Kurrent Low-Speed Electric Vehicle

The American Electric Vehicle Company (AEVC) is now marketing a new two-seat neighborhood electric vehicle for the U.S. market. Designed by Maurizio Tomaselli in Torino, Italy, but built in Michigan, the Kurrent was first shown as a concept vehicle at the Torino Auto Show in 2002.

AECV is quick to highlight the Kurrent’s European microcar origin as opposed to many of its contemporaries’ golf car heritage. It was designed for the popular European quadracycle market, with an electric powered version going into production about four years ago. Some 600 were produced. In fact, Green Car highlighted this model at the time as it was being marketed by a different company as the ZAP LUV (see image at the bottom of the page).

The Kurrent is a fully enclosed vehicle complete with lockable doors, roll down windows, and glass roof. The aluminum tubular frame is covered with through-color recyclable ABS panels so painting is unneeded. Other features include windshield wipers, headlights, brake and backup lights, turn signals, parking brakes, rear view mirrors, and seat belts. The Kurrent meets all FMVSS 500 federal standards for low speed vehicles.

Power is supplied by a 5.5 horsepower electric motor supplied by four 12-volt lead-gel sealed, deep-cycle batteries. A separate 12-volt battery powers accessories like a radio and heater. Driving range is 35 to 40 miles at a constant 25 mph. Car-like features include a McPherson strut front suspension, independent swing-arm suspension design with coilover shocks at the rear, and rack-and-pinion steering. Disc brakes are used up front with drum brakes in the rear. Regenerative braking is also incorporated.

The 92-inch long Kurrent weighs 1080 pounds including batteries. It accommodates two people and features a 7.5 cubic foot lockable trunk, enough to hold three or four bags of groceries. Gross vehicle weight is 1750 pounds. In the future, AEVC plans to offer four-passenger, hobby, and cargo variants to augment its currently-available $9800 Kurrent model, giving specialty electric vehicle fans a variety of popular choices.