The Thorr Electric Car by Evisol
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.30.08
Evisol makes "integrated solutions" for electric and hybrid vehicles (including boats). Drivetrains, batteries, that kind of stuff. How better to demonstrate their skills than by making an electric car of their own? Meet the Thorr electric roadster, a proud relative of the classic Lotus Super 7 concept.
Simplicity is the name of the game here. Low complexity, low weight. A car stripped of all the bells and whistles, except for the state of the art electric drivetrain. No ABS, power assisted braking, gearbox, power assisted steering, any form of sound absorption, not even a roof and a windshield (okay, that might be a bit overkill, but they'll probably tweak it some more). See below for specifications, a video and more photos.
We couldn't find information about price or release date yet, but there are many specifications available. Still, don't hold your breath. There's a good chance that Evisol will have more impact by selling its components to other automakers than by making its own mainstream cars...
Some Thorr Electric Car Specification Highlights
- Total Vehicle Weight: 755 kg (1,665 lbs)
- Range New European Driving Cycle: 200 km (125 miles)
- Range @ 120 km/h: 140 km (87 miles)
- Range @ 80 km/h: 230 km (143 miles)
- Total Battery Capacity: 29 kWh
- Cell Type: Kokam Lithium Polymer
- Continuous Power: 67 kW – 91 hp
- Maximum Power: 200 kW – 272 hp
- Maximum Torque: 450 Nm
Video of the Thorr Electric Car by Evisol
::Thorr Electric Car Official Site, ::Evisol Official Site, ::Electric Super Seven from Evisol Thorr offers high power and light weight
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Hmm... interesting. It seems to me they're trying to find a balance between performance and efficiency and it's not working too well for them. It doesn't look terribly streamlined and 80km/h isn't very fast. Not a very showy video either. =/
Sounds like a TIE fighter
200 kW – 272 hp...
That's enough power to have some fun with...
In response to the previous comment:
It looks like 120kmh is the max speed and if it handles anywhere near as well as the Caterham 7 you'll be able to drive around virtually any corner at max speed!
Also aerodynamic drag is relative to the square value of the speed so you're not going to encounter much air resistance at these relatively slow speeds.
I doubt 120km/h is the max speed. It's just one speed that was used to calculate range because it's a common speed on the highway. IMHO
Google some of the Lotus Seven top speed specs for gasoline engined vehicles, unless the 120km/h is electronically limited (governor) or a gear ratio limitation, there is no way that is the top speed with 272HP.
"We couldn't find information about price or release date yet"
Probably because it isn't intended for production. I think this is a one-off vehicle to showcase Evisol's products. They just bought a build-it-yourself Lotus Super7 kit and put their electric drive system in it.
why can't you put a couple of solar panels on the roof?? would that work?
Donnie,
There is no roof, so that would be difficult, I suspect that for the same amount of money, the range would be extended more by additional batteries than by solar cells, and considering that the car has no roof it will probably spend most of its life under roof or a cover, so the solar cells would be useless.