SHANGHAI Gaozhan New Energy Vehicle Sales Services Co has teamed up with Protean Electric, a global supplier of in-wheel electric drive, to promote eco-friendly vehicles in the city.

With the unveiling yesterday of a Protean Drive in-wheel motor-powered Mercedes-Benz E class car at Shanghai Gaozhen, which deals in energy cars exclusively, there are plans to start a hybrid conversion program to get more internal combustion-engine cars on the green side by adding the in-wheel electric drive as their new power source.

"Protean Drive can fix hybrid powertrains to vehicle platforms with fewer new parts, less complexity, minimal changes to an assembly line, and at a lower total cost than other hybrid drive systems," K.Y. Chan, vice president of Protean Electric China, said. "Because the Protean in-wheel motor occupies an unused space behind the wheels, it can be integrated easily to make a hybrid or plug-in-hybrid vehicle out of existing cars and trucks."