Lotus's 635bhp electric seven-seater

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Source: AutoCar

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These are the first official pictures of American engineering firm ZAP’s radical new electric crossover. Under development by Lotus Engineering, the ZAP-X is closely based on Lotus’s APX concept from 2006.

A sleekly styled seven-seater, the X is intended to use a new and advanced type of battery that will give the car and extraordinarily long range for an electric car, and an unusually short charge time. ZAP claims a range of 350 miles and a charge time of just 10 minutes.

The car’s proposed combination of all-alloy construction, powerful in-wheel electric motors and advanced battery management systems has been described as “potentially very interesting technology” by a source close to the project.

ZAP claims the X will produce 635bhp from its four in-wheel electric motors, resulting in a top speed of 155mph and a 0-60mph time of 4.8sec. That would put its performance on a par with super-saloons such as the BMW M5.

The car also features technology such as solar cell windows that provide power to heat and cool the interior. Inside, the car will be fitted with a wireless network, USB ports, high-definition video screens and a PC.

But although it’s possible to build a battery that can be charged in 10 minutes, the infrastructure to make them on a commercially-viable scale doesn’t yet exist. The technology is progressing so quickly that mass-manufacture of this type of battery is several years away. That means we’re likely to have to wait until at least 2010 for the ZAP-X to appear in production form.
 
Telsa motors and ZAP are two seperate companies.
 
Dave A
Why? It is AWD.
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is it? i thought it would be quicker. is it really heavy?

TVR&Ferrari_Fan
Source: AutoCar
The car also features technology such as solar cell windows that provide power to heat and cool the interior. Inside, the car will be fitted with a wireless network, USB ports, high-definition video screens and a PC.
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i suppose it could be very heavy. it isnt as small as the telsa. in that cse it is rather quick
 
It's a 7 seater, not a sports car. For a car of it's type, it's very damn fast. It has 4 electric motors, 1 for each wheel.
 
So they are building a car out of unobtainium.

I bet it'll cost more than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

And the Cayenne Turbo sounds a damn sight better than a whirring electric car.
 
But, I bet it'll have electronic nannies that'll never allow you to really have fun with it.

Toyota'd love it.
 
skip0110
So they are building a car out of unobtainium.

I bet it'll cost more than a Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

And the Cayenne Turbo sounds a damn sight better than a whirring electric car.
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That's the only problem with electric cars. Their electric. No sound, no way to modify them. It's a sad future.
 
7 seats? With that roofline? Where are the heads of the people sitting in the 3rd row of seats going to be?
 
Mark T
That's the only problem with electric cars. Their electric. No sound, no way to modify them. It's a sad future.
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Sure there is: software updates. You'd just end up burning through the batteries quicker. Which brings me to my anti-battery rant....
 
Mark T
That's the only problem with electric cars. Their electric. No sound, no way to modify them. It's a sad future.
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No sound mainly brings people not hearing the car coming, which is worst for people not looking, before they cross the road.
 
Technologically, this sounds awesome. 350 miles is plenty on a single charge... especially if that only takes 10 minutes! I do hope they keep up on this, sure, it's not a solution for people doing long drives, but some of the stuff I don't see a problem with at all.
 

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