SIM-LEI EV, 200 Miles on a Single Charge by 2013

Range, the ultimate goal of the current electric vehicle industry. Increasing the number of miles an electric car can travel on a single charge has become one of the most important aspects of this side of the automotive business, alongside with the reduction in the number of hours a car has to spend plugged in. For most producers, however, extended range remains as illusive as a ten-minute charging time.

Proving that you don’t have to be an established, world-renowned automaker in order to build a very capable EV, a company called Sim-Drive presented a while back a model it calls SIM-LEI. The funky-looking EV went on a trial trip at the end of March, managing to score an impressive 200 miles trip (321 km) on a single charge.

At the core of the model lies a Toshiba 24.5 kWh battery, the same fitted on the world's first mass-produced EV, the Nissan Leaf. Thanks to the fact that the SIM-LEI has a power consumption of only 77 Wh/km (the Leaf stands at 173 Wh/km), combined with the light steel monocoque body and low-rolling resistance tires, the model was capable of making the Leaf look like a toy.

The four passenger EV is scheduled to be launched on the market in 2013. However, the long waiting period might make the EV obsolete at the time of its launch, because it's doubtful all the other car makers will sit put and watch how the world moves forward without them. No mention on the possible price tag, another road block for EVs, has been made.