, a valid Vin number for this vehicle was never obtained so I entered all ones as the Vin number. All bidders understand and accept the above statement by placing bids for this vehicle.If you want to see the vehicle in person, just send me a message and we will make it available to view. Though this car will require some equipment to make it complete, I feel the car comes with the most expensive major components and engineering already paid for to the tune of over $1, 500, 000.00 if you include the two Phase One SBIR funded studies along with the two listed Phase Two SBIR Grants detailed above. That makes this a once in a lifetime deal for some lucky bidder. It would make a great Christmas present for someone special.Here is a video montage of photos showing the car the way it was after the first SBIR. It did not have the motors or planetary geared hubs at this phase. You can see the bumpers it had at that time.The SBIR was focused on adjustable suspension as you can see. A side by side comparison with a Humvee is shown.
Here is a video someone made on YouTube about the Mongrel.
Here is a video of the Hybrid Shadow which was produced by Lockheed Martin in 2004. It's concept is somewhat like the Mongrel except the front wheels turn like a standard car and the Mongrel has a Swing Arm suspension design for skid steering. The Hybrid Shadow has the capability to turn on a dime via skid steering like the Mongrels design, which is demonstrated in this Video by spinning 360 degrees.

_{update: 2015-12-21}