Lightning High Performance Electric Sports Cars
By Bill Siuru
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.
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