OK here is a question aimed to all the gearheads on this site. Would it be possible to add performance to a front wheel drive car like the PT Turbo by adding electric AC motors to the rear wheels? In essence keeping the PT Turbo engine running the same, but adding a hybrid electric motor package to the rear wheels to assist and increase acceleration and aid in fuel economy during cruising highway speeds. Think it can't be done. Check out what these kids built in their Philidelphia High School car shop.
http://www.autoblog.com/2005/08/15/hybrid-attack/
What I'm proposing is a bolt on application designed for the PT in mind. I'm thinking that all you would need is a array of lithium batteries made by this company.
http://www.hybridtechnologies.com/products.php?sec=3&id=2
Speed control sensors to accelerate the wheels and shut off the wheels to allow for regenerative braking. And a AC motor like these designed by Mitsubishi for their Evo line. These are in wheel motors which would need little to no modification to the rear axle or suspension. The brakes could be thrown out since the AC motors will slow down during regenerative braking.
http://www.megawattmotorworks.com/display.asp?dismode=article&artid=172
First: Is something like this doable, and what type of performance gains could one expect from building a performance hybrid system like this?
Second: How much would a performance hybrid system like this cost?