The Helsinki Polytechnic Stadia will work in conjunction with the Institute of Design in Lahti – another Finish college - to create the car for 2009. The goals for the new electric sports car, dubbed the Electric RaceAbout, are lofty with performance numbers of a sub-five second sprint to 62mph and a top speed of over 160mph.
The Finnish contenders are also hoping to keep weight down to less than 1,250kg, as well as use a four-wheel drive system via four wheel-mounted electric motors to give superior grip. The expected range for the Electric RaceAbout is expected to be less than 200 miles – the same as Tesla's Roadster.
Interestingly, the Finnish designed Electric RaceAbout will feature the chassis from the Audi R8, as well as the air-conditioning unit from the Audi A3 in order to save on development costs.
The group is hoping to produce the car on a small-scale eventually, as it has done with other student-designed cars.
The Electric RaceAbout will be in competition with around 70 other entrants in the Automotive X Prize, including Indian motor giant Tata who recently announced a pair of electric vehicles for the competition.
Reader Comments
Wed May 21 2008 7:42 AM
chris says
very interesting... I don't know how much that 4.2L TT weighs, but I'd imagine you could stuff a lot of batteries in that space and not disturb the weight balance of the car one bit.
Tres Cool
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