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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| DeLorean Rolls Out Electric Car |
| 2012-01-23 |
| DeLorean Motor Co., Inc. has unveiled the DeLorean EV, an electric car that marries the legendary Back to the Future DeLorean automobile of the 1980s with a lithium-ion-based, DC-powered, electric drivetrain of today. "It turns out the DeLorean is a perfect platform for electrification," noted Chris Anthony, CEO of Flux Power, Inc. and Epic Electric Vehicles, both of which worked with DeLorean Motors to develop the powertrain for the new vehicle. "It's well designed, it's lightweight, it never rusts, and it has a design aesthetic that's meant to blow you away." Surprisingly, the new DeLorean EV is not a publicity stunt. DeLorean Motors, which has serviced, restored and sold DeLoreans since 1995, plans to begin selling the converted EVs in 2013. Interested parties are already said to be lining up to reserve vehicles, which are expected to cost between $90,000 to $100,000. "We've been surprised by the reaction," said James Espey, vice president of DeLorean Motor Co., in an interview with Design News. "It's killed our web site twice and the phones have been ringing non-stop." DeLorean has been working on the idea for about four years. Because the company has a 40,000-square-foot warehouse stocked with more than a million parts, its executives fixed on the idea of using the parts in a new, electrically-powered version of the car. Plans are to build between 350 and 400 electric DeLoreans, based on the company's current inventory of parts. "Our primary business has been parts, service, and restoration," Espey told us. "We've literally got millions of nuts, bolts, and washers. We've got seats, wheels, brakes, and transmissions. It's all here in the building. And the best way to make money off those parts is to assemble them into cars again." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #12 Grunter, Yes, I feel the same way; today. Consider that while petrol (gasoline) has a high energy density, internal combustion engines only use about 25% of that energy. At 10X the charge density, silicon-lithium batteries come close to gasoline's usable energy density. Most power plants on the electric grid are idling at night. If cars could be charged only between midnight and say, 5AM, you wouldn't have to build more power plants. Silicon-Lithium batteries have a fast recharge cycle since so much electric charges can be moved per unit of time. If you had to "fill-up" during the day, it could be done during lunch. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2012-01-23 18:56 |
| #11 Mike, I will wait for the 500 mile long retractible power cord before I buy an all electric car. |
| Posted by: Grunter in Sydney 2012-01-23 18:23 |
| #10 Lithium batteries are currently greatly restricted by their anode materials. Several companies are working on silicon based anodes. I would suggest waiting for silicon-lithium batteries to become commercially available before investing in an all-electric car. See here. |
| Posted by: Mike Ramsey 2012-01-23 15:57 |
| #9 Are you saying you can fit 1.21 jigawatts of coke in the trunk? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2012-01-23 15:01 |
| #8 1.21 jigawatts of electric power, that's what it needs. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2012-01-23 14:44 |
| #7 How many kilos of coke will fit in the trunk? |
| Posted by: John DeLorean 2012-01-23 14:38 |
| #6 Nah, you just jam banana peels down the gas filler. |
| Posted by: gorb 2012-01-23 13:35 |
| #5 Does it come with a Mr. Fusion as standard equipment? |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2012-01-23 12:38 |
| #4 It's a bit too pricey for me. I paid $ 8k for the used ten year old Subaru Forester I run around in. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2012-01-23 12:18 |
| #3 It was a bit heavy for their internal combustion iteration, too. Underpowered |
| Posted by: Mullah Richard 2012-01-23 11:50 |
| #2 Isn't stainless a bit heavy for an electric? |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2012-01-23 11:46 |
| #1 Isn't stainless a bit heavy for an electric? |
| Posted by: Water Modem 2012-01-23 11:46 |