Techrule is ready to launch microturbine rangefinders.

At the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show, Chinese company Techrule unveiled a concept electric supercar with extended range and microturbines.

A year later, the company unveiled a more advanced version of the supercar that was supposed to go into production by 2018. However, this did not happen.

Apparently Techrule has abandoned plans for the supercar, at least for now, and on Tuesday the company announced a new strategy aimed at selling microturbine technology for heating, cooling and power generation systems. According to Techrule, microturbines could also replace diesel generators, which are often used as backup power plants, due to their higher efficiency and low maintenance needs. [The first product is a 45 kW microturbine designed to run on renewable fuels (ethanol, methanol and biogas). Production is expected to begin by the end of the year while Techrule is in final negotiations to select a site for the plant. Discussions are also underway with potential customers. [Matthew Jin, Techrule's technical director, said, "We are currently in discussions with a number of potential customers both in China and overseas." By selling the 45-kilowatt turbine as a generator, we will be able to rapidly increase production."

The 45-kW microturbine is designed for commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks, but Techrules plans to launch a smaller 15-kW version designed for passenger cars in 2021. 'Ren supercar at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show was an 80-kilowatt version.