BRABUS Hybrid Sedan Powered by Protean In-Wheel Motors Debuts in Detroit

DETROIT, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Protean Electric, the global leader in electric in-wheel motors, will showcase its award-winning Protean Drive™ system in a BRABUS Hybrid at the SAE 2012 World Congress April 24-26 at Cobo Center. The event will mark the BRABUS Hybrid's premier North American appearance.

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In addition, Protean will host a press conference at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Booth#801. Protean Electric Chairman and CEO Bob Purcell will unveil the BRABUS Hybrid and announce several new global partners that will accelerate its in-wheel electric drive systems to market in high-volume production.

BRABUS, the highly acclaimed independent automobile tuner, chose Protean's electric in-wheel motors to power its "Technology Project Hybrid" based on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. The BRABUS Hybrid vehicle is equipped with two Protean Drive™ wheel motors, which power the rear wheels, along with the vehicle's clean diesel engine.

Protean Drive™ is the most advanced in-wheel electric drive system for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles. Going well beyond performance, Protean Drive™ can improve fuel economy by up to 30 percent in a plug-in hybrid application.

Each Protean motor adds 80 kW (110 hp) and 800 Nm (590 ft-lbs) of peak torque, which, when combined with the 2.2-liter common-rail turbo-diesel engine, give the BRABUS Hybrid an acceleration of 0-100 km/hr (0-62 mph) in 7.4 seconds and 60-120 km/hr (37-75 mph) of 5.6 seconds.

BRABUS is known throughout the automotive sector for its discerning use of the finest technology to perfect the performance of its exclusive vehicles. The BRABUS Hybrid and Protean Drive™ offer elite automotive customers a practical, environmentally respectful solution without sacrificing performance and power.

"We're pleased to work with BRABUS to demonstrate what Protean's in-wheel electric drive can deliver to the world," Protean CEO Bob Purcell said. "Our in-wheel motors not only provide significant performance improvement, but do so in a very responsible way."

Protean Electric will present its findings, Paper Number 2012-01-1037, "Integrating In-Wheel Motors into Vehicles — Real World Experiences" at 8 a.m. April 25, in room 02-33 at Cobo Center.

For more information on Protean Electric, visit www.proteanelectric.com. For further details on BRABUS, go to www.brabus.com. For more information on SAE, visit www.sae.org.

About Protean: Protean Electric (www.proteanelectric.com) is a leading clean technology company that designs, develops and manufactures the Protean Drive™, a fully integrated, in-wheel motor, direct-drive solution. Protean Electric is strategically positioned to play a major role in the hybrid and electric vehicle market by offering a combination of packaging advantages, new vehicle design opportunities, performance benefits and cost savings. Protean is funded by Oak Investment Partners, a multistage venture capital firm and a lead investor in the next generation of enduring growth companies.

SOURCE Protean Electric