It has been over 35 years since John DeLorean debuted his vision of the new age of automobiles at the 1977 Detroit Auto Show but with the opening of the 2012 New York International Auto Show, the epic gullwing American sports car made its reemergence into the auto show world – this time powered by a high tech electric drivetrain in the form of the new DeLorean DMCev.
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We have known since October 2011 that the modern DeLorean Motor Company run by Stephen Wynne would, at some point, offer a new version of their DMC-12 powered by an electric drivetrain to the general public. DeLorean went so far as to offer up video of Cameron Wynne (son of Stephen Wynne) speeding around Houston Motorsports Park in a near-silent DMCev but full details were scarce when we saw the new electric DeLorean in motion (click here to see the electric DeLorean in action). Thanks to the folks at Autoblog, we know now that the DeLorean DMCev will arrive in early 2013 with a starting price tag in the range of $95,000.
The 2013 DeLorean DMCev will be powered by a 400 volt electric motor developed by Epic EV that sends 260 horsepower and 360lb-ft of torque – roughly double the output of the original DMC-12. The electric motor is driven by a 32 kWh lithium ion battery mounted in the middle of the car. This single speed drivetrain allows the DMCev to dash from 0-60 in around 6 seconds while reaching a top speed of 125 miles per hour. More importantly, the DeLorean DMCev is expected to offer a range of 64 to 96 miles on a single charge; with actual range depending greatly on driving situations and conditions (a fact of all EVs).
Unlike the original DeLorean DMC-12 that used a composite chassis, the DMCev uses a high tech fiberglass honeycomb design that reduces chassis weight by about 50%. Luckily, the rear engine design of John’s original DeLorean sports car caters to the electric drivetrain, with the electric motor sitting right over the rear drivewheels while the battery is mounted in the middle of the car and the charging port is located under up front; hidden away by the front grille. When plugged in, the DMCev battery can charge from “an average trip” (40 miles usage) on a standard 110V house socket in 4-5 hours and when using the 220V connection, that time is cut to less than 2 hours. In the event that the electric DeLorean battery is charged way down, that charging time to get back to full takes 4-5 hours with the 220 line and we would expect that with the 110V line, a full charge would take 10 hours, give or take.
DeLorean estimates that it costs about $2.25 to fully charge a dead battery in the 2013 DeLorean DMCev based on average electric costs and when driving to the full extent of the 100 mile range – that equals a cost of just over two cents per mile. For comparison, the DMC-12 with a traditional gasoline engine costs roughly 20 cents per gallon (assuming gasoline is $4/gallon). That makes the modern DeLorean DMCev about ten times more efficient to drive in terms of energy costs.
The downside to the 2013 DeLorean DMCev is the cost, as owning this retro-cool sports coupe with gullwing doors, a stainless steel body and a 260 horsepower electric drivetrain comes with a serious cost. Autoblog reported that the DMCev will carry a base price of $95,000 which is a hefty increase compared to the $57,000 price that the modern DeLorean Motor Company was charging for “new” DMC-12 models in 2010 made mostly from 1980s components – reconditioned for new use. DeLorean has since removed the build potion of their website but in any case, someone will have to be one major Back to the Future fan or a serious DeLorean lover to shell out upwards of $100,000 for the new electric version. This price is about three times what a consumer would pay for an electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf but we expect that the majority of people lining up to buy a $95,000 electric DeLorean might have a little bigger bank account than your typical EV buyer.
Source: Autoblog
Images courtesy of DeLorean Motor Company
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