In my Junior year at Olin college, I worked with Mark Muraoka, a friend of many years, to convert an electric remote controlled vehicle to a hybrid. The goal of the hybrid was to simultaneously increase performance and range, while using a minimally affecting effeciency. We used two brushed DC motors with separate controllers and a 2.5cc nitro engine controlled with a servo to drive. Each power source was controlled with an Arduino taking input from the remote control reciever. The end result could easily reach 40mph and would only burn it's onboard fuel when the nitro engine was most efficient.
