Blade Runner: Australia's first zero-emissions car
Looks like the Aussies are getting their very first zero-emissions-vehicle, the Blade Runner. Converted from the gasoline-powered Hyundai Getz (as seen above), the Blade Runner uses an AC motor powered by twin banks of lithium iron phosphate batteries and is capable of going up to 100 kilometers (62.5 miles) on a single charge. Although not particularly cheap at $35,000 for the retrofit (about $32,000 US), the Blade Runner is still the first of its kind in Oz, and it comes from a small manufacturer, Blade Electric Vehicles, the brainchild of Ross Blade.
According to this article, some new owners of the Blade Runner are even go so far as to charge their batteries using solar power. There's a short video of the car here, which shows Australian Democrats Leader Lyn Allison giving the Blade Runner a once-over. It seems that Blade Electric Vehicles is looking to secure a deal to provide electric cars to the government.
[Source: Blade Electric Vehicles via CarDomain]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Kevin 7:41PM (3/27/2008)
Well finally sheesh!
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brn 9:02PM (3/27/2008)
$32K extra to retrofit an existing sub-compact so that it can get 62 miles? I won't complaint too much, as it's Australia's first attempt.
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stephen 10:16PM (3/27/2008)
Depressing to look at.
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mark 2:32PM (3/29/2008)
I would just like to note this is Australia's first *commercial* attempt. There is this one http://www.electric-echo.com/
I imagine that most of the cost is mostly the batteries.
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