Thursday 12th May 2011

Delta E-4 Electric Coupe Revealed

200 miles on a charge, and (or...) 0-60mph in under 5secs

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Delta Motorsport, a UK engineering consultancy based at Silverstone, has launched a new battery-electric coupe which it designed and built from the ground-up. They say the Delta E-4 Coupe's focus on light weight and high-efficiency systems gives it a range of 200 miles on a single charge, but it can also accelerate from zero to 60mph in fewer than five seconds.

The car is built around a carbon composite chassis weighing just 85kg - 2/3rds the weight of a comparable steel structure, despite being designed to pass EU crash tests.

High performance direct-drive electric motors were designed in partnership with Oxford University and produce over 600Nm/120hp each while only weighing 23kg, while a low, sporty seating position with the batteries mounted under the floor means that the car handles superbly (they also say!) with low aerodynamic drag.

Development of the car was supported by a grant for research and development by the Regional Development Agency for the East Midlands area, EMDA. Five vehicles have been produced for the Technology Strategy Board Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Program (Yawn... Ed.), and the vehicles are part of the EEMS Accelerate consortium which aims to showcase high performance electric vehicles with cutting edge British design and engineering. So you can't buy one.

If you want to see it anyway, the Delta E-4 Coupe will be taking part in the RAC Future Car Challenge on Saturday 5th November 2011, one day before the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run.

[_Al_]

What a downbeat, cynical article! Surely a leading edge, not to mention technically interesting, product by a UK company should be treated a bit better than this?

[_Al_]

Chris-R said:

Eh? All I did was yawn during the boring part...

I read "so they say" as "but it's probably B.S" and "but you can't buy one" as "so it's all pointless".

Probably says more about my frame of mind today than it does about your writing