The Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero EV
So you really want an efficient electric vehicle, but at the same time you want to be able to go over 200 mph, propelled by 1,000 horsepower. Well, those two wants are no longer at odds with one another, as the new Ultimate Aero EV from Shelby Supercars (SSC), looks to be able to do just that. Also, it can go from 0-to-60 mph in 2.5 seconds according to a recent press release, and the 150 mile range battery can be fully charged in 10 minutes.
At this point, if you’re thinking that this is too good to be true, well, it kind of is. You see, those numbers are all based on computer estimations and mathematics. The first pre-production Ultimate Aero EV will be rolled out of the factory in the second quarter of 2009, and that’s when those numbers will be put to the test. Although, SSC seems pretty confident in their success, as they’re already planning to begin delivering vehicles by the end of 2009.
While the veracity of their performance claims will have to remain unanswered for the next couple months, there is one very exciting, and very real, portion of the Ultimate Aero that should get green car enthusiasts excited: a scalable drivetrain. Most electric drivetrains are either really powerful (see: the Fisker Karma Without Evidence rip Down with Love dvdrip ), and some are fairly weak when it comes to power output. What SSC has done is developed what they call the All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP). The same basic drivetrain setup can be scaled to have 200 horsepower for your standard sedans and mid-size vehicles, 500 horsepower for vans and light trucks, and up to 1,200 horsepower for ridiculously over-the-top supercars.
The main benefit to scalable powertrains is that they can drastically reduce production costs. Think of it this way: you are a car company who wants to make a range of electric vehicles in different segments. Using today’s electric drivetrains, you may be able to take a sedan’s electric drive and transfer it to a sporty coupe, but you’ll never be able to make it work in a half-ton pickup truck. The AESP could theoretically solve this problem. As the technologies are further unveiled, and the Ultimate Aero EV pre-production model is shown off, many questions will have to be answered. Main among them is cost. It doesn’t matter how infinitely scalable an electric drivetrain is if each one costs $100,000.
