AC Propulsion Introduces the
eBox
Article from French on-line magazine Moteur
Nature
By Laurent J. Masson
for the original article in French, "AC Propulsion lance l'eBox,"
click here
December 13, 2006 -- A new electric car is always
an event, but this one is especially noteworthy, because it comes from
the world champion in the field of electric propulsion.
There
are 2 kinds of electric cars. In France, we are most familiar with those
made by domestic manufacturers - the Peugeot 106 or the electric Renault
Kangoo, to quote only 2 of them. They are not very powerful - slow,
even, with a limited range. And then, there's the second category, that
which features cars with AC Propulsion technology. There is as much
difference between the first and the second as there is between the
Renault CLIO and a Ferrari. The company is largely unknown to the general
public, but it was it AC Propulsion who was behind the squealing tires
of Volkswagen's New Beetle hybrid, or of acceleration which sticks passengers
to the seats of the Courrèges EXE. And the Tesla, the famous
roadster which makes more and more people dream - the Tesla would not
exist without AC Propulsion.
The
company proposes today a conversion of the Scion xB. Only marketed in
the United States, this car is the most well-known product from Scion,
the young mark of Toyota for the American market. This conversion is
possible on a new car, or a very recent used model, and it replaces
the 1500 engine & 5-speed transmission by an ultramodern, and very
powerful electric motor. As much as the gasoline Scion xB is sluggish,
the electric version is responsive. The acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h
is less than 7.5 seconds! It is thanks to an engine of 120 kw (in peak,
50 kw uninterrupted), supplied with 283 kg of Lithium-Ion batteries,
to guarantee an range between 225 and 290 km.
The
electronics are among the best of the best, with an on-board charger
which detects the voltage (from 100 to 250 V) and amperage (from 1 to
80 A) of the charging current, and adapts consequently, with the ability
to give charge back to the grid as needed. The idea is that one charges
the car at night, with the night rate, and that during the day, if one
requires electrical current instead of the use of the car, one keeps
the car plugged-in while saving on the cost of expensive day-rate electricity.
Brakes and steering are assisted electrically, and the air conditioning
blasts cold air, because it is necessary for the car to cater to the
Californian customer, as it is only there that the car will be sold.
At a bit of a price - 55,000 dollars conversion (plus tax, but batteries
included) - it is thus necessary to add to it the purchase price of
the car. But for those who want a 4-seater with the best of technology,
it is by far this one that they are looking for, and not another.
