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Lightning electric supercar recharges in 10 minutes

Jul 30, 2008

It's super fast and it's fully electric. That's right--this bad boy runs entirely on rechargeable batteries. Lightning puts your dad's Ferrari to shame.

Never has there been a more appropriately named car than the Lightning: It's super fast and it's fully electric. That's right--this bad boy runs entirely on rechargeable batteries. It'll put your dad's Ferrari to shame, too.

We gave the Lightning a good once over at the recent British International Motor Show and we're smitten. Just look at it: There's none of that stupid quirkiness that seems to be a prerequisite of other electric vehicles. And why should there be? Just because a car runs on batteries doesn't mean it's okay for it to look like a toy. We're looking at you, G-Wiz, and, to a certain extent, you, Mr Smart ED, if that is your real name.

Unlike most electric cars that use a single electric motor, the Lightning uses four separate motors--one in each wheel. The idea is that all the available power is placed directly into the wheel--none is lost in the gearbox or drive shaft before it reaches your smoking tires. You can reach 0-100kmh in about 4 seconds and a top speed of around 209kmh is promised.

Power in the Lightning is generated by 30 large Lithium-titanium batteries, unlike the Tesla which uses thousands of tiny Lithium-ion cells. These are about the size of a standard car battery and are situated low in the car to give it a low centre of gravity and good weight distribution.

Driven sensibly, the car is said to have a range of around 320km. A full recharge can be done at your home, place of work, or at a public recharging point in about 8 hours. But its makers claim the Lightning can be recharged in approximately 10 minutes--if you can find a three-phase power outlet. Unfortunately, most domestic outlets are single phase, though in the future, what's to say this situation won't change?

As with all electric cars, the Lightning is exempt from road tax in the UK and from London's congestion charge. This should save you around Ł2,200 (US$4,355)a year, which you're going to need to help pay for this car. If you're lucky enough to have Ł150,000 (US$29,6903) in your bank account and have the patience to wait until "sometime in 2009", then get over to the Lightning Web site and pre-order one. If not, then have a look at the awesome photos we took.

Credit: Rory Reid/CNET UK