Britain to produce first electric supercar?

[IR35 Avoider]

700BHP, 0-60 in 4 seconds.

Admittedly top speed is unimpressive, but it's about 50mph higher than I'm ever likely to drive in Britain.

Lightning GT

This is one of the electric cars using new wheel-motor and battery technology that I was banging on about last year. It looks like they are still aiming to deliver this year. However the technology that delivers this performance would also deliver pretty much the same performance in the cheapest most down-market hatchback it gets incorporated into at some future date, so I wouldn't rush to pay the 150K they're asking. (I also don't like the fact that the car body was originally designed by Lotus to take a petrol V8, when I buy an electric car I want it to look different from every fuel-burner on the road, because it was specifically designed for the electric drive system. I'm thinking it would make sense for there to be a negligible amount of bodywork forward of the drivers feet, and batteries will be located centrally under the floor.)

[Diver]

700BHP, 0-60 in 4 seconds.

Admittedly top speed is unimpressive, but it's about 50mph higher than I'm ever likely to drive in Britain.

Lightning GT

This is one of the electric cars using new wheel-motor and battery technology that I was banging on about last year. It looks like they are still aiming to deliver this year. However the technology that delivers this performance would also deliver pretty much the same performance in the cheapest most down-market hatchback it gets incorporated into at some future date, so I wouldn't rush to pay the 150K they're asking. (I also don't like the fact that the car body was originally designed by Lotus to take a petrol V8, when I buy an electric car I want it to look different from every fuel-burner on the road, because it was specifically designed for the electric drive system. I'm thinking it would make sense for there to be a negligible amount of bodywork forward of the drivers feet, and batteries will be located centrally under the floor.)

Safety first then

[basshead]

More info on this car here.

From their site they are accepting deposits of £15,000 with a 2009 delivery. The Telegraph's article gives the overall price as £150,000

[PAH]

The front looks very Aston Martin to me, which isn't a bad thing. Overall a cross between an Aston DB9 and BMW Z4:

http://cars.uk.msn.com/greenmotoring...mentid=7797460

30 car batteries are going to weigh a bit, and take up a lot of space!

Overall I think I'd prefer this (non-electric) one, much sexier with those curves, fairly similar to that new Alpha Romeo 8C Competizone:

http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news...mentid=7838390


Also, Lotus have collaborated on an electric car with an american company, I think they called it the Tesla based on the Elise.

Not sure how much greener they are seeing how electricity is currently generated in the first place. More of a stop-gap till someone finally mass-produces a hydrogen based car.

[Diver]

The front looks very Aston Martin to me, which isn't a bad thing. Overall a cross between an Aston DB9 and BMW Z4:

http://cars.uk.msn.com/greenmotoring...mentid=7797460

30 car batteries are going to weigh a bit, and take up a lot of space!

Overall I think I'd prefer this (non-electric) one, much sexier with those curves, fairly similar to that new Alpha Romeo 8C Competizone:

http://cars.uk.msn.com/News/car_news...mentid=7838390


Also, Lotus have collaborated on an electric car with an american company, I think they called it the Tesla based on the Elise.

Not sure how much greener they are seeing how electricity is currently generated in the first place. More of a stop-gap till someone finally mass-produces a hydrogen based car.

I'm pretty sure that we should all be driving solar powered cars by now. Tomorrows World said so.

[PAH]

I'm pretty sure that we should all be driving solar powered cars by now. Tomorrows World said so.

Or at the very least one that runs on air and waste food. A sort of mammal car. Would solve the landfill problem, and if the right filters were used, clean up the air too. How hard can it be?

[IR35 Avoider]

30 car batteries are going to weigh a bit, and take up a lot of space!

From what I've read of this technology, the batteries tend to weigh about the same as the engine and gearbox and lead-acid battery and drive-shafts and alternator... (add everything a normal car has) that this car doesn't have. Remember that the motors are just some slightly heavier wheels, the rest of the system is some batteries, some wires going to the wheels and presumably a not very heavy computer to control it all.

[Turion]

700BHP, 0-60 in 4 seconds.
I'm thinking it would make sense for there to be a negligible amount of bodywork forward of the drivers feet, and batteries will be located centrally under the floor.)

That's gonna look a pretty naff sports car. Would be a car with a small knob . Hardy a chick magnet. They're attracted to big thrusting phalang type front ends with bulging bonnets

The technology sounds great if it works, and is cheap enough to be applied to a family motor. Slight issues would be how long the fast charging station would take to refill the bats, and for the overnight charging, that is fine if you have a garage. Also presumably they will need to build more nukes to generate the electicity for the charging millions of these overnight. Not the sort of power requirement you can satisfy with windmills.

Whatever, the greens and climate doomsters will still hate the concept. They will never be satisfied until we get back on our bikes.

[BrilloPad]

That's gonna look a pretty naff sports car. Would be a car with a small knob . Hardy a chick magnet. They're attracted to big thrusting phalang type front ends with bulging bonnets

The technology sounds great if it works, and is cheap enough to be applied to a family motor. Slight issues would be how long the fast charging station would take to refill the bats, and for the overnight charging, that is fine if you have a garage. Also presumably they will need to build more nukes to generate the electicity for the charging millions of these overnight. Not the sort of power requirement you can satisfy with windmills.

Whatever, the greens and climate doomsters will still hate the concept. They will never be satisfied until we get back on our bikes.

are all miserable

just watching Jeremy Clarkson on top gear from 2004. chap in audience reckoned diesel is cool. jc says " but you have a diesel cos it is cheap. how many women say I love you cos you save money? you have never had sex - cos you drive a diesel".

[PAH]

From what I've read of this technology, the batteries tend to weigh about the same as the engine and gearbox and lead-acid battery and drive-shafts and alternator... (add everything a normal car has) that this car doesn't have. Remember that the motors are just some slightly heavier wheels, the rest of the system is some batteries, some wires going to the wheels and presumably a not very heavy computer to control it all.

Good point.

The biggest disadvantage I can see is the lack of engine noise. I know they've got simulators to replicate all sorts of big engine exotica, but why not do something a bit more unique and distinctive?

There must be other sounds that would appeal just as much as a big engine thrum, we just haven't heard them yet.

Maybe the simulator can be updated just like ringtones on a mobile phone. That could make for some interesting sound effects. Maybe excerpts from your favourite 'educational' movie!