The X1 prototype: Faster Than Your Average Ferrari.
Most of the time I like to profile cars we might actually get the chance to drive, but it never hurts take a look at the forefront of technology. Enter the X1 prototype, an open-canopy electric vehicle that meets somewhere between go-cart and Indy-500 race car.
Think electric vehicles can’t hack it? They don’t all look like golf carts, and they sure as hell don’t all poke around under 65 mph: The X1 was just featured in a series of Mythbusters’ tests where it beat a Ferrari in a quarter-mile race (see MythBuster: Why Electric Vehicles Beat Gas in 5 Extreme Tests).
The X1 uses a 3-phase AC induction motor and inverter from AC Propulsion, which catapults it from 0-60 in 3.07 seconds. There’s no clutch, no shifting, and first gear will take you all the way to 112 mph. The electrical system is powered by lithium polymer batteries, which is another variation on lithium-based systems I’ve highlighted before. The X1 has a 100 mile range and reaches an overall equivalent of 175 MPG.
Before you get too excited, note that this is only a concept vehicle, not a production model. The company says the X1 will lead to a production vehicle in the future that will be “better… much better,” but the cost is expected to be somewhere around $200,000. Lithium polymer batteries aren’t cheap either: $40,000 to swap them out.
But man, this car can move, and it’s the kind of game-changing technology that we like to support. As Jamie Hyneman concluded in his article (above): “if you can go electric, you should.” It won’t take you and your family cross-country, but it beats buying gas, and if you mostly drive to and from work (which most of us do), what else do you need?.
Too expensive? Check these two out: An Electric Car You Can Buy Today: The $20K TRIAC EV and Affordable Electric Cars Coming to US in 2009.
Other Posts Related to Electric Cars:
- Inflatable Electric Cars: Surround Your Body in Bliss
- Want to Test Drive a Hydrogen Powered Car? GM’s “Project Driveway†Looking For Drivers
- Nissan to Sell Electric Cars in US by 2010
- Tesla’s First Electric Vehicle, 2008 Roadster, Now Under Production
Source and Image Credit: Wrightspeed Inc., The X1 Prototype
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