This affordable Ikea hybrid kit makes your car partially electric

Hybrid vehicles are generally more economical than cars that only run on gasoline, diesel or LPG. In times of expensive fuel, you can save a lot of money with a fuel-electric powertrain. You can buy a hybrid car, but you can also build one yourself! And it’s easier than you think with this Ikea-like kit.

An engineering student from Australia came up with the kit. He even won a prize for it.

Ikea-like hybrid kit

The kit is similar to an Ikea product. You buy it, but you still have to assemble it yourself. However, the student says the kit is not complicated. Everything must be able to be assembled in one day.

How does the hybrid system work? Quite easy. The kit consists of a flux engine, as you might know from McLaren (albeit in a different form). The motor is screwed onto the wheel hub. The motor can deliver up to 67 horsepower and return energy to a battery.

The hybrid system is simple, but the concept is far from complete. In fact, the student does not yet have a working prototype.

The test car currently being equipped with the kit is a Toyota Corolla. The student has placed a 15 kWh battery in the back instead of the spare wheel. According to the manufacturer, you can drive up to 100 kilometers with a full battery. Then of course you have to switch off the engine because the hybrid system does not work with the combustion engine.

Even though it sounds like a pretty good idea, the Ikea-like kit still has some drawbacks. For example, no thought was given to the accelerator pedal.

The price

The kit is scheduled to hit the market in the third quarter of 2024. The price is initially $5,400 and will later be reduced to $3,200. At least when the hybrid kit actually goes into production.