Tzero
The tzero is a handmade electric sports car designed and built in very limited numbers by the U.S. company AC Propulsion. The tzero was based on the Piontek Sportech kit car, which consists of a fiberglass body built over a reinforced steel space frame with double wishbone independent suspension and rack and pinion steering. AC Propulsion added the AC-150 drivetrain, a single-speed electric system with an overall gear ratio of 9:1. Launched in January 1997, only three prototypes were built and plans for commercial production were dropped in mid-2003. The name comes from t0, the mathematical symbol for a starting point in time. Due to high production costs, AC Propulsion ceased to produce the tzero. Only three were built, one of which is owned by the company itself, one by Gruber Power Services, a company that specializes in Tesla Roadster repair, and one privately. The drivetrain, however, was used in many other vehicles. Because the car recharges its batteries when the throttle is released — slowing sharply as energy is recaptured — it can be driven hard using only the accelerator pedal. Also, if the car detects a turn with more than half a g-force (5 m/s²), it eases the rear-wheel regenerative braking to prevent slides.
The original version of the roadster ran on 28 Johnson Controls Optima Yellow Top lead-acid batteries in series, which produced 150 kW (200 horsepower) and 177 lbs·ft (240 N·m) of torque at 336 volts and accelerated the 1,040 kg (2,290 lb) car from a standstill to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 4.07 seconds. The single gear ratio limited the car's maximum speed to 90 mph (140 km/h) at 12,000 rpm, although it is said that early prototypes fitted with multiple gear ratios could hit 155 miles per hour (249 km/h). Even with the single ratio, lead-acid models are capable of completing a quarter mile (400 m) drag race in 13.24 seconds. The expected range per charge of the tzero with the lead-acid batteries is 80 to 100 mi (130 to 160 km) as a result of consuming only 180 watt hours per mile (895 J/km) (DC) on the highway and due to regenerative braking. The car can be charged from 0 to 95% within an hour. The base price of this version was to have been US$80,000.
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