2001 – 2004
October 2003
Auto Express
After the announcement of Dennis Doerffel’s 250mpg hybrid electric car at the beginning of 2003, his innovative idea came to Auto Express’s attention. Auto Express featured it in their "Britain’s Boffins” article as one of the solutions that would make life better for Britain’s drivers.
7th Winchester Alternative Transport Day
Dennis Doerffel exhibited at the 7th Winchester Alternative Transport Day, a public event showcasing sustainable transport options and new vehicle developments. He exhibited his private one seater CityEl and the hybrid research car.
The Dolphin “People and Places”
Dennis Doerffel and his hybrid electric car were featured in The Dolphin – a newsletter for Southampton's residents and students. The car was exhibited in the New Forest at Brockenhurst's Green Roadshow to demonstrate the outstanding features of the car; the range of a fully charged battery covering most urban journeys, its fuel efficiency with no pollution, noise reduction and its practical applications for everyday use.
March 2003
Radio Solent
Dennis Doerffel was interviewed by BBC Radio Solent about his revolutionary hybrid electric car. The broadcast featured its capacity of 250 miles per gallon, the quietness of the motor even when accelerating, the small size of the electric motor, the lightweight rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the controllability of building up extra power with the petrol engine and its incredibly low running cost.
Meridian News
Dennis Doerffel appeared on Meridian news to present his hybrid electric-petrol car which averages over 200mpg. He discussed the challenges of making the most efficient use of the energy and resources that we’ve got, while making the cars versatile and desirable enough for customers to purchase.
March 2003
Southampton University Bulletin “Car of the future now in Southampton”
As part of his post-graduate study, Dennis Doerffel worked on the innovative idea of using lithium ion batteries as a supplementary, if not alternative, power source to petrol engines. His idea was put into action with a 250mpg hybrid electric car of which the battery can be an adequate source of energy supply for more than 90% of car journeys. The car was genially referred to as “Car of the future” by the weekly newspaper of the University of Southampton.
British Satellite News “Electric-petrol engine goes further”
Dennis Doerffel and his hybrid electric car appeared on British Satellite News. The programme highlighted definite advantages of using electric power, i.e. lithium-ion batteries, including no local pollution, lower energy consumption, low noise and good weight distribution.
27 February 2003
Financial Times “Technology worth watching – Going with the current”
This press release about the innovative hybrid electric car by Dennis Doerffel was published by the Financial Times. The short article explains the practical application in urban traffic while also revealing the capability of using the petrol engine when necessary in long-distance journeys.
27 February 2003
The IEE News “Automotive & Road Transport Systems”
During his P.hD. research work at the University of Southampton into Li-Ion Batteries for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Dennis Doerffel’s developed a concept car that demonstrates how sustainable transport in the future could work. His solution of turning a hatchback into a hybrid electric car earned him recognition from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The 250mpg hybrid electric car is seen as a revolutionary vehicle of which the battery can be an adequate source of energy supply for more than 90% of car journeys. Longer journeys are also possible with the aid of an economical petrol engine.
5th Winchester Alternative Transport Day
Aimed at raising public awareness of travel issues and encouraging people to think about sustainable transport, this event brings together a wide range on environmentally friendly transport: gas, electric, dual fuel, bus, train, cycle, environmental groups, local authorities. Dennis Doerffel was one of the representatives for the University of Southampton with their initiative of Energy Management of Hybrid Electric Vehicles, and he exhibited his private electric vehicles CityEl and Twike.
22 September 2003