Move over conventional sports cars,
Detroit Electric’s SP:01 is here to redefine speed... without razing down rain
forests
Go green! The exhortation is everywhere,
from hoardings and posters on public buses to our boob tube and newspapers. And
with alternative modes of transport being more and more accessible, we just
have some very weak excuses left not to at least look at the greener side of
the grass.
And
with alternative modes of transport being more and more accessible, we just
have some very weak excuses left not to at least look at the greener side of
the grass.
Except when it comes to performance.
Performance is the last bastion of
conventional cars. That acrid smell of oil, burnt fuel and spent gases, that
crescendo from the exhaust as you mash the throttle right into the floor and
that snick-snick of the ‘box as the cogs seamlessly fall into place is
something that alternative vehicles haven’t been able to match yet. Despite all
their virtues and there are a lot of them – alternative cars have fallen flat
when it comes to performance, but the scenario is gradually changing now, with
cars like the Fisker Karma and the Tesla Roadster leading the charge of the
electric brigade. Now, there’s a new player on the block, albeit one with a heritage
as old as the car itself.
Detroit Electric, one of the original
electric car innovators, began life in 1906 and established itself as the
market leader and most prolific manufacturer of electric cars. Their
automobiles were mainly sold to drivers of the fair sex and physicians who
desired the dependable and immediate start without the physically demanding
hand cranking of the engine that was required in early internal combustion
engine automobiles. The company went on to make some 13,000 vehicles by 1939
after which it folded, but not before it cinched the electric vehicle
production world record for the 20th century.
Now,
seemingly out of the blue, the company is back, showing off its Lotus-based
SP:01 prototype in Shanghai.
Now, seemingly out of the blue, the company
is back, showing off its Lotus-based SP:01 prototype in Shanghai. They are dead
serious about it too, having worked on it for the last five years and are now
putting it on sale in a limited number.
A limited-edition, two-seat, pure-electric
sports car, the SP:01 sets a new benchmark for performance and handling in the
electric vehicle segment. In terms of sheer performance, there’s no equaling
this car, as is expected of a car that is the brainchild of Albert Lam, who had
been CEO of the UK’s Lotus Engineering Group and executive director of Lotus
Cars of England. Boasting of an impressive top speed of 249 km/h and capable of
the 0-100 km/h sprint in a blistering 3.7 seconds, the SP:01 is the world’s
fastest pure-electric production car. The SP:01’s exceptional performance is
owed in large part to its excellent power-to-weight ratio. The rear-wheel-drive
SP:01 features a compact, mid-mounted 204 PS electric motor (delivering 225 Nm
of torque), a lightweight, purpose-designed battery pack and all-new
carbon-fiber bodywork. In true Colin Chapman tradition, the total weight is
just a midge over 1,000 kg, contributing to the SP:01’s superior driving
dynamics and class-leading handling.
The
SP:01’s exceptional performance is owed in large part to its excellent
power-to-weight ratio.
With an impressive energy storage capacity
of 37 kWh, the battery gives the SP:01 a range of almost 310 kilometers between
recharges, when tested to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard.
Detroit Electric’s home charging unit will enable drivers to charge their
SP:01, with full charge achieved in 4.3 hours. The vehicle is based on a strong
yet lightweight aluminum platform and is being launched following a five-year
development and road-test program. As well as the all-new carbon-fiber
bodywork, similar to that used in Formula One vehicle chassis, the SP:01 also
features specialized performance-tuned suspension, steering and brake systems
to provide class-leading ride and handling characteristics. An all-disc braking
system, coupled with ABS (anti-lock braking system), regenerative braking
technology and ESP (electronic stability control) is fitted as standard,
ensuring excellent stopping power.
The SP:01 is already on sale in the US and,
as we go to press, 35 people have committed to buying this electric speed whiz
as and when production begins, for the price of US $1,35,000. A prediction: if
the future is composed of more cars like this, we have nothing to fear.
