Originally published November 3 2003
Engineers Prove That Electric Vehicles Can Also Be Fast
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
You don't see many Totoya Prius drivers gunning the accelerator at the green light. Or perhaps they are gunning it, but nobody can tell. Hybrid and electric vehicles have a reputation for being underpowered, but one firm -- AC Propulsion -- shows that electric doesn't have to mean tortoise-like speeds: they've built a roadster that does 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds.
If you've ever done 0 to 60 in anything under five seconds, you can appreciate just how amazing this feat seems. This isn't just fast, it's drag racing fast. It's the kind of acceleration that turns your brain to jelly in the back half of your skull.
Unstated, of course, is the car's range. I bet it doesn't have any to speak of. I'd also bet that the batteries alone cost more than most vehicles today, meaning that while this car is a fun demonstration, it's not even close to the kind of electric wheels we'll be driving some day.
But it serves its purpose: to demonstrate that electric vehicles don't have to be slow.
AC Propulsion's tzero roadster is a reason to not give up on the
electric vehicle.
The tzero does 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, according to the company,
and it does it on only 200 horsepower because of its light weight and
torque.
Ford Motor (nyse: F - news - people) recently announced plans to
discontinue the electric version of its Ranger pickup, and hybrids,
diesels and hydrogen cars now seem like more viable alternatives to
electric cars, whose customers have complained about their golf-cart
powerplant noise and limited range.
AC Propulsion had made the tzero with lead-acid batteries since 1997,
but this year released a revamped version with the kind of lithium-ion
batteries used in laptop computers.
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