BRUSA shows off all-electric Spyder
BRUSA Spyder - Click above for a high-res image gallery
BRUSA, a Swiss electronics company, recently attended the EVS 24 conference in Stavanger, Norway, with an electric sportscar called the Spyder in tow. Although we aren't sure what chassis lurks underneath, our best guess is that this machine is based on either a rear-engined Volkswagen or possibly a Porsche 914, and it obviously takes styling cues from the classic Porsche 550 Spyder – never a poor route to take as far as we're concerned.
Powered by a couple of 95 kW electric motors – one for each rear wheel – the Spyder is reportedly capable of scooting to 60 miles per hour in under 5 seconds. Power comes from a 16 kWh lithium polymer battery pack from Kokam, which is enough juice to provide for a range of 125 kilometers (77 miles) at 80 kilometers per hour (about 50 miles per hour). Of course, the car's actual range is dependent on a number of factors, so BRUSA helpfully provides a chart to figure it all out.
A liquid-cooled charger resides underhood, along with all the rest of the assorted electronic goodies to make it all work, and a full charge reportedly takes four hours when plugged in to a 16-amp, 220-volt outlet. No word on whether or not the car has any chance of production, but even though it has our interest piqued, we're not exactly holding our breath.
Gallery: BRUSA Spyder
[Source: BRUSA, Wired]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carl 10:05AM (5/22/2009)
The 'obvious' styling cues come from the Porsche RS60 the successor to the 550.
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Ryno917 10:08AM (5/22/2009)
Looks like an RS60 meets Spyker with less flashiness.
...Can't decide if I like it or not.
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Stumpy 10:09AM (5/22/2009)
I think it looks beautiful. Great design, inside and out.
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Hamhock 10:16AM (5/22/2009)
Swap the electric drivetrain for a 1300cc class superbike setup and you have my dreamcar....
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patrick clement 12:35PM (5/22/2009)
2009 Yamaha R1 engine in this car would work for me (sounds like a v8). As a electric car this would not excite me in the least.
AutoFreak 10:21AM (5/22/2009)
Meh. So-so.
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BoxerFanatic 10:28AM (5/22/2009)
This may work for a little toy...
But any sort of practical use, even just driving distance, is too much for battery technology.
As much as I think current hybrids are a cobble-job, on-board power generation is really the only practical way to feed electric drive.
Electric drive has it's advantages, but batteries as the energy source seem to be the problem. I have my own ideas for an on-board electrical power plant, but I am not a power systems engineer by any stretch.
Sorry, but driving 77 miles at 50mph (and that is probably somewhat steady... add stop-and-go, or spirited sports car driving, and it is probably shorter, not longer.) is in no way a practical automobile limitation.
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Rocketboy 10:48AM (5/22/2009)
I don't know if I love it, or hate it.
I think it just looks too much like an electric car. Sort of plasticky.
And of course, my usual dislike of electric cars is that if I cannot depend on it to get me the hell out of Dodge when I need to, well, I'ts still a toy.
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bvz 2:04PM (5/22/2009)
out of a Dodge? I think bankruptcy will take care of that.
Oh, wait... :)
Tomac 11:26AM (5/22/2009)
Looks like a death trap to me... and not a very pretty one. For something with rear-mounted motors, it has an unnecessarily long snout. Aero requirement, perhaps? Perhaps they were cribbing general styling from the 550, but that classic had a much tidier front end. I'd have preferred they fit those motors to a 356 clone.
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BoxerFanatic 12:40PM (5/22/2009)
Are you kidding, long snout?
Look at how big the wheel and tire are, compared to the front bodywork.
That car is barely bigger than a golf cart, and with electric drive, you might be able to convince a club to let you use it as one, with a golf-bag rack on the back...
In a real Porsche 718 RSK or a 550 Spyder, the front end has the fuel tank just ahead of the dash, and steering equipment ahead of that.
Parked next to something else, you would be able to see how miniscule this car actually is. It is like a highway-speed PowerWheels for small adults.
Tomac 1:53PM (5/22/2009)
I meant long relative to its own dimensions. I'll grant you the car itself is tiny, but relative to the wheelbase and overall length, the distance from the front of the tire to the nose appears long. It's the same proportion imbalance find unappealing in the current Boxter, 911, and WRX. Comparatively, the BMW 325 for example has a pretty tight front end.
Moreover, I'm not sure I'd show that thing off in green paint. It looks somewhat like a frog.
bigMIKE 12:05PM (5/22/2009)
This is obviously a modified kit car of the Porsche 550 Spyder that has been converted for electric use. One of the biggest producers of kits is Thunder Ranch.
Check them out here.
http://thunderranch.com/550.html
Costs you under $8K for the basic kit for the frame and body. Double that for the electric motor and battery and your labor and you have an fully electric car for under $20K. So this isn't vaporware like some others. It uses and existing body and you simply add an existing electric motor and battery setup.
This is nothing new, there are electric conversion kits out there for a number of older vehicles like the Chevy S-10 truck.
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nagmashot 11:11PM (5/22/2009)
The car used by the Swiss is the German Rudolph Spyder a small car procuder building this Spyder normaly powered by Audi engines from 125-225hp.
Much more interesting is the Mileworks E-Rod based on the same Rudolph Spyder powered by 2x 115hp 1050Nm electro engines propelling the car in under 6 seconds to 100km/h (62mph) and a weight of 1 metric ton, a planed prodcution shloud start in 2010 if Mileworks finds a production plant fitting their needs.
This is the Mileworks E-Rod
http://bilder.autobild.de/ir_img/65682731_d839cfa656.jpg
Mileworks plan is to sell the E-Rod for half the price of the Tesla Roadster
this is a normal Rudolph Spyder build since 1992 in Mechernich Germany
http://bilder.autobild.de/ir_img/65682734_d927e77c75.jpg
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