World’s fastest production car to go electric – with “several years between charging”

Gizmag.com ^ | 09/24/08 | Gizmag.com

[Reaganesque]

September 24, 2008 Last week saw the one year anniversary of SSC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scleroderma ’s Ulimate Aero http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AERO becoming the fastest production car in the world at 256.18 mph, pushing past marks set by Koenigsegg’s CCR and Bugatti’s Veyron. It’s the first time the top speed record has stood for a whole year since McLaren’s F1 held it for seven years with 386.4 kmh (240.1mph). Now comes news that an Ultimate Aero EV (Electric Vehicle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_vehicle ) is in development. A 500 bhp EV is planned for late 2009 and a 1000 bhp 4WD EV is also under consideration. Now here’s the kicker – the press statement reads: “The drive train under development will feature a revolutionary power source allowing for extended time between charging intervals with the possibility of several years between charging.”

The anniversary date was September 13 to be exact, but it’s the prospect of the first 100% Green Supercar How-to-Import-Your-Own-Supercar that is interesting. Engineering details are yet undisclosed but SSC expects to roll out its first prototype in February 2009. As for the revolutionary drive train, well, we have no idea what is planned and … we’ll suspend disbelief in respect of the company’s proven ability to do exactly what it has said it will do in the past. A track record as good as SSC’s gives this otherwise ridiculous claim some credibility, though it’ll need to be pretty special to run a few years between charges – maybe it’s a micro-nuclear powerplant,

"I think we can do it faster, leaner and cleaner than any other manufacturer" says Jerod Shelby, SSC Founder.

Consistent with its company philosophy of being the benchmark, SSC plans next to break the record for the fastest electric car Innovation-At-Big-Companies Dec-07 in the world.

[Reaganesque]

Very interesting. I am wary of buying into this as I have yet to see any thing on other tech blogs that even hint at an electric car that could go "years" between charges. But, the article seems to indicated that Shelby Supercars has a track record of doing what they say they are going to do so, this may be worth keeping an eye on. If true, it truly could be revolutionary.

Here's what the existing Aero looks like:

Ohhhh, my!!! Dear Santa... :-)

[Figment]

Cost?

[DesertSapper]

Call me a skeptic but this just can’t be true. But . . . Holy sheep dip I sure wish it was!

[Reaganesque]

Just for fun, here's the video of the Aero setting the record for "World's Fastest Production Car".

Click here for video.

If the electric version has half the power of this machine, and goes for only a few days with out the need to recharge, it will be a transformational car. We'll see.

[Rca2000]

This is about a 60 year old idea, A nuclear powered car. We MIGHT had had them a LONG time ago, had the envirofags and such not killed nuclear power in this country a long time ago. Nuclear powered planes were proposed too.

It would HAVE to be a nuke, in order to go “several years” between “charging”. You ARE talking about MANY megawatts of power, probably 100 megawatts over 5 years, at 30k a year, or so.

Otherwise—the whole thing it another fantasy.

[Reaganesque]

Don’t know but, I’m sure its the kind of car that, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it. However, the point would be that an electric car with a practical range before recharge can be produced. But, its a bold claim that current technology doesn’t seem to back up but, you never know. One can always hope...

[bolobaby]

Could just means it will hold a charge for several years without degradation.

[LibWhacker]

with the possibility of several years between charging

Okay, I think I can see how this can be done in principle... You coast down a hypothetical highway on Olympic Mons at the rate of 0.5 miles per day, thus doing the old trickle re-charge trick on your batteries every day for three years straight, keeping them alive. Otherwise, NO WAY!

[Porterville]

years? do charges do they mean owners?

Those “charged” with managing pieces of sh..

[FastCoyote]

[Could just means it will hold a charge for several years without degradation.]

Or it could mean you only charge it up every couple years cause you crapped your pants so bad on the last run :)

[fso301]

bump

[truthguy]

An Electric Car with a year between charges. There is a bridge across the San Francisco Bay that I'd like to sell you. Come on I thought I was going to read something interesting about electric or plug in hybrids. Total Garbage article!

[Reaganesque]

Just had a thought: It could mean that if you purchase this car with your credit card, it will be years before you can charge anything else on it.

[Reaganesque]

Thank you for your input. Its always nice to hear from the “you wasted my time” contingent. Of course, if it was such a waste of time, surely posting on the thread was also a waste but, hey, somebody’s gotta be the grumpy old fart of the thread, right?

[nomad]

Hey,its the perpetual motion machine,hooray!Algore must have invented it using data from his Internet.

[old-ager]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_battery

[Tucker39]

If they have such a battery it must be their own proprietary design and kept secret. Such news out in the real world should have been plastered all over the globe.......and the Chinese should have copied it by now.

[Figment]

I have eternal faith in the free market. If an affordable vehicle of this type is to be built it will be through private means. Sounds though like something to replace your Ferrari rather than something practical

[I see my hands]

Doesn't sound right. What if there were a story: Today, Victor, America's oldest purveyor of rodent traps, announced they are introducing a line of self setting Mouse traps. The breakthrough came about through an exploitation of time travel, which the company's R&D department has been tinkering with for several years. Victor also announce it hopes to have a self setting rat trap ready to unveil at the next Exterminator's Expo and Exhibition.

I mean the car is not the story.

[steve86]

Jerod Shelby’s SSC is located about 7 miles from my house. Still waiting for my test drive, however.