26 May 2009 - 11:00
Swiss you were here?
With the exception of Rinspeed's bizarre creations, Switzerland doesn't contribute much to the world of cars.
But Brusa, the entertainingly named Swiss electronics company, has just unveiled this all-electric roadster which, they say, might put Switzerland on the map. Obviously it's technically on the map already, but...
Anyhow. This is the Spyder, a battery-powered, rear-drive two-seater that, says Brusa, will hit 60mph in just under five seconds. That's good pace - not far off the Tesla Roadster - and, unlike most of the all-electric brigade, the Spyder's a nice looking thing too, with more than a hint of Porsche 550 Spyder about its retro-inspired lines.
The Spyder is driven by a pair of 127bhp electric motors - one driving each rear wheel - drawing power from a lithium polymer battery pack. Though the speed is good, the range isn't: at an average speed of 50mph, the Spyder will manage just 77 miles on a single charge, which takes around four hours.
The other bad news? At this stage, the Spyder is only a prototype, with no guarantee that it'll enter production. Here's hoping it does: a few more good looking electric cars on the market can't be a bad thing, right?
Talking of the Tesla, here's a clip of Clarkson driving the plug-in roadster:
Want to comment on this?
First-generation Miata, anyone? That's what I thought of the profile especially the windshield and toward the rear, and the door handles. No kink at the rear fenders like the Porsche, though the nose definitely borrows that look. Small, quick, presumably light on account of the short range; I like it. Not enough to replace the Miata that I commute with, though. I'd need about 150 miles to feel confident I wouldn't run out of juice on the way home. And I doubt it'd ever make it to the States, even if it makes production. @StigsIrishCousin: You can wheelspin any car, automatic or not, given enough torque. Ask anyone with an automatic-equipped Corvette. Since electric motors generally have gobs of torque, I'd say wheelspin is a foot stomp away in that little car.
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It's convertible aswell.
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looks good
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I can imagine this making small-scale production, but the range could really use an improvement. Looks nice, though. Any more pictures? -- Electric cars don't actually have gearboxes at all - no gears, see. Everything just spins the other way to reverse.
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StigsIrishCousn commented on this article
26 May 2009
Just a thought... what would happen if the motor powering one of the wheels ran out of juice and the other one kept going, would it have enough shove to keep the whole car moving as normal? And another thought can you wheelspin an electric car because they use automatic gearboxes?
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