Hot Pininfarina Electric Hatchback

Electric cars are all the rage. Punctuating this clear market trend, famed Italian automotive design house Pininfarina's latest head-turner isn't an exotic sports car but a four passenger five-door hatchback compact electric car. The B0 (pronounced 'B Zero') took center stage in the Pininfarina display next to the Ferrari California at the recent Paris Mondial de l'Automobile 2008.

The B0 was unveiled in dedication to the late Chairman and Chief Executive of Pininfarina SpA - Andrea Pininfarina. Andrea was killed in a tragic motor scooter accident in August not far from the company headquarters outside Turin, Italy. The electric B0 was designed to be 'a solution for a cleaner world' and Andrea believed deeply in the project.

The B0 will be produced by Pininfarina in a joint venture with the Bolloré Group. In addition to its port operations around the world, Bolloré diversified into the battery business and will produce the lithium-metal polymer (LMP) battery pack and the supercapacitors to be used in the B0. The LMP battery pack is a large, rectangular, flat package positioned beneath the floor of the car for balanced weight distribution. Batscap, a subsidiary of Bolloré, has been working for the past 15 years on the development of solid-state lithium polymer battery technology. One of the primary advantages of the LMP battery is high energy density for its weight and the ability to be recharged in a few hours. Bolloré says the battery is maintenance free and should have a service life of 125,000 miles.

BatScap's supercapacitors are another key technology employed in the Pininfarina design. Here, the supercapacitors are used to draw and store energy from regenerative braking and feed it back into the power system. Supercapacitors can deliver a lot of energy over a short period of time, which make them ideal for launching the vehicle from a dead stop. When this energy is gathered during braking, an energy intensive launch doesn't overtax the main LMP battery. The supercaps can also provide extra energy to the electric motor when quick acceleration is needed.

The LMP battery and supercapacitors deliver juice to a 45 kWh electric motor that drives the front wheels. The B0 is projected to offer a range of just over 153 miles and a top speed of 80 mph. Considering the quick recharge time of just a few hours from a standard household outlet, the 150+ mile range should be easy to live with. Pininfarina pegs 0-60 kmh (37 mph) acceleration at 6.3 seconds.

Pininfarina's B0 features a weight-saving fiberglass composite body over an aluminum spaceframe. The design is pure Pininfarina and a treat to the eye, with purposeful lines that flow together in interesting shapes without becoming too busy. The B0 has a very wide stance for its overall size with wheels pushed out to the extreme corners of the body. The rear wheels are so far rearward, in fact, that the rear wheel arches and fenders transition directly into the rear bumper. The interior is clean and fashionable with light on dark surfaces that lend a contemporary feel. Overall fit and finish on both the exterior and interior are first rate, clearly a car headed for production.

To capture clean, free energy, the roof and portion of the hood are covered with high-performance solar panels. The Bolloré Group is also developing straightforward panels of photovoltaic cells to be installed by either a homeowner or in public places by businesses or municipalities to recharge the electric car's battery with solar energy.

The B0 will be branded as a Pininfarina when it goes into production in the fall of 2009 at the Pininfarina plant in Italy. Batteries will be produced at Bolloré's plant in Quimper, France. Pininfarina will offer the cars initially in Western Europe by the end of 2009, presumably as a 2010 model. Expect a waiting list as the world's desire for electric cars heats up.