The automotive world is preparing for the ultimate gas price takeover and more and more start up companies are waiting to hit it big in the electric car business. Small start-up company, Delta Motorsport, is one of these hopefuls and their latest project, the Delta E-4 Coupe, has a winning combination of performance and electricity.
The Delta E-4 Coupe is a very compact, light weight, low drag, 4-seat passenger car that the company has been working on since 2007. The idea behind this model was to build an ultra low energy vehicle, and not just a vehicle that provides low emissions. The company feels that any car can provide low emissions if run on batteries, but bigger automobiles - like the Audi Q7 or the BMW X5 - will still be depleting energy at a much faster rate than smaller, more lightweight vehicles. They go on further to explain that automakers, after creating all of these low emissions vehicle, will eventually have to focus more on reducing the energy used by these models.
Enter the E-4 Coupe.
It may not be the prettiest vehicle we’ve ever seen, but it is certainly impressive nonetheless with a carbon composite chassis that weighs only 187 lbs and high performance direct-drive electric motors that together can get the E-4 all the way up to a top speed of 150 mph. Want fast results? The E-4 Coupe can get from 0-60 mph in under five seconds.
Get ready folks, the electric car phenomenon has just taken its next step.
Design
The Delta E-4 Coupe has a 187 lbs carbon composite chassis that was designed by the Delta Motorsport team at the Silverstone track (that’s where the company is based) and manufactured by KS Composites. The body of the car is a little too Ferrari FF meets ugly hatchback, but the lightweight aspect gets the job done.
"We became involved with the design of hybrid and electric vehicles because they share many of the engineering challenges associated with motor sport – light weight parts, aerodynamic efficiency and innovative packaging solutions. We’ve had to re-think road cars from the beginning, looking at low cost composite structures, system efficiencies and novel occupant packaging."
Performance
When building an electric sports car, it’s not just about a reduction of weight, but a good amount of power as well. The Delta E-4 Coupe is powered by high performance direct-drive electric motors that come in weighing about 50.7 lbs. These motors produce over 120 HP each with well over 442 lb-ft of torque, allowing the E-4 Coupe to get from 0-60 mph in less than five seconds and hit a top speed of 150 mph.
The motors used for the E-4 take their power from the batteries mounted under the floor which brings the center of gravity down and improves handling. These batteries are good for about 200-250 miles on a single charge.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Five vehicles were produced for the Technology Strategy Board Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Program, but the Delta E-4 Coupe will be taking part in the RAC Future Car Challenge on Saturday, November 5th, 2011. The event challenges every Electric, Hybrid, and Low-Emission ICE vehicle to make a 60 mile run from Madeira Drive, Brighton to Pall Mall & Regent Street, London, all while using a minimal amount of energy.
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