VIDEO: Zero Carbonista's wind-powered Nemesis undergoing on-road testing this month
Nemesis drive tests - Click above to watch the video after the jump
Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity, is now able to take his pet electric car for a drive. The Nemesis, not quite finished, is able to cruise on the track, as you can see in the video after the jump, as well as on the road. After months of delays, Vince convinced the team he assembled to convert a Lotus Exige to battery power (and he wants to run it solely on wind-generated electricity, once the car is done) to let him park the car in his driveway. In exchange, he will keep records of the car's performance after his drives. Vince is giving the car the "general shakedown" that he was excited about the last time he wrote on the Wind Car blog.
We're still wondering why someone would spend all this time and money converting a Lotus to electric drive when Tesla will sell you one – even in England – but we hope that the team's work will someday result in more than a single EV. Could Zero Carbonista someday commercialize the work they've developed with the Nemesis? No answers yet, but at least this first prototype is coming along nicely.
[Source: Zero Carbonista]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
bmdgill 8:36AM (8/27/2009)
Looks like an incredible achievement from such a small team. Clearly very gifted guys.
It gives me a lot of hopes that the technology for electric cars is here already and just needs to be brought to the mass market. The next few years will be the dawn of a new day, I believe, with EVs from the biggest manufacturers worldwide hitting the market. Nissan, GM, BMW, Honda, Toyota etc are all bringing EVs or plugin hybrids to market. Its also promising to see that China are really taking it seriously too.
But for all of you who thing EVs are still a technology that has not yet hit the market, you may be surprised to learn of how many electric vehicles are already working and can be bought right now. Take a look at this:
http://www.plentyways.com/blog/2009/07/top-ten-electric-vehicles-on-the-market/
Reply
Mark Kiernan 8:44AM (8/27/2009)
Really good work from such a small team, but it is going to be a car sold to the public or is it just a toy for that rich guy?
Reply
CaramelZappa 9:59AM (8/27/2009)
Toy for a rich guy.
d-man 10:52AM (8/27/2009)
so... is/will the total price be more or less than a tesla? also a lotus-based electric vehicle....
Reply
Chris M 6:50PM (8/27/2009)
No cost information was given, but considering that this is a "one off" car that bears the entire development, I'd say it was quite a bit more than the Tesla Roadster.
Doug 11:28AM (8/27/2009)
"We're still wondering why someone would spend all this time and money converting a Lotus to electric drive when Tesla will sell you one – even in England –"
In some of his earlier comments he complained that the Tesla was only available LHD, which was true way back when this project started. But the Roadster can now be ordered RHD, deliveries starting in January.
Reply