Ariel Atom builders heart the environment, change new supercar from V12 to all-electric
If we're honest, most decisions in the business world, especially in the auto industry, aren't made for altruistic reasons. Money is the name of the game, and as the environment is becoming a much talked about issue around the dinner table, many automakers are realizing that it's in their best interest, financially speaking, to develop greener vehicles.
Craig Bramscher, the CEO of Brammo Motorsports, which builds the Ariel Atom in the U.S., seems to have changed the course of his company's direction based on the revelation that it could be making less of an impact on the environment. Brammo had been developing a new supercar called the Rogue GT that was to be powered by a V12 engine swilling gasoline like there was no tomorrow. Since Bramscher has realized there is a tomorrow, however, he's changed the product plan to make the supercar all-electric and renamed it the Enertia GT. This could be the beginning of a lineup of EV vehicles from Brammo, as it just unveiled an all-electric motorcycle last week called the Enertia. While the Enertia GT is likely to have a lower top speed than the Rogue GT due to the switch, acceleration is expected to improve. There's no word on what type of batteries the car will use or how far it will go on a charge, either.
While one could certainly question Bramscher's motivation for going green (one might argue you can attract more attention with an electric supercar than it could with one powered by a V12 engine), it appears the CEO just grew a soft spot for Mother Earth and is changing his dirty ways.
[Source: Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
why not the LS2/LS7? 8:25PM (7/13/2007)
And it's not just because Wrightspeed already did the R&D for them, right?
http://www.wrightspeed.com/x1.html
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Barney 1:50AM (7/15/2007)
They did do a pretty good job!
Bob Z 3:32PM (7/14/2007)
Sorry, seems to me like just another me to convert for expediance.
I would like to see an inteligent and rigous analysis how a batter or hybrid car has a less or more total life time impact on the environment when the manufacture, charging (were does the energy come from...what do we burn, lose of transport hi tension lines) batter replacement and disposal... Never have seen this just a lot of hype on gas milage only
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The FedEx Man 9:44AM (7/15/2007)
There was an article in Car magazine about six months ago which was about how CNW Marketing research (Whoever they are) did exactly that. They took into account the energy used by making the parts, the cars life fuel consumption, the energy consumption of workers commuting to the factories, the life span of the car (a particular problem for hybrids), basically everything.
The results were quite unexpected in some cases. Of all the cars availible in the UK (being a UK magazine) the 'greenest' was the Jeep Wrangler, second was the Toyata Yaris, third the Corolla. The Prius' energy cost was 5 times higher than the Yaris and, even more amazingly, it was 25% less green than the Range Rover Sport.
The one thing to point out is that the technology and the way they are utilised is all very new so further generations will undoubtedly improve - as they say, you've got to start somewhere.
Nick 8:57PM (7/13/2007)
Electric cars = huge bucket 'o fail
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Turbofrog 9:50PM (7/13/2007)
Tell that to Tesla...
Nick 9:58PM (7/13/2007)
As in the car company? Pffbt, fuel-powered Lotus Elise/Exige > That.
Tony Belding 5:44PM (7/14/2007)
I really don't understand the negativity. If it lives up to what's been promised thus far, the Tesla should out-drag my Esprit V8, be more fun to drive in most respects, cost about the same new, and be much cheaper and less hassle to keep fueled and maintained. How is that not progress?
Nick 5:54PM (7/14/2007)
A major aspect of driving a car for reasons beside being an appliance is the whole theatrical experience of it. An electric car gives you a silent woosh, an internal combustion car gives you all kinds of wonderful sounds and feelings as you pound through the gears, winding the engine up to the stratosphere. I really couldn't care less if batteries provide less hassle, or if it accelerates a tenth quicker, because the overall experience would simply be lacking a huge part of why I adore the automobile.
Tony Belding 7:28PM (7/14/2007)
The Tesla makes its own sound, it's a futuristic, turbine-like "fweeeee" sound. The motor redlines at 13,500 RPM so you can really wind it up into the stratosphere. If you don't like the sound, that is okay. . . Maybe it's not for you. I'm sure when the first cars were sold, some people rejected them because they couldn't live without the clip-clopping sound of horses' hooves.
Lee Gibson 10:51PM (7/16/2007)
Hmm. I could buy one Tesla, or two Lotus Elises, or four Miatas.
This, my friends, is not a hard decision. Batteries=heavy.
The Doctor 9:40PM (7/13/2007)
Well it would make a change from building an "American super car", as Winding Road described the Atom.
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a 10:14PM (7/13/2007)
wow it has two seats!! it better be street legal.
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David Fox 11:24PM (7/13/2007)
I've known Craig since 2003 when he and his team did a very fine job of building an Ultima Can-Am for me. Craig is a serious car guy and a smart businessperson bringing his knowledge of the web/opensource world to the auto market. Worth keeping an eye on Brammo.
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Wanderer 8:29PM (7/14/2007)
I have only conversed via email when Craig personally responded to a suggestion I had for the website. He really impressed me with that.
Bus Rand 2:13AM (7/14/2007)
Mechanical experimentation is fine. It's how we evolve our ideas. But of course greenies have no monetary vice. That's why so many of the leaders of this bowel movement are poised to make millions from environmental companies they've invested in.
How does Al Gore justify his astronomic use of energy? Through "carbon credits" of course (see liberal, socialist scapegoat). Why he invests in "green" companies, you know, the ones he owns or has a major stake in. We're in the midst of a great climate calamity and we must change our ways now! But if you pay a carbon tax or credit, somehow the emergency can wait til tomorrow. What a freakin' pathetic con.
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HotRodzNKustoms 1:49AM (7/14/2007)
A moment of silence for the death of another V-12 supercar concept.
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Rocket Punch 1:56AM (7/14/2007)
He just increase the cars production cost by 100% and did nothing to the environment. Batteries simply delay the contamination, it doesn't eliminate it; well that is unless we send all our used batteries to space?
The Tesla sells for $90k and it is basically an overweight, short range, $50k Elise.
If he really love the environment. Make the car twice as light and use an engine that is half the size with half the power.
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Dondonel 1:59AM (7/14/2007)
@ Turbofrog
The engine/battery pack weights 1/3 of the Tesla car. And it uses the lightest type of battery installed so far in an electric car, of which use can only be called experimental at this point. Using a battery that can be mass produced for electric cars today would bring the weight of the pack to half of that of the car (for the quoted range).
I hope that you realize now that in order to put the same electric pack in a regular sedan will double that car's weight. How efficient do you think such a car will be? Remember, we are talking about the efficiency of a moving vehicle, not of a stationary engine.
This is where all the alternatives to the gasoline engine fail, diesels, hybrids, electric cars: they are more efficient engines, but make much heavier vehicles, and therefore are not more efficient as vehicles.
Instead of paying for more expensive vehicles that bring no real advantage in fuel economy, companies should spend that money on lowering the weight of the vehicles. Imagine that instead of putting an electric pack in Lotus Elise, the way Tesla does for twice the money, they would have halved the weight of the car, and use a smaller, less powerful engine, and still get the same performance.
And don't forget, the gasoline engine can be brought close to diesel engine efficiency with some development (HCCI), but the diesel engine cannot be brought to the weight of the gasoline engine (with the same power rating).
Rocket Punch 2:07AM (7/14/2007)
Tree huggers always 100% fail to see the "real" problem here and they attack the technology instead. The technology won't pollute if no one uses it. It is the behavior and mind set about travel and commute that needs to change.