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KAZ eight-wheeled Eliica EV supercar
Don't how we missed this one at the Tokyo Motor Show. The Keio Advanced Zero-Emmision Vehicle (KAS) has surfaced with a second-generation model named the Eliica, which stands for electric lithium-ion car. Developed by a team at Keio University headed by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu, the Eliica has four axles with eight wheels. No reason for the extra set of axles is given, though perhaps they're needed when the vehicle is traveling at its top speed of 230 mph, which actually was reached one day last year at the Nardo in Italy. The Eliica takes 10 hours to charge and will travel 125 miles on a charge. It can accelerate to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, after which we imaging you'd need to recharge it again. The team's goal is beat the top speed of the Bugatti Veyron and produce 200 units of the Eliica for people like George Clooney and that ex-Baywatch babe who still drives an EV1.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
n8 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
The only word for it: craptastic.
Reminds me of an old Citroen as viewed through a slightly-misaligned stereoscope.
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GCH 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
What a friggin' ugly car. The back reminds the Citroen DS...OK for that time but not anymore.
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naugahyde 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
Looks like it was designed by Gerry Anderson - in other words, I love it.
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Azark 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
it probably takes more energy to charge that "energy saving" speed racer than my suv
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RansomRR 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
It looks more like that car that Homer designed in that one episode of the simpsons where he meets his long-lost brother.
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sean 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
looks like a giant sized hoover vacumme without the handle for the road to me, it should do great at cleaning the streets. lol!
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sean 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
looks like a giant sized hoover vacumme without the handle for the road to me, it should do great at cleaning the streets. lol!
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Mal Fuller 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
"Dont how we missed this one at the Tokyo Motor Show."
I don't how you missed it either!
As for the car itself, #2, GCH has already said it best.
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Mitsufan 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
The reason for the extra wheels is that the wheels house motors. More wheels = more motors = more speed. The Elica appeared in Japan (to the best of my recollection) around May, when it was featured on TV here (I am based in Japan). Which really burned my Mitsubishi-likin' butt because Mitsu was releasing something similar around the same time (see May 11 press release at http://media.mitsubishi-motors.com/pressrelease/e/corporate/detail1269.html) The Elica was designed to prove that electric cars could also be performance cars. Mitsu did something similar by making an electric Evo that competed in several EV races.
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Finished.Law.School 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
Reminds me of the cars in that movie Total Recall...
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Jim 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
Wow, this is the new family truckster Clark Griswold would drive if they were going to make another 'Vacation' movie!
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Justin Bell 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
8 wheels increases stability and comfort. Which is good when you consider the speed it goes.
I don't get why so many people here hate it. Sure, it may not look the best, but it's proof that electric is the future.
"it probably takes more energy to charge that "energy saving" speed racer than my suv." Only if you're an idiot with a poor understanding of science.
But hey, we shouldn't expect anyone here to actually know anything about cars ... god forbid ...
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Niels 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
Thunderbirds are go!
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wisnu 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
I have a friend working on this vehicle actually, the electric motors to be exact. This car basically use electronic signals on the wheel to turn its tires (no more mechanical parts!). The length of the car is needed to host the batteries, which basically covers the whole floor of the car. Either way, I think it is a cool car :)
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JohnnyV 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
So, KAZ = Keio Advanced Zero-Emmision Vehicle = KAS? How does that work?
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eric 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
Hey, you think there's any chance this car'll be featured on Gran Turismo 5?
I wouldn't have minded riding in that thing up to its limit on the Nardo circuit. Don't electrics have a flat torque curve? Talk about being planted in the back of the seat.
All that said, the car is fugly.
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Matt 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
I concur with comment 14. More sloppy journalism. KAZ is an acronym used by a Russian automotive company, which is what I was interested in. I was interested in the stylistic direction of the Russians, and how this picture was way off base for them. But, after reading the article, I realized the error of the article. Sometimes, reading this blog, I feel like a 9th grade English teacher. I can't wait until another auto blog comes and destroys this one. Autoweek, where are you?!?
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Auto IT 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
The eight wheels are probably because the Eliica weighs 2,400kg. See this UK review from this time last year for more details:
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/previews/51690/eliica_eightwheeler.html
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Adam 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
""it probably takes more energy to charge that "energy saving" speed racer than my suv." Only if you're an idiot with a poor understanding of science.
But hey, we shouldn't expect anyone here to actually know anything about cars ... god forbid ..."
Do you know how inefficient batteries are? Combined with the motors the efficiency of that thing is much lower than that of an internal combustion engine based car.
You have to think first... where does the electricity in that car come from? The magical wall outlet?
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2fic 11:06PM (12/18/2005)
#18... it's a 55kWh battery system that gives it a range of 140 miles. Even taking a wasteful (50% efficiency) inverter you're talking about $10 to recharge that thing overnight if you have $0.09/kW power
Batteries are not wasteful for drawing power, they are just not as power dense as Gasoline. Gas is about 33kWh per gallon and Lithium Polymer is 1.77kWh.
Electric motors are actually really efficient compared to Internal Combustion engines, electric only runs when necessary, has a much steeper torque curve (as pointed out earlier) can be turned into a regenerator instantly to recover used power (lets see your engine turn exhaust into gas) plus the source of its power. Right now we don't use a whole lot of renewable energy, but we're working to that. I guarantee you the energy production at a power plant is a huge amount more efficient than you burning gas in that tiny engine you have in your car (relative to an industrial generating process).
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