Bugatti Veyron Middle East Edition

Bugatti Veyron Middle East Edition

Auto Express announced this week that Bugatti has developed a fully electric sports car with some impressive capability.  Known for exploring the limits of performance in street legal supercars with its Veyron, Bugatti has apparently set out to prove a similar point about electric cars.

Details at this time are fairly slim, but sources have reported that the purpose of the car is related more to research & development, rather than the production of a vehicle for the public.  Energy comes from a lithium-ion battery pack, and two electric motors get the wheels moving, providing as much as 2,200Nm of torque.

The amount of current required to generate these impressive specs will pose a big challenge for engineers.  I won't attempt to guess specifics, but I'm thinking you might be able to weld steel with that kind of potential.  So while the figures are impressive, they are likely not practical for a street-worthy car.  Batteries and motors must be extremely robust to handle those conditions for anything more than short bursts.  An individual who has driven the electric Bugatti is quoted to have said that the battery charge only lasts "a matter of minutes" when the car is driven at its limits.

This research, while not necessarily practical, is still very valuable to the development of newer and better electric cars.  As designers explore the limits of performance and economy, they will continue to learn more about how to balance the two while improving hybrid and fully electric drivetrains.

[Auto Express]