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Image Gallery: Highway-Speed Electric Vehicles 2
As battery cell technology advances, expect electric automakers Miles, Myers, Aptera, and Phoenix to shift production of electric cars and hybrids into high gear.
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Myers Motors
Myers Motors is in the rarified set of electric car makers that is actually building and shipping vehicles to customers. Its highway-legal, single-passenger commuter car, the NmG, can exceed 75 mph, the company says.
The NmG from Myers Motors can exceed 75 mph and be insured and parked as a motorcycle. |
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Carnival colors and a bulbous shape, have had the three-wheel NmG turning heads since it went into production in 1999. Current orders ship with 13 sealed lead acid batteries with a total weight of 598 lbs. The price is $29,995.
Myers is beta testing a lithium-powered battery pack which has shown a 40+ mile range in winter (in Ohio) and a 60-mile range on 70-degree days (mostly highway driving). The company is offering 15 lithium-powered vehicles as beta testers for $29,995 each.
Phoenix Motors
California-based Phoenix Motors makes highway-speed zero-emission SUVs and SUTs (sports utility trucks). Performance of the Phoenix Motors SUV is clocked at 95 MPH with 0 - 60 in less than ten seconds.
This sports utility truck from Phoenix Motors charges in 5- to 6-hours and has a top speed of 95 mph. |
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The company uses lithium titanate battery technology developed by Altairnano. Similar to lithium-ion chemistry, the batteries implement a compound containing titanium that prevents the fundamental cause of uncontrolled thermal runaway. Phoenix says the battery can be recharged in less than 10 minutes, operates in cold and hot weather and is expected to last more than 12 years. Production is expected to begin in 2010.
Loremo
Another X Prize contender is the Loremo, named for being a LOw REsistance automobile. The Loremo's unusual steel structure is designed for maximum passenger protection and fuel economy. Bavarian-engineered and powered by a 20KW Lithium-ion battery, the car is sufficiently powerful to attain speeds up to 100 mph.
Rear-facing back seats are said to provide a high level of safety for children. Production is scheduled for 2010, but shipment will be limited to the E.U., at least initially. Two turbo-diesel hybrid versions will sell for $13,000 - 18,000. Pricing for the all-electric version is not available.
To see more photos of these road-ready electric cars and hybrids, click here.
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