Will Lightning Strike in the UK? – MSN Autos Another slot car arrives with big promises. At least it’s prettier than the Tesla.
Those blue discs? They ain’t the brakes — at least not in the traditional sense. The Lightning GT uses four hub-mounted electric motors, providing direct drive to the wheels. Combined with just 30 battery packs, these deliver the electric equivalent of “700 horsepower ” and each motor can be individually controlled…
Zero to 60 mph will, apparently, take less than four seconds — “when it’s fully developed.” This leads us to the more eyebrow-raising areas of the Lightning’s specifications. Having just 30 batteries is surprising enough most electric supercars use far more than that, but the claim is these give the car a 300-km [186-mile] range — on just a 10-minute charge.
Love it. What’s the price? Probably not in my price range, but hey… I can at least dream. Well, when the hype is over, we’ll know the real specs.
Good find, John.
OK, it’s not nearly as cool, but it’s still pretty cool:
The Porche Electro conversions kits.
http://www.electroauto.com/gallery/porsche.shtml
I heard a local (Portland) guy on the radio say that the 914 kit is fairly easy to install.
Less than 200 miles on a single tank?
Plus don’t they know that the religious freaks who want electric cars demand that they look funny?
What’s great is most of these cars look fast! I guess the form follows the function. Keep up the good work! 0-60 less than 4 seconds? OK!
You can put on a soundtrack of and F1 car and listen to that if you want noise.
I wonder what it sounds like when you go into HyperSpace?
Cuil!
“But if your biggest concern is the lack of an exciting engine note, fear not: the Lightning GT includes a “sound module.””
Oh, Yea!
#5 – bill
Electric car vs Ferrari and Porsche
Give me s/g with a 300 mile range, 10 minute charge time, similar cost to current cars & enough places to charge and I’ll buy. Until then, it is just an expensive toy…
The body looks like a Aston Martin Vanquish. But those specs sound nice.
The problem with these new all electric cars is that they are way out of the price range of the average car buyer. They fit in with the Ferraris, Lamborghinis and others of their ilk.
186 mile range on a 10-minute charge? What does that thing’s charger need for power, a 350kV high-tension line?
Looks like a cross between an Aston-Martin and a Fisker. I’d still take the Tesla.
#7 wow! thanks!
Can we all say Vaporware?
mate this parrot wouldnt voom if you put 4 million vots through it…
Sounds great looks great. Costs way to much for me.
Jesus… the handling on this car must be a fright. Putting motors directly on the wheels contributes significant mass to the unsprung weight of the car. This in turn has negative effects on the handling. It doesn’t make any sense to do this on a sports car.
Read out unsprung weigh here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsprung_weight
#16 “It doesn’t make any sense to do this on a sports car.”
It makes as much sense as making a “sports car” that has to stay within a certain radius of the owners home…
Thank God my engineer/designer brother got laid off from GM 3 years ago…I no longer have to hear:
“But wait till you see what we’re building for 2011!!”
Why not just put some sheetmetal on a golf cart? Thats all I need to go to work with and get groceries.