SIM-Drive EV has range of 333 km (207 miles) on JC08

SIM-Drive Corp., a spin-off from Keio University, unveiled electric vehicle capable of traveling 333 km (207 miles) on a fully charged battery on the JC08 cycle.

In January 2010, SIM-Drive announced that 34 companies and municipalities, including automakers Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Isuzu Motors Ltd., were forming a consortium to develop a new electric car prototype, with mass-market sales being the end goal.

The SIM-LEI has in-wheel motors and can seat up to four. It runs on lithium ion batteries made by Toshiba Corp. that have a capacity of 24.9 kWh, roughly the same as EV batteries on the market. The vehicle can accelerate from zero to 100 kph in 4.8 seconds, a performance equal to that of high-end sports cars, according to SIM-Drive.

The start-up aims to commercialize the vehicle in 2013 through its development partners.

Source: Nikkei