Lightning High Performance Electric Sports Cars

The Lightning Car Company in England plans to market all-electric, high performance sports cars with 700 horsepower on tap. The cars benefit from 25 years of experience that its design and engineering team has amassed with developing high performance race cars with names like McLaren, Lola, Ronart, and Vanwall.

Energy comes from NanoSafe lithium-ion batteries from Altairnano Inc., like the ones used in Phoenix Motorcars’ all-electric sport utility truck. NanoSafe batteries use nano titanate materials rather than graphite, making them far more thermally stable with no toxics or heavy metals. They’re claimed to have a life expectancy greater than 12 years and retain up to 85 percent of their charge after 15,000 charges.

With instantaneous power even at extreme temperatures, the company says that NanoSafe batteries deliver power per unit weight and unit volume several times greater than that of conventional lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, Altairnano batteries have the capability of being recharged in 10 minutes with rapid-chargers, although we feel obliged to point out that rapid chargers are still quite expensive and have only been generally used in field demonstrations to this point.

In the Lightning, electric power is supplied to four PML FlightLink Hi-Pa HPD 40 in-wheel motors. Combining the motor and drive electronics in a single package, these 120 kW units provide full regenerative braking down to very low speeds. They are the same in-wheel units being used in the prototype MIN QED plug-in series hybrid conversion of a MINI. Each HPD40 drive unit offers maximum torque of 533 lbs-ft to provide 0-60 mph acceleration of under of four seconds, along with a top speed up to 150 mph with a range of up 250 miles.

There is a tradeoff between these performance values depending on the model. Three are currently planned: a luxury-oriented Grand Tourer (GT), lightweight Lightning Sport (GTS) with maximum acceleration, and an extended range model (GTSE).

The Lightning began life as a traditionally powered gasoline car to develop the chassis dynamics. The chassis uses a Formula One-derived aluminum honeycomb and carbon composite monocoque structure with low mass and high impact qualities. The body is handcrafted from carbon fiber and Kevlar and also incorporates aluminum honeycomb crushable impact cells. This composite monocoque structure uses technology similar to that used in Formula 1 racers for driver protection.

Electric Lightning prototypes are now in development with first deliveries planned for 2008. Estimated price is expected to hover in the $300,000 range.