When first introduced back in 2004, the Shelby Supercar (SSC) Ultimate Aero was built to be the fastest production car in the world. It took that title from the Bugatti Veyron in 2007, reaching an average top speed of 256.15mph. Last week, SSC unleashed their plans to achieve the same record, only this time it will be in the electric vehicle category.
What's most surprising is that they plan on using the existing Ultimate Aero platform as a starting point. By removing the 1,183HP 6.35 liter V8 and replacing it with a 500hp electric motor, they should have no problem achieving this goal. Assuming everything goes according to plan up to this point, they will look into adding a second 500hp electric motor bringing the total power to 1000hp.
SSC also released plans of using a 6-speed transmission and revolutionary batteries that can hold their charge for "years." There is speculation as to what this means, but the general assumption is that their total lifespan is several years. This isn't very revolutionary however, so that is still open to interpretation.
SSC is hoping for a release date as early as November of 2009, with prototypes as soon as February. Any other details have been omitted from the press release. Personally, I can't wait to see if this makes it into production. Easy on the environment while still being extremely fast, a match made in heaven.
Via : Autojab , Wikipedia
