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BMW
have developed an electric version of their Mini, know as the Mini E which will
be leased to fleet and individual customers in very small quantities, about 500
in all, in select locations in the USA including California, New York, and New
Jersey. BWM say that they are also considering making these cars available
in Europe but no decision has been made yet.
The Mini E is powered by a 35KWHr 350 volt lithium Ion battery pack made up of 5088 individual cells driving a 204 hp electric motor. Top speed is rated at 95mph and it can accelerate from 0 - 60 in approximately 8.5 seconds. Range is quoted as about 150 Miles.
The 500 cars are being built in the Mini plant in Oxford and then they are being transferred to the BMW center in Munich where the electrical components and batteries are being installed. BMW say that all 500 cars should be completed by the end of 2008. BMW are now accepting applications for a one year lease at a cost of $850 per month which includes insurance and all maintenance. To be eligible for the lease you will need to live in Los Angeles or the New York, New Jersey metropolitan area. The Sign-up page is here but they stopped taking reservations 12/24/2008. Sign-up ends December 10 so if you are interested in participating in what is really a field test of the Mini E then you had better sign-up quickly.
The Mini E is very much the same as the current Mini Cooper but the back seat has been removed to make room for the battery pack so the car will only seat 2 people. The car weighs in at 3,240 lbs and the suspension, braking and dynamic stability control system have all been upgraded to deal with the greater weight of this car.
See the Launch of the Mini-E at the LA Auto show courtesy of youtube
AC
Propulsion have been making electric drive trains for EVs for many
years. They have built several electric conversions
using their drive
train technology and also supply their drive train for other electric vehicle
developers such as Tesla Motors and Wrightspeed.
In the mid 1990s they developed and built a prototype electric sports car called
the T-Zero to
test out their drive train. The T-Zero was lightning quick with a 0-60 acceleration
time of about 4.3 seconds, a top speed of 100mph and a range of about 100
miles. The T-Zero never made it to production.
Two of the three prototypes were sold but the other appears to have been resurrected to test out some new Li battery technology. The new car has kept the 100mph top speed its 0-60 time has improved to 3.6 seconds and the new batteries give it a range of up to 300 miles.
AC propulsion has one chassis left for the T-Zero. I am sure they will accept orders for the T-Zero although they are reluctant to build another one. For more information see their How to get a T-Zero page..
They have now completed a prototype Scion XB conversion using the AC propulsion drive train and a somewhat smaller Li battery pack than the one in the T-Zero. The picture to the left, taken a AC Propulsion on May 22, 2006 shows work in process on this prototype.
The car is being sold under the name ACP eBox. AC Propulsion are now accepting orders for the first run of 20 vehicles. The eBox has a range of between 140 and 180 miles, a top speed of 90 mph and a 0-60 time is a respectable 7 seconds making it quicker on acceleration than the ICE model. Price is $55,000 plus the cost of the donor Scion Xb, with some discounts available for fleet orders of two or more. Vehicles ordered now will be delivered in early 2007. AC Propulsion are already working on a conversion of the European version of the Scion Xb for a customer in France.
For more information on ordering a eBox go to their order page
Read my test drive of the eBox
See Tom Hanks driving his eBox courtesy of Youtube
See the ebox at an autocross courtesy of Google Video
Read Forbes Bagattelle-Black's eBox test drive at EVWORLD or The AutoWeek Test drive
They are now taking fully refundable deposits for the Tango kit cars, the Tango production vehicle, the T600, and the more basic versions of the Tango that are projected to be built in the future. These deposits will be placed in an escrow account that will make them fully refundable at any time. They are Currently working on the first run of 10 cars of which seven will have Lithium batteries. They can now build to UK Specifications and will be delivering the first T600 to the UK later this year.
The Commuter
Car Company has built a prototype Tango which seats two and gives impressive
performance. They claim a top speed of over 100 mph, a 0-60 time of 4
seconds and a range of up to 50 miles. The car is fitted with a battery
management system which will allow you to do close to the rated mileage without
risking damage to the batteries although deep discharges will reduce cycle life.
Their first produciton vehicle was completed by the UK company Prodrive, and was delivered to Actor George Clooney in August last year. The cost of producing vehicles using Prodrive however proved to be too high so the body molds have been bought from them by Commuter Cars and they have just started production of their second vehicle here in the US. They recently announced that they had 6 firm orders for the T600 and had several more orders that were currently pending.
The cost of the T600 varies from $85,000 to $108,000. To avoid the cost of crash testing they are selling these cars in the form of a Kit. They are also looking to partner with one of the automobile manufacturers so that they can produce the car, and a lower cost version at a cost competitive price.
Read the Seattle Times article on the Tango
Phoenix
MotorCars started out by building electric vehicles based on
vintage US models from the 1940s. Their first prototype was a 1937 ford coupe
but after getting it running to test out their system the drive train has been
removed and placed in another vehicle. They have now developed a Sports
Utility Truck (SUT) using Altairnano Li batteries and are taking orders from
Fleets for a production run of 500 vehicles.
The SUT will have a range of about 130 miles per charge and a top speed of 95 mph. 0-60 can be accomplished in just under 10 seconds. Payload for this truck is 1000 lbs.
The vehicle comes equipped with a 6.6 KW onboard charger that can charge the car from a 220V outlet in 6 to 8 hours. Also available as a 250KW fast charging system that can bring the batteries up to a full charge in as little as 10 minutes. The fast charger is expensive though at around $100,000 but will be a good investment for large fleets.
The
Altairnano batteries are claimed to have a high cycle life, 12 year shelf life,
and have eliminated the fire issues that have plagued other Lithium batteries.
Phoenix will follow up this initial offering with a second vehicle, this time an SUV, in late 2007. The SUV will offer similar performance and to the SUT.
Phoenix say that they have over 300 orders so far, including 200 ordered by Pacific Gas and Electric, and are expected to sell the entire 2007 production to fleet customers. They expect to start selling to individuals in 2008 but might be persuaded to sell before then. At the official Launch of the SUT, that was held on March 1, 2007 at the Petersen Automotive Museum, Ed Begley Jr. committed to buying one and I am sure that his will be one of the first delivered.
Their order page is now up and they are accepting non-fleet orders for delivery in 2010.
See the autoblog Green test drive courtesy of Youtube
Check out my test drive
For more information and pricing contact Byron at (909) 987-0815
Venturi Fetish
The
Venturi
Fetish is a high performance sports car built in Monaco. It uses the
ACP 150 drive train manufactured by AC 
Propulsion and the ACP Li Ion battery
pack. It boasts a top speed of a little over 100 miles per hour and 0-60
of 4.3 seconds. The Li Ion battery pack give it a range of between 120
-200 miles. It can be charged in about 3 hours at 80 amps but a full
charge on a 110v circuit at 16amps requires 16.5 hours.
The Fetish is currently being sold in Europe, Japan and California, USA. It is hand made to order and is not cheap at €450,000 (approximately $630,000 at current exchange rates). They are only going to build 25 of these sports cars so they will be very rare and unique vehicle.
Venturi already have three people interested in purchasing one of these vehicles so even at this price there is still a demand.
Here
is some excellent video of the
Fetish courtesy of youtube (in Italian)
Contact Venturi Phone: 377 99 99 52 00
World Class Exotics produces electric conversions based on the Porsche 911, Porsche Boxter,. They will also add exotic bodies to the Porsche chassis creating electric versions of such vehicle as the Lamborghini Diablo and the 1987 Rolls Royce Silver Spur. These cars can be built to a number of voltages from 156 to 365 volts and a range of battery types including Lead Acid, NiCAD, NiZn and Li Ion can be selected. The 11 inch Kostov motor gives a top speed of around 85 mph. Range varies from 50 mile per charge up to 200 miles per charge depending on the battery option chosen. A fast charger option is also offered.
Prices start at around $29,000 for the basic lead acid model.
For more information visit their contacts page
Micro-Vett is the leading maker of electric vehicles in Italy and was the company responsible for designing the electric Piagio Porter. They are now producing two electric vehicles, Ydea city car and the Doblo freeway capable EV.
The Doblo is an all electric conversion of the Fiat Doblo MPV with a top speed of 125 kph (75 mph) and a range of 150 Km (90 miles). It comes with a lithium Ion battery pack and will seat from 2 to 5 passengers depending on the model. It comes in all configurations that are available with the Doblo Diesel.
In
France contact Newteon
In
Norway contact EnviroEiblisalg
For details on purchasing a Doblo contact Micro-vett using their contact page or phone 39 0542 362050
Ecolari is and Italian based company that is now selling an electric version of the five door Fiat Panda sedan which they call the EnerMove. Their information on this car appears to be a single PDF with specs on the car and as Babel Fish doesn't seem to want to translate the entire page I have done the best I can to translate information.
It appears that the car has a 190V pack of Zebra batteries that give the car a top speed of 110 kph and a claimed range in city driving of 120 Km and a 135 km at a constant 50 kph. The car will accellerate from 0 to 50 kph in 7 seconds. The car comes with a 220V charger and also features regenerative braking.
For more information about purchasing the EnerMove contact Ecolari
The AVT 100E is a 4 passenger minivan that is built by AVT in the UK. They will custom built one for you at a cost starting around £20,000
Top Speed in 100mph
Range 20 - 150 miles depending on Battery Options
Blue Lias House,
Station Road,
Hatch Beauchamp,
Somerset TA3 6SQ
England
phone 01823 480196
Fax 01823 481116
email info@avt.uk.com
They can also provide conversions of such cars as the Smart ForTwo and the Peugeot 106.
Blade Electric vehicles make a freeway capable 4 seat electric car called the Electron. This car is based on the Hyundi Getz. It is fitted with a 40 KW 3 phase AC motor driven by a LiFePO4 battery pack that offers a range of 120 Km (74 miles) and a top speed of 125 kph (77 mph). The car offers two speeds, the lower "Town" mode allowing a top speed of 80 kph (50 mph) and the "Highway" mode for higher speeds. The car can be recharged at any 240V outlet but can also be charged at a faster rate if 30amp service is available.
Blade offer a 5 year warranty for labor only, parts are only warranted using the original manufacturers warranty so it will vary from component to component. Prices start at around $32,000 Australian plus the cost of the donor vehicle.
View Video of the Electron courtesy of youtube
To purchase a Blade Runner contact Blade Electric Vehicles Pty Ltd, Hardcourt Victoria telephone 0410 49 2195
Tesla Motors
Breaking News - Tesla have just announced the Model S 4 door sedan which is projected to begin deliveries in late 2011.
Tesla are taking reservations for the Model S now but warn that the reservation money will be used to fund development and if the company goes under the reservation money could be lost. For more info see this Motortrend article.
Tesla Motors have sold out their projected 2007 production and are now taking orders for 2008. To find out more about Tesla Motors' electric sports car go to your favorite internet search engine and search for Tesla Motors.
If any owner out there would like to email evfinder and tell me their experience I would love to pass on the information to prospective buyers. I would also like to hear about any full sized EVs that are not listed here, or send any questions you might have about EVs.
Now for the fine print - remember always read the fine print.
The information contained in this web site is based on information I have received about the availability of vehicles both new and used. I attempt to keep the information here as current as possible but I would appreciate being notified of any inaccuracies you may find. The appearance of a vehicle on this site does not imply any endorsement of that vehicle, or any implication that the vehicle will be suitable for your needs. As always you should investigate the vehicle and the seller before shelling out your hard earned money.