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Tuesday 3 July 2012

Exagon Furtive eGT - Electric 2 + 2 Concept Car

Bonjour Monsieur Bond - your future looks electric

France has a long and rich history of innovative vehicles and although the name might not be familiar Exagon Motors have years of experience designing and racing electric vehicles in the Andros Trophy electric category - A slightly mad ice racing series held in the frozen alps!

Exagon Motors are based at the former French Grand Prix circuit Magny Cours, and this is what they say about the Furtive eGT:

"The Furtive-eGT is no run-of-the-mill GT car. It represents a new approach to grand touring, a new experience on the road, a new sports car driving concept with added comfort. Electric propulsion offers entirely new sensations, in part thanks to immediate torque availability. With a constant torque of 480 Nm from 0 to 5,000 rpm, the Furtive-eGT has a phenomenal capacity for acceleration – 0 to 100 km/h in 3.6 s – and can hit 287 km/h on the race track (maximum speed is otherwise limited electronically to 250 km/h). Such high performance is achieved in near-silence, with only the air flow to be heard, heightening the sensations experienced while driving. This is more than just impressive figures, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The Furtive-eGT is powered by two latest-generation motors created by Siemens Corporate Technology, each providing an output of 125 kW, i.e. total power equivalent to 340 hp at 5,000 to 10,000 rpm. These are currently the lightest and most compact engines available on the market. They have a liquid cooling system and their efficiency is outstanding.

The lithium-ion batteries manufactured by worldwide specialist Saft are the beating heart of the Furtive-eGT. These state-of-the-art VL 4 batteries provide 150 kWh. They have a life cycle of approximately ten years, can undergo 3,000 charging cycles and are recyclable. Their autonomy is astounding: 197 to 402 km in electric-only mode, depending on usage conditions. An optional range extender brings the autonomy up to 807 km."
Exagon are hoping to offer the Furtive e-GT as a pure electric 2 + 2 and also with a range-extending petrol engine (not for driving the wheels - purely as a battery charging system). 

No news as yet on when the Exagon Furtive e-GT will become available, but judging by looks and specification the sooner the better please!

Monday 2 July 2012

Protoscar LAMPO3 GT - Prototype Electric Supercar

Presumably it will usually run on Tarmac?

Switzerland's Protoscar concern has designed and built it's third incarnation of Electric supercar - The Lampo (Swiss for Lightning) - is now ready to go into production, and Protoscar are actively looking for partners to help turn this striking prototype into a production reality.

Here's what Protoscar themselves have to say about the Lampo 3 GT:

"After its predecessors LAMPO  and LAMPO 2, LAMPO 3
– the third prototype of electric super sports car 
developed by Protoscar – will also be exposed at the Geneva Motor Show starting March 8
th
, 2012. During 
the past 3 years, the LAMPO's  have been fine-tuned together with the partner company EVTEC. The electric 
sports cars have been tested for more than 40.000km on circuits and streets  all over Europe. Since the 
results are more than promising, LAMPO could now be further developed in a micro series. 

With 3 BRUSA-motors outputting 570 HP and 900 Nm of torque, LAMPO is the most powerful full electric 
2+2-seater in the world. It also is the first electric vehicle equipped with two different DC fast charging inlets 
(CHAdeMO and the new German standard), allowing for “Coffee&Charge” breaks. Dual DC inlet allows to 
recharge enough energy for up to 100km additional range within just 10 minutes, with every type of  DCcharger 
you will find on the highways or at “petrol stations” in the close future. In fact, such DC-charger will 
be commercialized and installed on behalf of power utilities and petrol stations very soon in Switzerland and 
Europe by a recently established company focusing on charging infrastructure, with a strong connection to 
Protoscar: Alpiq E-Mobility AG.
Compared to the prototype LAMPO , important further technical developments have been prepared in order 
to meet the needs of the micro series:

 lighter and stiffer chassis has been designed (optimized for production by ThyssenKrupp System 
Engineering)
 a new 42 kWh battery pack supplied by Akasol Engineering will be introduced and
 the interior has been designed and will be fully visualized by a virtual animation to be unveiled  at the  
Geneva Motor Show 2012".

The Lampo will be available in a variety of body styles including a 'soft-top' version. Here at The Efficient Car Guide opinions are divided on it's looks, but that's no bad thing - at least it aint bland!!