AC Propulsion Unveils the tzero at the LA Auto Show

AC Propulsion Unveils the tzero at the LA Auto Show

January 3, 1997
Los Angeles, CA

AC Propulsion, Inc. introduced the tzero, a fully functional, street-legal, high-performance electric sports car prototype at the Los Angeles Auto show today. The tzero is intended to change the market perception of EVs and spur demand for the high-output, integrated EV drive systems developed and and manufactured by AC Propulsion.

Designed as a limited production vehicle for performance and technology enthusiasts, the tzero will command premium prices based on its performance, handling, style and technology content. This is a new approach for marketing EVs which until now have been seen by buyers as utilitarian, slow, and expensive, and by manufacturers as unprofitable.

The tzero turns these tables on these perceptions. It will be expensive due to the economics of low volume production, but buyers will pay the high price to possess the performance and technology it embodies. By creating a small but profitable market for EVs, the tzero will start a new era in the EV business. In fact, the car's name, tzero, signifies just that, a new beginning.

In a test-track demonstration, the tzero easily out-accelerated the new EV1 from GM. It then proceeded to drive away from a 1996 Corvette too. In fact the tzero will achieve 0-60 mph in 4.9 sec, a figure on the edge of supercar territory.

In an EV torture test the tzero and EV1 drove from Burbank up along the Los Angeles Crest Highway toward Mount Wilson, a climb of 5000 feet. The EV1 could not make the summit, it ran down at about 4000 feet and was parked. The tzero continued to the summit arriving with almost one-quarter charge remaining in its advanced lead-acid battery. In normal driving, the tzero will achieve 100 miles of range.

One feature that sets apart the tzero is AC Propulsion's patented recharge technology that integrates the charger into the drive system. The variable charge rate can recharge in as little as one hour. It is safe to plug in anywhere because it has full GFI compatibility with unity power factor. The tzero driver can take advantage of electrical outlets anywhere, so motel rooms, friends' homes, and restaurants all become places to extend range. With the plug-in-anywhere charge system, the penalty for a dead battery need not be a flatbed ride. The freedom to charge anywhere transforms worry to adventure.

Product certification for the tzero is in the early stages. AC Propulsion sees a global market for the tzero and the first production may go to regions where the certification process is less time-consuming than in the US. AC Propulsion seeks investors or manufacturing partners to put the tzero into production.