Tag Archives: electric vehicle

Tango

On the Tango

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I mean George Clooney’s got one, what else do I have to say?
Clooney Tango

The Tango is a plug-in EV produced by Commuter Cars Corporation. It may look like a small economy car, but the Tango is neither cheap nor slow. This in-line two-seater will rocket from 0-60 in 4 seconds and can reach a top speed of 135 mph. It meets or exceeds the performance specs of electric supercars like the Tesla Roadster and the Venturi Fetish. It’s price is comparable too, at $108,000. Just watch how a Google exec weaves through highway traffic as Danny from DannysContentment.net holds on for dear life in the backseat:

Also, I was intrigued by Danny’s other Tango video with Google’s solar powered charging station in their parking lot. Hats off to them; what an amazing glimpse into the future. If we could have these at more workplaces, it certainly would make a greener world. Maybe a tax write off as incentive for more companies to put these up would make some execs feel greener:

This is the complete, company released car specifications from commutercars.com:

Tango T600 (kit) Specifications:

(Subject to change.)

Width: 39″ (5″ narrower than a Honda Gold Wing)
Length: 8’5″ long, allowing it to park perpendicular to the curb.
Height: 60″
Ground Clearance: 4″
Weight: 3,150 lbs.
Distribution: 43/57 (percent front/rear)
Batteries: 19 Hawker Genesis G70EP lead acid batteries. Li-Ion batteries are optional.
Nominal Voltage: 228 V with 19 Hawkers (350 V with Li-Ion batteries)
Battery Weight: 988 lbs. (Hawker)
Charging: 40 amp on-board charger with Avcon conductive coupling. 200 amp off-board charger under development.
Steering: Rack and pinion with Cadillac CTS collapsible steering column and Momo Corse steering wheel
Front Suspension: Unequal length A-arm with coil-over Carrera shocks.
Rear Suspension: Trailing arm with coil-over Carrera shocks.
Controller: Zilla Z2K motor controller, providing up to 2,000 Amps at 350 Volts (600 kW). Designed and built by Otmar Ebenhoech at Café Electric LLC in Corvalis, OR.
Motors: 2 Advanced DC FB1-4001 9″ motors, one driving each rear wheel with over 1,000 ft-lb of combined torque at low rpms. 8,000 rpm redline.
Transmission: 2 direct drive gear boxes designed by Bert Transmission of St-Constant, Québec, the leading manufacturer of dirt circle track race car transmissions. 10 available ratios from 2.92:1 to 5:1. Standard ratio is 3.86:1. Splined axles can be easily locked together with center sleeve.
Hubs/Wheel Bearings: As used on the Mazda Miata.
Wheels: König alloy wheels: 14 x 6 front/15 x 6.5 rear, 4-100 bolt pattern
Tires: Toyo Proxes T1R: 195/45R14 front; 215/45R15 rear
Brakes: Mazda Miata calipers with Hawk HP Plus (rear) and HPS (front) pads. Wilwood master cylinder and pedal assembly.
HVAC: 12,000 BTU Vintage Air air conditioning system driven by variable speed AC motor for predictable climate control. 3,000 W electric heater for instant-on, powerful heating.
Seating: Tandem Sparco custom bucket seats with 4-point aircraft pilot harnesses on attached structures. Passenger straddles the front seat and harness structures which do not interfere with the passenger’s knees.
Storage: Passenger and a few bags of groceries with rear seat installed. Removed, it allows 2 very large suitcases and a large breifcase with the driver’s seat in extended position. (Rear seat with harness structure is removable through rear hatch.) Multiple compartments for smaller items.
Headroom: 39″ driver and passenger.
Trailer Hitch: Accepts standard 1.25″ hitch for towing generator cart for extended range. Front hitch for moving small airplanes.
Note: Projected performance specifications will vary depending on final weight, gearing, tires, and batteries used. Acceleration figures assume racing slicks are used on a drag strip.
Range: 40-60 miles maximum with Lead-Acid batteries
over 150 miles with Li-Ion batteries
Cost per Mile: About 1/2 the cost of a gasoline car for the average commuter. (See note.)
Acceleration: 0 to 60 MPH, about 4 seconds. 1/4 mile time about 12 seconds at a speed of approx. 120 MPH (See note.)
Top Speed: 135 MPH (See note.)

Notes:

Cost per Mile:

The average round-trip commute in the U.S. is 20 miles according to the 2000 report from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

For that average commute of 20 miles and up to 24 miles per charge, the total cost per mile of the Tango is approximately 30% lower than that of a Honda Insight. This includes battery replacement, maintenance, and the cost of electricity at $.05 per kWh (as in the Northwest). The Honda Insight has an EPA rating of 56 mpg city and 57 highway. Please see the Cost-per-Mile Spreadsheet for details. This spreadsheet shows how the Tango compares with other vehicles, both Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)-driven and hybrid. It includes gasoline and recommended dealer maintenance costs for the gasoline cars and electricity, maintenance, and battery replacement costs for the Tango.

In California where electricity rates are nearly $.15 per kWh, the total cost per mile for the Tango becomes roughly equal to that of the Insight. Electricity cost per mile runs from 0.9 cents to 2.6 cents as cost per kWh goes from 5 cents to 15 cents.

Acceleration:

0 to 60 MPH, about 4 seconds. 1/4 mile time about 12 seconds at a speed of approximately 120 MPH. These figures are based on comparisons with other cars that hold official records with NEDRA (National Electric Drag Racing Association). Calculations have taken weight, motor torque, controller, voltage, gear ratio, and traction into consideration. They assume that racing slicks are fitted and driven on a drag strip with good traction conditions. For example, the world record held for a dragster used the same controller as the Tango in the Current Eliminator IV, with a quarter mile time of 8.801 seconds at 137.65 MPH. The Tango has the same motors that the Maniac Mazda used to achieve an 11.039 second quarter mile at 111.80 MPH.

Top Speed:

135 MPH. This is a limitation based on a practical red-line for the motors of about 8,000 RPM with the standard 3.86:1 gear ratio. Top speed vs. acceleration can be traded off by choosing any of 10 different ratios from 2.92:1 giving a top speed of 172 MPH to 5:1 which would give a top speed of 100 MPH. The 5:1 would give phenomenal acceleration if you could get enough traction.

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Play by Play of 60 Minutes’ Electric Car Episode [VIDEO]

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Watch CBS Videos Online

:25- “The jury is still out on whether electric cars can ever really be practical”

The EV1 and Toyota Rav-4 EV showed us that electric cars could be completely viable alternatives over 10 years ago, using lead-acid batteries.

:58- “This (Tesla Roadster) is the first, all electric sports car…”

C’mon Lesley, you’re better than that. Forget the Venturi Fetish, Hybrid Technology’s LiV Rush, the Wrightspeed, and the Tzero; the Tesla Roadster was the first electric sports car. Why? Because an intern at CBS Googled it.

2:50-Enter Bob Lutz, Vice Chairman of GMBob Lutz

Is it me or could this man talk me out of driving a Ferrari off the lot for 10 grand. He is a terrible spokesman. He just sounds like he would rather be playing with his helicopters, his countless sports cars, and his Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet in German Luftwaffe colors (image right).  It sounds like hes doing this because he doesn’t want to be embarrassed by Tesla, not because he believes in the product.

4:13- “GM is already touting the car even though don’t yet have a working prototype.”

Really, not even a working prototype? GM had EV1’s with 160 mile ranges before they canceled the program.  What happened?

4:25- “The real trick on the car, is software. The car needs to know where home plate is.” -Lutz

Oh, thats the holdup.  The hold up is developing a completely unnecessary amenity that will tell the car how close you are to home.  Use GPS, hook it up to the gasoline activation system, done deal.  Why are they even working on this? If the charge is low, the gasoline extender should just come on regardless of where you are, for safety’s sake.  This is like delaying a trip to Mars because they can’t decide what color to paint the ship.

5:55- “People say, I hope you enjoy the billions you got from the oil companies, you swine” -Lutz

Well, do you?

8:45- Ethanol and hydrogen all had problems, won’t that happen with the electric car?

Ray Lane- “It could.”

Come on man, your selling electric cars. You should have a practiced response to this.  New, cheap, clean, and renewable sources of electricity are being built every day.  Electric cars can run off electricity that is available everywhere.  The infrastructure is already here, as well as the technology; electric cars are the only vehicles that can someday have absolutely no carbon emissions. You cannot compare it to ethanol and hydrogen.  Those were fake solutions to begin with. Why? Because the oil companies want to sell ethanol and hydrogen.

10:20- Yeah, but they (silicon valley) have no experience in the car business…-Lutz

Grasping for straws…

Eliica

On the Eliica

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Eliica

No, this isn’t the gag Funny Car you saw at the county strip. Although it is every bit as fast, making a Porsche 911 Turbo and a Mitsubishi Lancer YouTube fodder.

Eliica stands for Electric Lithium-Ion Car, and you will most likely never see it on the street. This 640 hp monster was developed by a team at the University of Keio in Tokyo, Japan. It boasts a 0-62 time of 4 seconds and is capable of cruising up to 230 mph. This is no small feat for a car that weighs over 5000 pounds, due mainly to the Lithium-Ion batteries that line the undercarriage. This power is needed to activate the 8 electric motors, one for each of the eight wheels. Each motor is 80 hp, hence the 640 hp total output. Only about 200 cars will be made, given the right amount of corporate sponsorship. And each will be sold for $240,000.

However, this car is more of a statement than anything else. What combustion vehicle do you know can seat five people comfortably, out sprint a Porsche, and travel 230 mph almost silently. The Eliica bypasses limits that are set on normal combustion engine vehicles. You cannot put eight engines on a station wagon; the input, exhaust, and cooling system necessary are only the beginning of your troubles. Electric motors are much more flexible, and Lithium-Ion batteries will inevitably improve. We’ve reached the limits of combustion engine capabilities given their century old, antiquated design. Still, automakers claim the technology for electric cars is not here yet. If a team at Keio University can design and build this wonder with a measly $320,000, I think the technology is here; and its in Tokyo.

Below is the first clip of a five part series on the Eliica. They’re very informative, and you can find the rest on YouTube if you can get through all the languages being thrown around.