Electric Cars on the Horizon

Various Locations, February 9, 2009: Advances in battery technology may be breathing new life into the electric car. Before now, electric vehicles typically capped off around 60 miles per charge, relegating them to the status of commuter cars. But now, lithium-ion batteries are now being successfully integrated into street-legal electric supercars such as the Tesla Roadster by Tesla Motors and the Ultimate Aero EV by Shelby SuperCars (SSC).

The Tesla Roadster is powered by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries - the same cells that run a laptop computer and although it's fast the range on a single charge is 220 miles but requires almost 4 hours for a full charge. The Ultimate Aero EV soon to be unveiled by SSC will produce 1000+ hp, top speed of 208 mph with an extraordinary range of 250 miles. But in this case the supercar can recharge fully in 10 minutes! That's fast and efficient.

While SSC's Nanotechnology Rechargeable Lithium Battery pack is rechargeable in 10 minutes on a standard 220 outlet, its main feature is its scalability. The company announced that its All Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) is scalable from 200 horsepower for an economy and midsize-car, to 500-hp for light trucks and SUVs, and up to 1,200-hp for heavy-duty trucks or military vehicles.

If an upstart like Tesla or Shelby SuperCars could engineer such a phenomenal powertrain then a fledgling electric car company has other advantages, too. No corporate red tape, a choice of suppliers and an open road for engineering accomplishments.

Meanwhile, the Big Three had been (what they think is) successful in their EV attempts. Years of research and over $1 billion and they delivered the Volt - an astounding 40 miles per charge and 6 hours to recharge. GM is quoted, "The design, development and production of advanced batteries must be a core competency for GM, and we've been rapidly building our capability and resources to support this direction. This is a further demonstration of our commitment to the electrification of the automobile and to the Chevrolet Volt - a commitment that now totals more than $1 billion." Maybe they should have outsourced.

Now the kicker.

Tesla Motors, announced recently in Detroit that Tesla is producing the battery pack for Daimler AG's Smart EV. Shelby SuperCars has also announced that in the next phase of their drivetrain development they too will be manufacturing and selling to automakers, government and to public, private and niche businesses with pricing starting at $5,000-$6,000 per unit for 1000 to 10,000 units.

Finally some smart technology, smart thinking and even smarter business plans in the electric car industry.