Ex-McLaren Designer Unveils All Electric Roadster

The number of electric sports cars being developed has been steadily rising over the past 2 or 3 years, and thanks to advances in battery technology, that number will only keep going up. Thanks to a former McLaren designer, there may be another all electric sports car entering production that can keep pace with both the Tesla Roadster and the Fiskar Karma.

The original idea for the new roadster was unveiled about a year ago, but at the time details were scant at best and until just recently, no new information was released. Now, Jim Dowel has given the world a look at the PE-1 and how he is planning on powering his new electric roadster.

The most advanced lithium ion batteries available will be used to store energy to power 2 electric motors, one at each axel of the vehicle. Together the motors will make an ample 390 horsepower and 590lb/ft of torque. Being all wheel drive should help to keep the tires attached to the pavement, but I can still foresee some traction issues.

From a standstill, the PE-1 should reach 60 mile per hour in about 2.9 seconds, thanks mostly to a curb weight of 2,325 lbs. Top speed will be limited to 130mph.

The decision to use an all wheel drive train was not based only on the power figures. A regenerative braking system was figured into the equation very early and by using all 4 wheels to recapture energy, the vehicle can go between 200 and 250 miles on a single charge.

A few prototypes will be built over the next year or 2, with an estimated 500 being produced by 2012.

AutoBlog