http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12750/batteries-included.html You covered 60 feet in 1.658 seconds. The one-eighth mile came up in 7.713 at 86.83 mph. The quarter took 12.353 seconds at 103.55 mph — and that was slow! With a fresh battery pack and driver Tim Brehm at the wheel, Zombie has done 12.151 and 106.25 mph, the world record for street-legal electric sedans. Presiding auto-electroid Wayland (www.plasmaboyracing.com) says Zombie can beat a stock Corvette. In fact, it can, as long as the Vette isn’t a Z06.
But, for goodness sake, it's a home built modified '72 Datsun. Imagine someone doing a similar modification with ~3 current Prius NiMH packs in a light weight nice modern sports car using a more efficient inverter and lighter weight, more powerful motors. But it would give that ZO6 a run then too.
With a normal driver I would agree but some of the tweakers I know are pushing the barrier of mid 10sec 1/4mile times with a stock C6 Z06. Ranger from CorvetteForum.com went 11.13et at 127mph on stock tires. Another guy beat his record with a 10.98 at 129mph then slapped on drag radials and went 10.83 at 130mph. This is just getting out of hand!
Yea, ok, fine...but when a buy can build this thing in his back yard for a couple thousand dollars and force you to find a top notch ZO6 driver and the fastest commercial stock car available to beat him then you gotta acknowledge the silly electric gimmick might just be the next generation of racer. At least they're still on the steep part of the curve for improvements where conventional vehicles are leveling out. It's just funny to imagine the sounds at the track... 2 cars silently pull up to the line...a short squeak of burning rubber for about 2 seconds, then a little hum and tire noise as they fly down the track...
Well all the stats for the Corvette are great and very impressive for a stock street car, however you are looking at the tail end of 100+ years of developement. Electric cars, although they were around at the beginning of last century developement stalled while oil ruled for most of that time. Electric vehicle developement is now at about model T level, (edid: - Actually it is earlier than model T, it's still in the home garage stage) right at the early stages. The electric STREET car, the subject of this thread is part of that developement and a flag toward the future. You can get excited about a corvette, or relic of the past or look forward to the future of alternative vehicles becoming mainstream.
Preaching to the choir my friend. I've been an avid racer since I was 18 and only just recently dumped my "race" cars. I will not purchase another gasoline powered vehicle to race. The next race car will either be all electric or something better. For me the rush of the race is in the first 60' and the 1.6 60's that the lil Datsun is achieving suits me fine. At around the 1.5 60' range I get the sensation of light-headedness during the launch and it's a great feeling. Now if we can just make it a rearwheel drive car so that I can tweak the suspension for some wheels up action I'd be in heaven! Then I'm going gunnin' after my buddy Chris Chow ahaha
I'm a road racer & theres no reason an electric car cannot be as fast as a gas car around a road course. Range & where to recharge is the issue I'd miss the wail of a V12 or the growl of a 7 liter V8 though Audi is a technology leader today as they won the last 2 LeMans races w diesel power btw F1 is talking about hybrid racers in the future and Ferrari has mentioned the possibility of a hybrid road car
Related to hybrid & electric cars, the real reason these are not raced is similair to the reason jet & rocket cars are not raced very often Jet & rocket cars would wipe the floor w gas cars but nobody is around to sponsor them or make $ of jet engine parts for cars So... the powers that be have them on lock down hybrid cars have it easier than jet, rocket, or electric cars so I expect to see race hybrids in F1 & LeMans car soon
Nor at the drag strip. http://evnut.com/wrightspeed.htm 300 miles and *anywhere* aren't good enough? We're still working on it.
The rules about how much and how energy can be recovered and stored then delivered are being discussed in F1 as we type. A Hybrid Toyota won a 24 hour race in Japan by a fantastic margin earlier this year. http://www.webwombat.com.au/motoring/news_reports/toyota-hybrid-tokashi-24-race-win.htm The advantages in racing are obvious when you think about it, a major impact in endurance racing is fuel stops and fuel weight. By embracing hybrid technology you reduce the need to carry as much fuel, stop as often for fuel, you can use a smaller lighter petrol engine and in this case drive all 4 wheels with no complex drive train.
The Corvette is a beautiful car. But I hate gasoline and the noise and vibration of a gas engine. I want a Corvette shell with all electric drive. And since I'm not into racing, I'd be happy with freeway speed and enough acceleration for zippy merging and passing. A Tesla Roadster would be nice, too, though its specs far exceed what I need, but if I got on the waiting list now I'd have to wait at least 18 months. But even though I'm not into racing, I love it when an electric car some guy builds in his garage without any big backing or fancy manufacturing technology can go to the track and leave just about every other car in the dust. Range is an issue. With the technology we have today, battery EVs could only meet about 90% of America's personal transportation needs. In my case, my 40-mph Xebra works for me only about 27 days out of 30.
The Tesla is nice but its based on the Lotus Elise which is also very nice but VERY small and hard to get in & out of
I showed my buddy the Tesla and he cringed. He loved the idea but he said he rode in an Elise at Thunder Hill and he had to crawl out onto the ground then get on his knees to stand back up. He's 6'5" 280lbs lol
I'd say the problem isn't the car but your mate's fitness level. Easy way to get out of most sports cars is get the legs out, feet on the ground and just stand up. Once you lean forward to stand up the roof isn't in the way because the sides of the car taper in at the top. I can easily get in and out of my friends lowered RX7 and MX5 and I'm a fat pig so I can't see the issue.
Neither of those cars are a race prepped Elise lol. You should see how long my buddies legs are though. I'm 6'3" and I have plenty of room in my Prius. He gets in it and his knee touches the shifter handle. He owns a lowered C5 ZO6 and has no trouble in that car.
On the Elise the roof is right there when you swing your legs out. The roof is just too low to get out unless you are 4'11" Its harder to get in & out than a Countach
