Manufacturer Wrightspeed Designer Ian Wright Body style Open wheel roadster | Production None, prototype only Class Roadster | |
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Layout Rear mid-motor, rear-wheel drive | ||
The Wrightspeed X1 is a one-off Ariel Atom heavily modified to use an all-electric powertrain. The Atom was chosen for its light weight and efficient design. The electric motor and inverter are sourced from AC Propulsion, makers of the TZero concept car, while the batteries are low weight, high energy density lithium ion provided from A123 Systems. As with the Atom the transmission is a Honda unit, but stripped of its shifting mechanism and other parts to provide only the second gear speed, allowed by the wide speed and torque range available from the electric motor.
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Built by San Francisco-based New Zealand engineer Ian Wright, the X1 created a stir when it bested several sports cars in a drag race, including a Carrera GT (even with a rolling start, an advantage for the gas burning vehicles), all while being filmed by local news station KRON 4. Despite the impressive performance, the vehicle is intended only as a proof of concept. Future production is planned; however, according to the website, "... the production car will be quite different, since it will meet the safety standards, which the prototype does not. It will, however, be at least as quick as the prototype.". Mr. Wright was an early employee of electric-car company Tesla Motors, but soon left to pursue his own ideas.
Performance
The X1 prototype (various technical images)
Most of these images are applicable to the Ariel Atom