ElectricSupercar
Latest
Exagon Motors Furtive-eGT electric supercar eyes-on
There are few things we love more than custom-crafted carbon fiber cars with meaty all-electric powertrains and torque for miles and miles and miles. So, when we wandered by the display for the Furtive-eGT from Exagon Motors and, we couldn't help but stop and throw together a gallery -- despite that company trotting out mildly modified versions of this concept for a few years now. The all-electric supercar weighs just over 3,600 pounds and has dual electric motors, one for each rear wheel, pumping out a combined 402 horsepower. That's good for a 0 - 60 dash in 3.5 seconds and, with its carbon ceramic brakes, it can pull 1.2G while doing a hard stop. Exagon says it could manage up to 225 miles on a charge. When will it ever go into production, and how much will it cost if it does? The company still isn't saying, but if you have to ask... Steve Dent contributed to this report.
Rimac quells Concept_One doubters, shows its EV supercar's pedal to the metal (video)
O ye unfaithful, believe. For those of you who saw Rimac's preview of its Concept_One electric supercar and were skeptical of that claimed 2.8-second 0-62MPH time given all the leisurely putting around, the Croatian automaker has followed up with a video proving that this isn't your daddy's EV. It turns out that the 1,088HP-equivalent motor is quick enough to leave a lot of rubber on the tarmac, thank you -- both from a very enthusiastic start and from a healthy amount of drifting. This won't change the need to both drop $980,000 and get in quick on that 88-unit production run, but if you were worried that there wouldn't be a torch-bearer for high-speed EVs during the Tesla Roadster's hiatus, Rimac just put that anxiety to bed.
Artega SE electric supercar is coming to the US, we go eyes-on
With the Tesla Roadster's tenure drawing to a close and a proper two-seat replacement seemingly just a twinkle in Peter Rawlinson's eye at this point, there's something of a coming void in the world of the electric supercar. Artega would love to fill that with the SE. It's an all-electric version of the company's GT supercar, and while the GT will not see a release on American shores, we got confirmation from Artega that the battery-powered SE will -- eventually. The 375 horsepower motor drives the car to 62MPH in 3.9 seconds and a top speed of 126.5. Maximum range is 172 miles, but drive the car "more enthusiastically" and you can expect a more realistic 124. The car was announced earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show and here in Frankfurt we were able to spend a few minutes ogling its curves in a variety of interesting colors, including one model with a cut-away fender showing off the positioning of some of the 16 battery modules. 12 of those are scattered around the rear of the car, while four are up front, giving the car a rearward-biased 40:60 weight distribution. Cost is said to be 150,000 euro, or about $207,000. That's nearly twice the cost of a Roadster. Worth it? We'll see. %Gallery-134029% %Gallery-134031%
Rimac Automobili unveils 1,088 horsepower Concept One electric supercar
When you need four digits and a comma to specify the amount of horsepower your car puts down, you know you're talking about something very, very special indeed. Such is the case for the Concept One, the first car from virtual unknown manufacturer Rimac Automobili, styled by designer Adriano Mudri. The firm (which is Croatian, not Italian, by the way) has created this machine and given it four electric motors. They combine for an astounding 1,088 horsepower but, perhaps even more importantly, enable torque vectoring across all four wheels -- varying the power at each corner to pull the car around turns. That performance equates to a 0 - 62MPH time of 2.8 seconds, while the maximum range is rated as 600km (about 375 miles) thanks to a 92kWh lithium ion phosphate (LiFePO4) battery. It is, alas, just a concept for now, but with a little bit of funding the folks at Rimac hope to bring it to market. And we hope they do too. %Gallery-133450%
Li-Ion Motors Inizio electric supercar stops by Detroit
We already showed you a quick tour of two of the three Automotive X-Prize winners. Wondering where the third was? Hanging out in the booth of its creator, Li-Ion motors, looking green and decidedly outclassed by the second car that company is showing off. It's the Inizio, a proper supercar of the electric variety, the base model hitting 60 from a standstill in four seconds and topping out at 130 -- perhaps not Ferrari-busting but surely more than enough to get your license taken away. If that's not enough there will be multiple models with different power levels and carbon fiber construction, with the higher-end dropping that 0 - 60 time to 3.4 seconds and boosting the top speed to 200. We spent some time chatting with Li-Ion Motors Project Manager Paul Daigrepont about the design of the car, most interesting being the transmission. It's a custom-made four-speed unit that, interestingly, has no clutch. It's directly driven by the motor, shifting via paddles with the ECU dropping the torque on the motor momentarily to unload the gears, allowing an upshift to happen. At a stop the motor simply stops spinning and, if you want reverse, the car engages first gear and runs backwards! The company is accepting orders, starting at $139,000, a price that makes the Leaf feel like even more of a bargain. %Gallery-113979%
Jaguar C-X75 is the 780bhp electric supercar we've all been waiting for, likely to keep us waiting (video)
Ouch! It really stings to see the curvaceous spectacles that car designers can come up with, only to then find out the resulting electric speedsters are either far too expensive or nowhere near becoming a reality. Latest in this group of four-wheeled objects of desire is Jaguar's C-X75, which roars from 0 to 60mph in 3.4 seconds, cranks out 780bhp courtesy of a quartet of electric motors and a pair of micro gas turbines, and reaches a screaming 205mph at its absolute zenith. You can go for 68 miles just on electric juice or 560 if you let the gasworks recharge the Li-ion battery pack on the go. So it's gorgeous inside and out, it comes with swan doors, high-res LCD screens and an aluminum body, and it has less chance of being on sale than a dodo sandwich. Yep, it's an electric supercar alright. See the C-X75 on video after the break.
Mercedes-Benz SLS E-Cell prototype fuels our electric dreams with 526 horses
Oh, electric supercar, why do you tease us so? Mercedes is latest to throw up a prototype of what it expects future rubber burners to look like, and its SLS E-Cell doesn't disappoint. Based on its petrol-guzzling SLS AMG model, this beast produces 526 horsepower and 649 pound-feet of torque, thanks to four motors (one for each wheel) allied to a battery array that can provide an industry-leading 480kW of juice. How fast does that get you to the magical 60mph marker? Try four seconds. There's a handsome 10-inch infotainment panel in the center console, which you may see after the break, but the best news is that this prototype can be driven now and could well turn into a production Benz at some point in 2013.
Kepler Motion brings 800bhp using dual-engine hybrid magic
Since we're already on the topic of fairy dust, how about a new all-wheel drive supercar that can purportedly thrust you from nought to sixty in 2.5 seconds? New startup Kepler Motors is about to unveil its first vehicle and its ambition is nothing short of staggering. Employing a 550bhp Ford Ecoboost petrol engine to drive the rear wheels and a 250bhp electric motor for the front pair, this machine also comes with a carbon fiber chassis and carbon ceramic brakes to really make the theoretical numbers look ridiculous. Of course, it's still only a concept for the Dubai International Motor Show, but production plans are already set for 2011. You'll just have to make sure to be among the 50 richest people interested in owning one, because that'll be the entire production run.
