All-electric Dynacar reaches 87 mph in 10 seconds

18:59 May 31, 2010

Despite some notable exceptions, electric vehicles are still perceived by many as offering less than impressive performance and the looks to match. The latest EV to challenge both those preconceptions is the "Dynacar" – an experimental all-electric car that can reach a speed of 140 kmh (87 mph) in 10 seconds, and accelerate from 0 to 100 kmh (62 mph) in under an estimated 5.7 seconds.

With a body that looks as if it was lifted from a racetrack, the Dynacar is a two-seater developed by the Tecnalia Technological Corporation. It was constructed using a single-shell, high rigidity lightweight chassis of steel and aluminum alloy, with an adjustable deformable parallelogram suspension system for the four wheels (i.e. wheels that incline).

Powered by a permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, the vehicle has a peak power of 100 kW, a total weight of just 700 kg (1,543-lbs) and an energy storage capacity of 15 kWh. The downside – in urban conditions the Dynacar has a range of around 70 km (43 miles) but there is a possibility of integrating range extension concepts, such as a battery or small internal combustion engine to charge the battery in a supplementary mode.

The vehicle will be adapted to run on the open road, but its main application is to act as a research platform for new concepts in high-powered electric traction, as well as active systems that enable maximum advantage to be taken of new propulsion systems, such as boost vectorization or the concepts of distributed traction by means of incorporating in-wheel motors, regenerative braking, etc.

The “electrification of road transport is one of the priorities of the research" and in order to develop new solutions for electric and hybrid vehicles, Tecnalia says it has been using advanced configuration tools and the virtual evaluation of vehicles. The Dynacar will allow the company to check the hypotheses used with high performance electric and hybrid vehicles and to develop concepts for road-going vehicles of the future.

The Tecnalia Technological Corporation presented its experimental vehicle at the International Eco Friendly Vehicle & Sustainable Mobility Show in Madrid, held between the 20th and 23rd of May.