The units made for the VRI by Xantrex not only stabilize the cell arrays at their maximum peak power but also raise the 32 V input voltage to 360 V needed to charge the battery. A carbon filament wrapped polyethylene lined fuel tank rated to 220 bar provides the fuel for the TPV system. A three-stage regulator reduces pressure to 1 bar, whereupon it is introduced into the combustors in the TPV burner unit. Air is introduced into the bottom of the recuperators by two squirrel cage fans driven by pulse width modulated brushless DC motors. As the air passes through the counter flow heat exchanger, it is heated by the departing exhaust gases to near combustion temperature.
Fuel is added just prior to the combustion zone.
As PV cell temperature should not exceed 900 C they are cooled with bottom to top water flow driven by an electric pump. The water is cooled by two large single core radiators, which are mounted nearly horizontal at the rear of the car. Large ducted axial flow electric fans provide airflow when the car is stationary. The motor is mounted end on to a single dry plate clutch assembly running in ball bearings in a separate housing designed to remove all thrust loading from the electric motor. Driveshafts with inner and outer CV joints take the drive to the rear wheels.