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Give your Ford Focus a McLaren P1 boost with Ricardo’s Hyboost electric supercharger

technology mclaren p1 used modified ford focus hyboost
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hybrid technology is evolving faster than … well, a hybrid supercar. Surprisingly, hybridization is not all about gas savings. Sometimes it’s about performance. Engineering firm Ricardo re-jiggered a Ford Focus and the result is a car that can achieve 50 to 60 miles per gallon.

Ricardo specializes in downsizing engines and boosting them electrically… with a supercharger. In this specific model shown to Jay Leno, Ricardo took the stock 2.0-liter engine out and replaced it with a 1.1-liter.

The new, smaller displacement engine is turbocharged and electrically supercharged. The turbocharger adds power and acts as a generator, turning exhaust energy into electricity. This electricity is then sent to super-capacitors that hold the charge. When the car starts, the electric supercharger kicks in and provides low-rpm torque until the turbocharger spools up. The clever arrangement is called “Hyboost”.

Ricardo isn’t the first firm to implement such a powertrain setup. As you may know McLaren’s P1 utilizes the same electric supercharger setup. In fact, Ricardo was instrumental in engineering the exact system for the McLaren P1.

Unlike the $1-million McLaren P1, Ricardo’s Hyboost upgrade is set at an affordable $1,100. Hyboost turns the Ford Focus into a sporty, gas-sipping economy vehicle. To get the full story on Hyboost watch the video below with Jay Leno.

Joe Mahan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Mahan is an intern at Digital Trends working in the Cars section. He is currently a Junior at the University of Portland…
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