These days it seems like everyone in the automotive world is obsessed with either big horsepower or alternative energy. But what would happen if you combined the two? This is the Naturmobile, a "hybrid" that utilizes electric power and— yep you guessed it, horse power. Ok, so actual horses may not churn out very impressive numbers if you strapped them on a dyno, but think about how many liters a horse displaces! There's no replacement for displacement! Alright, so the Naturmobile isn't exactly built for speed, but that doesn't mean it's not completely absurdly awesome.
Apparently the Naturmobile's on-board horse walks on a treadmill which is connected to a generator, creating juice for the batteries and the electric motor. Cruising speed is probably around 10-15 MPH, but the top speed is claimed to be a wind-blistering 50 MPH! That's actually not bad, compared to most traditional electric cars. And while something like an It-amino has to be recharged every few yards, the Naturmobile can go for as long as your horse is alive healthy! Still not impressed? Check out all the potential variants: taxi, van, bus, the possibilities are endless! Why, you could even sway out the horses for more exotic powerplants like unicorns, ligers, or velociraptors. Though the transparent body will probably prevent the use of enslaved humans, which is a good thing. No word on the Naturmobile's planned trip around the world, but we'd love to take a test drive if they come passin' through our way.
[fleethorse.net via autoblog.nl, Gizmodo]