The new long range electric car uses an extremely lightweight composite chassis developed in Denmark and the whole car weighs in at around 700kgs.
Named the Alex eroadster, the electric car will be made from carbon fibre and Kevlar and will weigh in over 30% lighter than most similar sized cars, while being stronger and safer. The car has a powerful AC motor with regenerative braking coupled with the latest advanced nanotechnology batteries, hidden underneath and along the full length of the floor providing super fast charge capabilities with a large energy storage capacity.
Running the length and width of the roof, underneath the lifting roof will be an array of lightweight solar photovoltaic cells, which will provide a small amount of extra power to the car as well as helping to pump back some charge into the batteries when the car is not in use. The car’s inventor Tom Finnegan says it will travel up to 300kms on a full charge, with a quick recharge taking around 30 minutes.
When it goes into production, the Alex eroadster will be the first car made in Ireland for the commercial market since the DeLorean DMC–12 back in 1983. And like its time travelling ancestor the new car will also have doors in one assembly allowing you to enter and exit the car easily.
The cars manufacturer Swift Composite Prototypes, based in Dunleer aims to have a working model ready next year, with the first cars going on sale in early 2017.