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Tuesday July 22, 2008
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Low slung and sleek, the Lightning reminds me of a Jaguar. It very well might be the perfect platform to snap photos of a Jaguar... out the back window as you pull away! The Lightning does 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds, a full second faster than a Jag and 7 seconds (aka--a lifetime) faster than a Prius! But what makes the Lightning special is it's an electric automobile.
Joining the ranks of all-electrics, like Tesla Motors Roadster, the Lightning has further innovated by banking on a lithium-titanate battery, Don't feel bad, I hadn't heard of lithium-titanate either. Forget overnight charging. If you've got three-phase power available, this car can be fully charged in 10 minutes for 200 miles of driving. The batteries themselves have a life expectancy of 12+ years, versus the 3-5 year usable life of other batteries.
To help the power last longer the Lightning takes advantage of regenerative braking. That means the 30% of engine output typically lost to braking is now put back in the battery. Not exactly cutting edge, New York City's subways slow down the same way.
Lift the hood of your car and I'll find the engine, but the Lightning has no engine. That reduces maintenance greatly. Instead, there's an electric motor on each wheel, all electronically controlled. What electrics have that an internal combustion engine does not is high torque at all speeds. That means rabbit quick starts and peppy acceleration from nearly any speed.
From Lightning: "There are no gearboxes, differential, axle, drive shafts or propshafts to contend with. All of the power is generated at the wheel, the point at which it's required, which eliminates mechanical complexity and power losses experienced in standard sports cars. These lightweight and ultra powerful motors don't add significant extra unsprung weight and are therefore ideal in that position."
I know you're expecting a downside--a reason this won't be in your garage when it's released later this year. First, it's not immediately being marketed in the United States. Something about certification, which if I remember correctly, even the Yugo received. Then, there's the question of price. The Lightning is built and will be sold in England. There it will set you back around £120,000 or $ 238,824. On the other hand, you'll make Al Gore smile as he inhales the dust from your wildly spinning tyres (Damn you spellchecker, it's British!).
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July 23, 2008 8:18 PM
Ahm, err, the tyres don't spin. Cicuitry in the hub motors limit torque to prevent wheel slipage.
July 24, 2008 3:26 AM
Its a bit churlish to slate the company for not immediately coming to America. Save regulation you also have Left Hand Drive to worry about, also the "YUGO" was a mass market car. Its a start up give them a break.
July 24, 2008 1:11 PM
Kris - I was making a joke, however I believe the circuitry limits, but doesn't eliminate slippage. However, if Lightning will lend me one, I'll be glad to test it.
Wayne - I was making a joke. Ask Kris. He'll tell you I'm a joker.
Geoff Fox
July 25, 2008 12:22 AM
Another thing they would need to resolve before they could sell it in the US, the name. Ford already has a trademark on the name Lightning.
July 25, 2008 4:33 PM
I can't wait for mass-marketed electric cars to reach the U.S. market. I'm a hot-rodder from way back. The gobs of torque that an electric car can muster really tweaks my fancy. The hot-rodding market for electric cars will be brand new and wide open for bleeding-edge innovators.
I remember a striking TV commercial for the Dodge Stealth from way back at its debut. It began with an utterly black screen, apparently showing the completely dark interior of a garage where nothing could be seen. Suddenly a horrendous roar and screeching arose as an engine barked to life and all four tires of an unseen black Stealth began simultaneously boiling-off rubber in response to a wide-open-throttle assault. In synchronous, the unseen garage door rapidly rose, barely in time, to allow the shrieking car to escape its confines, while permitting only minimal light to be cast inward, silhouetting a fleeting glimpse of the uncaged beast. In a second, the cloud of vaporized tread and four tread streaks were all that remained behind in the empty garage. Not quite "green", but definitely quite memorable.
I'd like to see that done with the Lightning.
August 4, 2008 7:17 PM
I just wonder about how Lightning was able to adapt PML's motors to the Lightning so well, when Volvo is claiming a. they have exclusive rights to PML's technology, and b. that it will take "10 years" or more to commercialize the same technology (see interview with Volvo Engineer for the ReCharge here) http://evtransportal.com/volvorecharge.html