FAQ - tzero and other AC Propulsion EVs

FAQ - tzero and other AC Propulsion EVs
October, 2004

AC Propulsion is perhaps best known for building the tzero, the electric sports car that out-accelerates Ferraris and Vipers but is more efficient than the best hybrid. Here are some frequently asked questions about the tzero, and some other questions that should be frequently asked.

1. How much is the tzero?

Only three exist. We kept the first one. Prototypes #2 and #3 were sold used for $120,000 each with lead-acid batteries. The fourth and last tzero is under construction. The asking price is $265,000 with Li Ion batteries.

2. How fast will it go?

The Li Ion tzero accelerates from 0-60 mph in 3.6 seconds and covers the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds. Top speed is 102 mph (rpm limited). Estimated top speed with appropriate gearing is 140 mph.

3. What’s the range?

Driven to maximize range the Li Ion tzero can go at least 320 miles. The longest actual drive has been 302 miles at 60 mph. In left-lane highway driving the range is 250 to 280 miles.

4. What makes the tzero so quick?

The tzero weighs 2000 pounds and its special high-output version of the AC-150 drive system puts out 220 horsepower. The torque characteristics of the AC-150 motor and the excellent weight distribution enhanced by precise electronic traction control combine to give just about perfect traction for launch. Once you get moving, the power-to-weight ratio and continuous torque (no shifting) do the rest.

5. Do you have tzero spec sheets, brochures, and pictures?

Each tzero is a little different. We gave a technical paper on the tzero in 2000 at EVS 17 in Berlin. We produced a tzero brochure in 1997. We also have a nice tzero glamour shot. Each of these items can be downloaded from our website.

6. Can I buy a tzero?

There is one left to buy. It is tzero prototype #4, and when completed, it will be the last and best tzero. After #4, we do not plan to build any more tzeros.

7. If I can’t buy a tzero, what can I buy?

We are working with companies in the US and Europe on new projects to put electric cars into production. One such project was unveiled recently at the 2004 Paris Motor Show where Monaco-based Venturi Automobiles introduced the Venturi Fetish. The Fetish is a luxury electric sports car equipped with AC Propulsion drive and battery systems.

8. Does AC Propulsion plan to build any other electric vehicles?

AC Propulsion studying a plan to manufacture safety-certified electric vehicle conversions and sell them to retail and fleet customers. The conversions will be based on the Scion xA and xB, the new sport compact vehicles built by Toyota. A base model, and a premium model with a larger battery will be developed. The base model will outperform the Toyota RAV4 EV and is expected to sell for about the same price. First production is planned in 2005.

9. Why the Scion?

Not everyone likes the looks of the Scions. One critic says “yes, they have the look of the future, but right now they’re ugly”. But, from the perspective of our plan to build EV conversions and make money doing so, we have not found a better vehicle to start with. The gasoline Scion costs less than $15,000 well-equipped and weighs less than 2400 pounds. The xB is huge inside. The xA has a sporty, aggressive stance. The xA and xB are built on the same platform so development costs are reduced. The xB in particular appeals to fleets. They are Toyotas but they don’t look like it. To get the best range and performance in an EV with the broadest appeal and the lowest price, the Scion has the looks of a winner.

10. Why build electric vehicles?

Because people will buy them. They are smooth, quiet, powerful, efficient, clean, convenient, and fun to drive. There is also air quality. Compared to the cleanest gasoline cars, such as hybrids and PZEVS, electric cars reduce emissions of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide, even considering the emissions from powerplants.

Perhaps the best reason is energy security. Everyone from the President on down agrees we import too much oil and that it comes increasingly from unstable regions of the world. We have to shift our energy use away from oil. Electricity comes from natural gas, coal, hydro, solar, wind, geothermal, and nuclear, but very little electricity comes from oil. Electricity is energy without oil. Electric vehicles are transportation without oil.

Some think hydrogen is the ultimate fuel, but hydrogen is made using electricity. It is more efficient, economical, and convenient to use the electricity directly to charge electric cars.

11. The automakers gave up on EVs, is it smart to invest now?

There is a market opportunity now. Major automakers have stopped building EVs and have dismantled their EV factories. The market is wide open for new EV manufacturers. Established demand for EVs will grow as their pleasures become more widely known and their costs come down. Hybrid vehicles that use gasoline efficiently are in great demand. That demand will expand to include EVs, which use no gasoline at all, especially in the event of de-stabilized petroleum supplies.

In the future, AC Propulsion’s pioneering vehicle-to-grid technology, where plug-in, battery-powered vehicles provide support and service to the power grid, may create new economic and energy benefits from EVs. In contrast, far-fetched hydrogen fuel technologies suffer from fundamental energy and economic handicaps that will increase energy use and costs.

Investment in electric vehicles is a financial commitment that offers potential returns along with risks. It is also a commitment to reducing petroleum consumption, an essential course of action that is ignored by big business and politicians who are not responding adequately to global realities.

12. Why AC Propulsion?

AC Propulsion’s position on the leading edge of electric vehicle development started in 1989 when AC Propulsion founder, Alan Cocconi, designed the electric power system for the original GM Impact. Since 1992, AC Propulsion has patented and developed proprietary technology that makes AC Propulsion EVs uniquely desirable vehicles to drive and own, now and into the future.

13. Where can I get more information about AC Propulsion’s plan for production of EVs?

If you want to be put on a mailing list for information about the AC Propulsion EV please send your contact information in an email with mailing list in the subject line to .

If you are an accredited investor and would like investor information, please contact:

Tom Gage, President
AC Propulsion, Inc.

909 592-5399 San Dimas
408 481-0809 Silicon Valley

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