Manufacturer Detroit Electric | ||
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Battery 37 kWh lithium-polymer battery Electric range 180 mi (290 km) ((NEDC) | ||
Revival
The Detroit Electric brand was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former Group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and Executive Director of Lotus Cars of England, with a vision to produce premium-quality pure electric vehicles “that seamlessly integrate refined aesthetics, innovative technology and superior handling and performance.”
Contents
Detroit Electric was relaunched to the world on 19 March 2013, with the signing of its new U.S. office in the Fisher Building in Detroit, Michigan.
Detroit Electric SP.01
The Detroit Electric SP.01 two-seat all-electric roadster is Detroit Electric's first product and sales were originally scheduled to begin in the United States in August 2013 at a price starting at US$135,000. Production was delayed because, as of August 2013, the company had not been able to secure an agreement for a manufacturing facility. The SP.01, like the Tesla Roadster, will be built on a Lotus Elise aluminum chassis with carbon fiber body, and production will be limited to 999 units. The SP.01 prototypes are being assembled in Europe. The commercial version was to have been built at a factory in Wayne County, Michigan, but Detroit Electric announced it would initially be built in the Netherlands. In June 2014 Detroit Electric announced that the SP.01 would be built in Royal Leamington Spa, England, with their Netherlands facility handling the sales and marketing side of the operation.
The SP.01 will have a total weight of 2,354 lb (1,068 kg), and it will be powered by a 150 kW (201 bhp) electric motor mounted behind the passenger cabin that delivers 225 N·m (166 lb-ft) of torque. The electric motor drives the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission, and a fifth and sixth gear ratios in the gearbox are redundant and available as an option. Top speed is 155 mph (249 km/h) and its time from 0 to 60 mph (0 to 100 kph) is 3.7 seconds, the same as the Tesla Roadster. The electric car will have a 37 kWh lithium-polymer battery pack capable of delivering a range of 180 mi (290 km) under the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) standard. A 7.7 kWh home charging unit will fully charge the car in 4.3 hours, a charging through a standard 13A power source will take 8 hours.
The first production unit was exported to China in February 2016 to be used as a demonstrator.
Technology
Unique to the SP.01 is its thermal management system, developed in-house by Detroit Electric. As opposed to liquid coolant, Detroit Electric has opted for conditioned air to cool and heat the battery pack as this not only lengthens the battery life, but also makes the entire drive system lighter and safer in the event of a crash. The SP.01 has a telemetry-link to the company's central portal for continuous monitoring of battery and powertrain condition.
An Android application, the Smartphone Application Managed Infotainment(‘SAMI’), will provide access to all auxiliary functions ranging from music player, satellite navigation, regenerative braking adjustment and access to vehicle systems status, level of battery charge, range to recharge and other vehicle telemetry. Via GSM, SAMI will also be able to detect the vehicle location.
The SP.01 has bi-directional charging technology ('360 Powerback’) which can detect loss of inflow current and reverse feed to the home circuit. Charging other electric vehicles is also made possible with 360 Powerback (i.e. vehicle to vehicle).