F1 designer readies affordable electric sportster

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Mon 26 Jan 2009 19:30
F1 designer readies affordable electric sportster - maz64
www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/01/26/dowle_p1_goes_ele.../
I guess 'affordable' is relative to other electric sub-3s 0-60 sports cars, but anyway:

Early in 2008, former McLaren and Jordan F1 designer Jim Dowle announced that his company, JJAD, would make a bespoke two-door sports car called the P1. It has now been announced that it will be an electric sports car...

Called the P1-E, the car will hit 60mph in 2.9 seconds, thunder - quietly - on to 130mph and will cost £55,000 when it goes on sale in 2012.

Other technical details include two electric motors that together put out 290kW (389bhp) and 590lb ft of torque ? all in a car weighing only 1055kg, just 145kg more than a Lotus Elise - a lithium-ion battery pack good for a 230-mile range, and four-wheel drive.

The P1-E will be made from composite body panels over a carbon fibre and aluminium chassis. Not a bad looking lump of carbon and all, if the concept designs are anything to go by. Hint of Lancia Stratos, dash of Lamborghini Gallardo, touch of Lotus Exige. Works for us.

Dowle's take on the future of the 'leccy car? ?All the electric cars produced to date have been compromised in one way or another and most have been of little attraction to the enthusiast driver," he said.

"We decided it was time to create an affordable electric sports car that combined the advantages of conventionally-engined machines with those of electric ones, without the disadvantages of either ? in short, a drivers? car for the 21st Century.?
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Mon 26 Jan 2009 19:37
F1 designer readies affordable electric sportster - FocusDriver
The electric car Top Gear tested was £90k+ wasn't it, so £55k looks remarkable for such a little beauty. Whether it will go into production looking like Jim's drawings will be another thing but this is quite exciting. Rather unfashionably, I don't buy into "Greenwash" but if the future of motoring is still car-shaped, affordable and this pretty, then the future looks green.

Just one thing, it doesn't mention how the power is stored. The TG car had untold (a couple of thousand?) laptop batteries and took 16 hours to charge. Then again, this isn't going to be anyone's main mode of transport I'd hazard.
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Mon 26 Jan 2009 20:24
F1 designer readies affordable electric sportster - martint123
Just one thing, it doesn't mention how the power is stored. Want to borrow my specs? ;>)

"a lithium-ion battery pack good for a 230-mile range," I suspect by the time it is produced, automotive batteries will have moved on a lot more than the last few years. A lot of money is (still) being spent.

Edited by martint123 on 26/01/2009 at 20:26

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Mon 26 Jan 2009 20:41
F1 designer readies affordable electric sportster - krs one
Why are these manufacturers (these and Tesla for example) concentrating on sports cars, is it because they are still incapable of making a practical car run on batteries? They just seem to be fooling around at present.

Instead of making an electric Elise, I'd be more impressed with an electric Focus or Golf. That may actually be progress.
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