Manufacturer Ecotricity Class Sports Car Engine Two 125 kW motors | Production One-off, 2010 Body style two-seater coupe | |
Transmission Two stage belt driven reduction transaxle | ||
The Nemesis is a Lotus Exige modified by British company Ecotricity. According to Dale Vince, the director of Ecotricity, the car was meant to "smash the boring, Noddy stereotype of the green car". It took two years, a team of F1 engineers, and £750,000 to make, including £350,000 of Dale Vince's own fortune.
Contents
Design
The Nemesis used the chassis of a Lotus Exige bought off eBay. The petrol engine was removed and replaced with two electric motors and a new transmission. Battery packs were strategically placed and the air ducts on the original body were removed, as they are not needed for electric propulsion. The exterior was painted grey with black and white stripes. The car has a range of 240 km (150 mi) on a charge from a 36 kW⋅h battery. All the electricity the car used came from wind power produced by Ecotricity. The car has a hypothetical top speed of 270–320 km/h (170–200 mph) and can go 0–161 km/h (0–100 mph) in 8.5 seconds.
Speed Record
On 27 September 2012, the Nemesis recorded a top speed of 243 km/h (151 mph) at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire, a feat that broke the land speed record for EVs (electric vehicles) in the UK. The previous record was 220 km/h (137 mph).