Electric Porsche hunter Clean performance with forged alloy wheels from AEZ What would you prefer: an emission-free electric car, or a 272 HP / 200 kW racing car on cool AEZ alloys, which does 0 to 100 km/h in just 6 seconds and has a top speed of over 200 km/h? With the Electric Raceabout project (ERA) the “Helsinki Metropolia University" in Finland proves that the alleged options can refer to one and the same car. A pert sports car has been created based on a Kevlar monocoque. More than the acceleration of the 4-wheel drive vehicle it is the torque of 1000 Newton metres which amazes – only the top combustion motors can keep up with this. 3200 Newton metres can also be achieved for ten seconds, which even the strongest articulated lorries cannot manage. With regards to output, at its peak the car can also reach 449 HP / 330 kW for a short time. But power is not everything, handling is also important. As the vehicle still weighs 1.7 tonnes with its four electric engines and the battery pack with lithium-titanate cells, the constructors have ensured it has a low centre of gravity and low unsprung masses. For the wheels the team chose AEZ, and not just for optical reasons. The selected 8x18 inch model looks like the successful Tidore dark alloy, but is actually a forged version built especially for this project. The reason for this extra constructive work is a total weight saving of 20 kilograms. Although AEZ already has forged alloys in its product range as standard with the alloys Nemesis and Forge A, their oversized look would not really have suited the light-footed ERA. The Tidore dark on the other hand first saw the light of day as a prototype for the slim underwater car Rinspeed sQuba. With its five strongly curved double spokes and a very deeply pulled-back middle area, it comes across as powerful and classy. The highlight is the aluminium look, which is created by the interplay of polished silver, matt clear coating and the new matt anthracite coating. With plenty of clever detailed solutions, the University team now wants to be right at the forefront at the American “Progressive Automotive XPrize“. In this competition competitors have to pass countless tests over several months. The vehicles have to prove that they are environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient and are suitable for everyday use. In addition they have to be able to be mass produced at a realistic price. Those who manage to build a vehicle according to these requirements at the “green rally”, which gets by with an equivalent of 2.35 litres of petrol per day, can win up to 10 million Dollars. AEZ has its fingers crossed for the team.

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