Ideally, electric vehicles will one day provide the common man with cheap, reliable, and clean transportation. For now though, the few “affordable” EVs on the market are having a hard time appealing to cost-conscious consumers. For the ultra-wealthy though, electric vehicles offer a new money sink, and the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Electric Drive is a chief contender wealthy EV enthusiasts.
Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, had already revealed that the 740 horsepower, along with a max output of 738 ft-lbs of torque. This is good for a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, despite a reported curb weight of around 4,600 pounds, 1,200 of which was from the 60 kWh battery pack. Even with all that power though, top speed is limited to 155 mph, as is maximum range.
The four individual motors and transmissions on each individual wheel were used in place of hub motors, which increased unsprung weight. Even so, an F1-style pushrod suspension had to be used, as the Electric Drive version of the SLS AMG is still about 1,000 pounds heavier than the standard, gas-powered model.
The price is projected to be around $538,000, so this is the kind of car that only a handful of people around the world can really afford. Even so, there was enough interest for Mercedes-Benz to give the concept the green light for production. They even went so far as to build an all-electric boat version. Then again, there is also the questionable use of the “SLS eSound” system, which will play sounds Mercedes deems “appropriate” for various actions in the car, like starting, stopping, and moving.
All that said, claims that this will be the “world’s fastest” electric supercar may be a little premature. There are other contenders to consider, including the Volar-E, the Rimac Concept_One, and the bevy of homemade electric dragsters making a name for themselves.
Source: AutoGuide
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