Infiniti chiefs say it is “feasible” to build a production version of its Emerg-e extended-range electric sports car, unveiled at today's Geneva motor show. Infiniti has constructed a running prototype that produces 402bhp from its two electric motors.
The main challenges will be the cost of the motors and the need to outsource the car’s carbonfibre body. Infiniti’s product planning boss, Francois Bancon, said, “There is nothing really difficult to do except the carbonfibre, where we need a high-level partner.” He envisaged the Emerg-e would cost around “$150,000 (£95,000).
Jerry Hardcastle, vice-president of Nissan’s UK-based European technical centre, hints that there were some strained conversations with Francois Bancon, when the topic of this year’s Geneva concept was first brought up.
“We got some quite challenging performance targets from Francois,” recalls Hardcastle. “You can imagine the phone call: ‘Jerry, we want a range-extender electric vehicle that can do 0-60mph in four seconds and 130mph. At the same time it must have a pure-electric vehicle range of 30 miles, but with the range extender we want a range of 300 miles’.
“I did ask him, ‘Are you sure you don’t want a V6 turbo four-wheel-drive concept instead?’.
Thanks to: Autocar
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