First eBox Delivered to Tom
Hanks
Actor Buys New Electric Car, bids gasoline
adieu!
February 15, 2007
SANTA MONICA – AC Propulsion has delivered the first eBox customer
car to Tom Hanks. The actor and producer, a veteran EV driver, ordered
his eBox after driving the first prototype last July. “I still
have a Toyota RAV4 EV and never spent a penny on gasoline for it”,
said Hanks, “What AC Propulsion is doing is fantastic.
I drove their tzero electric sports car a few years ago, so when they
put the same technology in a four-door I wanted one for myself.
It has double the range, goes fast, uses
Li Ion batteries, and is incredibly roomy and comfortable.
Oh, and I will also never have to put any gasoline into it!”
The eBox, which made its public debut in December, is a pure electric
car, not a hybrid. With no gasoline engine, the eBox transports its
occupants serenely and efficiently, at speed or in traffic, with powerful
acceleration and amazing regenerative braking. Recharging is as close
as the nearest electric outlet because the eBox can plug in anywhere.
It seats five and has one of the roomiest rear seats in the business.
Fold the rear seat and the eBox can take a huge haul. With air conditioning,
electric heating, power steering, power windows, power mirrors and remote
door locks, the eBox matches comfort and convenience with any car.
And there is one convenience no conventional car can match – the
eBox refuels at home. Plug it in and it charges while you sleep. In
the morning, the 35 kWh Li Ion battery is ready to go up to 150 miles,
more than enough for a typical day’s driving.
Benefiting from fifteen years of electric vehicle development at AC
Propulsion, the eBox represents electric car state of the art - 2007.
AC Propulsion has changed the perception and reality of the electric
car with innovations such as light, powerful electric motors, maximized
regenerative brakes, integrated high-power chargers, bi-directional
grid connections that let the car supply AC power, and high-performance
Li Ion traction batteries assembled from small cells.
The eBox comes with all of these innovations as standard equipment,
making it not just a new car, but a milestone along the path to transportation
without petroleum.
Just before he drove off, silently, in his new eBox, Hanks observed,
“There are three electric cars sitting on the moon, and now
another one in my garage. The eBox makes even more sense in Los Angeles
than in the Taurus-Littrow Valley of the moon. I can drive all weekend,
hauling dogs and helping my friends move, and the only reason I'll need
to stop at a gas station is for beef jerky and lottery tickets."
AC Propulsion, founded in 1992, designs, engineers, and manufactures
advanced propulsion systems for electric and hybrid vehicles, and provides
hardware and engineering services for an international roster of clients.
With facilities in San Dimas and Shanghai, AC Propulsion is building
technology and capacity to supply advanced propulsion technology to
electric vehicle manufacturers worldwide.
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contact: Michele Henry 909 592-5399
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Vehicle Performance
|
| Range |
120 – 150 miles |
| Acceleration |
0-60 mph in 7 secs |
| Top Speed |
95 mph |
| Charge Rate |
30 minutes for 20 to 50 miles |
| Full Charge |
2 hrs (fast), 5 hrs (normal) |
|
Electric Propulsion
|
|
|
120 kW (160 HP) |
|
Torque |
220 Nm (165 ft lb) |
|
Motor speed |
0-13,000 rpm |
| Regenerative braking |
Up to 70% |
| Battery |
Li Ion, 35 kWh, 600 lbs |
|
Charger |
Onboard, plug in anwhere, up to 20kW |
|
Vehicle to grid (V2G) |
Bi-directional grid interface |
|
| Standard Equipment |
|
Air conditioning |
Cruise control |
|
Electric heater |
Power brakes |
|
Power steering |
Power windows, locks, mirrors |
|
Traction control |
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|
| Instrumentation |
| Analog Cluster |
Speedometer, ammeter, battery state of charge |
| Multi-function Display |
Energy use, trip computer, charge control functions, cell-level
voltage and temperature, V2G control |
|
| Chassis |
Front Suspension |
Independent MacPherson strut
with stabilizer bar |
Rear Suspension |
Torsion beam with stabilizer bar |
Steering |
Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering |
Brakes |
Power-assisted ventilated front disc /
rear drum with ABS |
Tires |
P185/60R15 tires on steel wheels with
full wheel covers |
Spare |
Temporary |
|
| Exterior Dimensions |
| Wheelbase |
2500 mm |
98.4" |
| Overall length |
3945 mm |
155.3" |
| Overall height |
1640 mm |
64.6" |
| Overall width |
1689 mm |
66.5" |
| Track (front / rear) |
1455/1430 mm |
57.3/56.3 |
| Curb Weight |
1385 kg |
2970 lbs |
| Ground Clearance |
130 mm |
5.1" |
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