In order to build such a car, 48-year-old Dale Vince assembled a crack team of engineers who were previously involved in various iconic British vehicles such as the McLaren F1 supercar and DeLorean. The crack team then decided on turning a second-hand Lotus Exige bought off eBay into a green machine capable of beating some of the fastest combustion engined supercars.
The car is capable of a 0 to 100 mph (160 km/h) sprint in just 8.5 seconds, which is faster then a V12 Ferrari 599. Although the manufacturer says it should be capable of 170 mph (273 km/h), the car has only managed to reach 135 mph (217 km/h) so far.
The team has set its sites on the 139 mph (223 km/h) British land speed record for electric British cars that is currently held by Don Wales in the Bluebird Electric.
The car runs between 100 and 150 miles (160 to 241 km) on a fully-charged battery, depending on the driving style. It can also be charged from empty in just two hours from its fast charger unit or in eight from any normal power source. These figures sound very impressive for a one-off, as they are the same as the best big carmakers have to offer. ‘No large car company could have developed anything like this so rapidly or for the sub-£1million budget it has cost,’ according to builder Ecotricity’s claims.
The entrepreneur received £400,000 ($640,000) from the Government's Technology Strategy Board to develop the vehicle. And while some taxpayers might say this money only benefits Mr. Dale, in our eyes any amount spent on a 170 mph supercar is well spent. What's a few measly pounds, if you consider that the US government has given Tesla Motors billions of dollars.
Google News