E-Tracer wins $2.5 million prize
This Swiss designed electric motorcycle capsule is now an award-winning vehicle, capable of 240km/h
The winner of the 2010 Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE for the most efficient 'Alternative Tandem Class' vehicle is the Peraves E-Tracer, a wind-cheating wheeled capsule of sorts.
Though technically not a motorcycle thanks to its fold-down wheels that stabilise it at standstill, the E-Tracer functions much like a motorcycle at higher speeds, tilting into corners and using its front wheel's centrifugal force to keep it upright.
Taking out a cool US$2.5 million for winning the American-based Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE, the Swiss design is expected to go on sale in the US in 2011, and is expected to fetch US$108,000, or roughly $120,000 if it were bought with Australian dollars.
Having won the lucrative X PRIZE, the E-Tracer's designers now have the means to progress their design and potentially deliver the vehicles to customers in the United States.
Built to be aerodynamically sound, the E-Tracer has a very smooth exterior design but probably won't win any awards for style. It has a limited top speed of 240km/h but its creators say it can reach speeds of around 330km/h when unrestricted. Take that Hayabusa!
Powered by an AC induction motor that taps into a 20kW/h lithium battery, the ultra-fast, ultra-quiet two seater will dispatch the zero to 100km/h dash in less than four seconds.
Power from the electric motor is impressive: 204hp (150kW) while 220Nm of torque is on tap from an effective zero revs per minute. The cycle's top speed is due to a combination of engine power and also slippery aerodynamics - it's co-efficient of drag is just 0.19.
Driven in a somewhat sedate manner, the Peraves E-Tracer has a claimed range of 300 kilometres travelling at an average speed of 100km/h.
Check out the ProgressiveAutoXprize.org website for more details, and MonoTracer.com for information on the award-winning E-Tracer vehicle.
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