AC Propulsion has been building drive
systems for electric vehicles since 1992. We design, engineer
and manufacture electric motors, inverters, battery chargers, battery
monitors and other hardware and software necessary to create the complete
system that makes an electric car go. To test and demonstrate our systems,
we’ve built more than 30 different electric
and hybrid vehicle prototypes. We learn a lot from building
these cars, so we know what works well and we keep improving. We drive
what we build. The three prototype EVs in our company fleet have accumulated
a combined total of almost 400,000 emission-free electric miles. That
kind of mileage proves that our drive systems are good for the long
haul.
It also means our company cars are getting a bit long in the tooth,
so we are very happy to have a new EV in our fleet, the first AC
Propulsion eBox. The eBox is a great new electric car that
benefits from all we’ve learned about building EVs over the last
15 years. It combines the smooth, silent, efficient power of our patented
drive system and the high specific energy of commercial Li Ion batteries
in a light, responsive, roomy, sporty, solid, and well-equipped 5-seat
wagon body. The eBox is the best EV we’ve built and we plan to
build more of them for sale.
And that is not all that’s new at AC Propulsion. A group of investors
with business interests in the US, Taiwan, and China has taken a majority
interest in AC Propulsion and is investing in programs that will expand
our technical reach and increase our business opportunities in both
North America and Asia. Beyond the eBox, our future plans are still
secret, but we intend to pursue the commercialization of our technology
through production of complete vehicles, sale of systems and components
to other vehicle manufacturers, and licensing our propulsion technology.
We will continue to build on the legacy of our tzero
prototype which has inspired new
electric vehicles around the world with its unprecedented
combination of performance and efficiency.
The timing of all this activity is perfect. Technology developments,
shifting consumer attitudes, and new political imperatives are converging
to create real public demand for electric propulsion. The big news in
technology is the progress with Li Ion batteries. Their high performance
and light weight make EV conversions like the eBox practical and cost
effective. Behind the scenes, the concept of vehicle
to grid is developing as perhaps an even a bigger technology
story. V2G is quietly attracting the interest of energy technologists
who grasp the potential of a fleet of plug-in cars that can act collectively
as an efficient, responsive, and cost-effective battery on the grid.
Drivers in California and other locales who have had some experience
with EVs are changing the debate about EVs. For local use, the debate
is not about range, it’s about driveability, serenity, convenience,
power, and energy use, and EVs win that debate. And where EVs used to
be just about clean air and greenhouse gas reduction, now they are about
national security too. On the political right as well as on the left,
politicians are beginning to understand that technologically, economically,
and politically, electricity is a great substitute for gasoline.
Seven years ago in this spot Alan Cocconi wrote: “A good EV has
a free-and-easy driveability, and invigorating and effortless performance.
It's fun and relaxing. It goes far enough on a charge, and recharges
easily and quickly.” With the eBox this is more true than ever
and it’s still a great reason to drive an EV. But now, more and
more of us understand that there is another great reason to drive an
EV. Only 3% of our electricity comes from oil, so electric propulsion
provides transportation
without petroleum.
Thanks for visiting. If you have questions or comments, please send
them our way.
Sincerely,
Tom Gage, AC Propulsion President and CEO
