SSC Ultimate Aero EV Further Details Revealed

SSC Ultimate Aero

All-electric supercar moves closer to production

By Christopher Jackson
January 22, 2009 6:50 PM
Filed Under: American, Electric Vehicle, Specialty Marques, Supercars

Shelby SuperCars (SSC) is moving closer to the release date of its all-electric supercar, and has released details that support its claim that this vehicle will revolutionize the electric-car market.

Electric sports cars are nothing new, thanks to Tesla and Fisker, but SSC is confident that its new rapid-charge, high-range, liquid-cooled All-Electric Scalable Powertrain (AESP) will have a wide range of applications. "The all-electric SUV or delivery truck is now a reality in the not-so-distant future," according to SSC's press release.

For the more immediate future, we've got the upcoming Ultimate Aero EV. The nuts and bolts will be revealed in the second quarter of 2009, but SSC claims that the Ultimate Aero EV will be capable of stunning performance with a 150 to 200 mile range. The lithium-ion battery pack used with the AESP can be fully recharged in just ten minutes with a standard 110-volt outlet, according to SSC. Free from the overnight charging requirements of current electric cars, this system could make electric power a viable alternative to gasoline engines, if it works as promised.

SSC says that the AESP can be scaled up, from a 200-horsepower version for passenger cars, to 500 horses in light trucks or SUVs and up to 1200hp for heavy trucks and military vehicles. SSC also claims that the AESP is light weight and compact compared to an internal combustion engine, and that the system can be wholesaled to other manufacturers.
The Ultimate Aero EV will tell us if SSC's claims are valid. The company plans to pursue the title of "World's Fastest Electric Vehicle" with it later this year, and the car could be available for public sale by the end of the year. In light of the extremely bold claims SSC is making, we'll reserve judgment for the moment.

Source: SSC

Press Release (Click to expand)

SSC Announces Green Technologies Revealing Revolutionary Battery and Electric Powertrain Technology

Shelby SuperCars (SSC) released the details today of the revolutionary electric vehicle technology to be unveiled in the second quarter of this year. SSC will reveal its innovative all-electric powertrain in the current Ultimate Aero, the Guinness Certified "Fastest Production Car in the World," to create the Ultimate Aero EV and will reinforce the company as a benchmark in the auto industry. But unlike other auto manufacturers, SSC's new technology will set a new standard in the electric car industry - one of 10 minute recharges, super horsepower and ranges of up to 200 miles per charge.

While other auto manufacturers focus on producing Green technology for specific cars, SSC's focus is on producing Green technologies for a wide range of applications for an even wider range of vehicles. SSC's electric powertrain package, named AESP (All-Electric Scalable Powertrain) is unique due to its scalable horsepower, light weight, compact size, quick recharge time and liquid cooling.

SSC's Nanotechnology Rechargeable Lithium Battery pack is rechargeable in only 10 minutes on a standard 110 outlet and has a 150-200 mile range on a single charge. This means that in a typical 8 hour day, the car using this technology could go 200 miles, charge for 10 minutes (the time it typically takes to fill up a tank of gas), then drive 200 more miles, charge for 10 minutes and continue on. Some other EV technologies necessitate an overnight charge creating a class of "commuter electric cars" and are not practical alternatives to gas combustion automobiles.

The AESP's main feature is its scalability. The all-electric SUV or delivery truck is now a reality in the not-so-distant future. The AESP is scalable from 200 horsepower for economy and midsize cars, to 500 horsepower for light trucks and SUVs, and up to 1200 horsepower for delivery trucks, heavy duty equipment, buses and military vehicles. The revolutionary design proves electric-powered vehicles not only match, but also provide more linear power (electric motors have 100% torque at 0 RPM) and overall performance than internal combustion vehicles.

• All-electric. No gasoline.

• Light weight. Just a fraction of the weight of a standard combustion engine (<200lbs.)

• Extended performance. Internal cooling systems are built into the motors.

• Compact size. 1/18 the space of a standard engine; significant increase in cargo room.

• Scalable horsepower. From 200 horsepower (one motor) to 1200 horsepower (two motors "piggy backed").

• Quick recharges. Only 10 minutes on standard 110 outlet.

The current AESP was designed to meet the manufacturing and quality requirements of major automotive manufacturers, transportation operators and the military. SSC will wholesale the AESP to mass production car companies, governments, and to public, private, and niche businesses. Costs for mass-produced units are $5K-$6K per unit for 1000 to 10,000 units (with further reduction in unit cost for increased production.)

SSC's next milestone will be the pursuit of the "World's Fastest Electric Car" with the Ultimate Aero EV later this year.

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Tags: speed record, SSC, Ultimate Aero EV

World Speed Record Breaking SSC Ultimate Aero up for Sale (24 comments

Comments

Motor_Yakuza

January 22, 2009 8:07 PM

Hmm, this is promising.

Joe_Limon

January 22, 2009 8:17 PM

awe, no 5 year charge? or at least under continuous use that is...

Xanavi23

January 22, 2009 10:26 PM

I have alot of Faith in SSC, they're a promising company and it SHOULD be even smaller companies like this working on "green technologies", it will only serve to further the tech in hand with large Manufacturers.

Bremen_Koenigsegg

January 22, 2009 11:07 PM

Our optimism behind the technology SSC are touting is not founded in reality, but rather our fear of the alternative -- that is, what would happen to our society if Li-Ion technology is not advancing in the hasty manner we need it to. This fear is quickly rendering skeptics of electric cars into enemies of liberty. The truth is, electric locomotion is not the future -- it is an intermediate step between our current obsolete technology and tomorrow's universally acceptable applicable solution. EVs are asking us to redefine the car; to step backwards; to suffer from less practical range, less driving theatre, and a heavy reliance on staying within urban limits. This is not the future, and I am not a monster for refusing to believe the rubbish SSC are spewing.

Tox

January 23, 2009 1:22 AM

Well I agree that the claims SSC is making are rather unbelievable. I think that no matter which way you slice it EVs are the future and concievably not even just an intermidiate step between internal combustion engines and the next big thing. Even hydrogen vehicles can be considered EVs in that they use their hydrogen to power electric motors. Furthermore EVs need not have shorter ranges or less driving pleasure, they just do at the moment as todays batteries are simply no where near what is needed for an EV that rivals a modern car in terms of range and driving experience. However, that is not to say that higher performance betteries that are lighter than the ones we use today are not achievable as there has simbly been no need for them to date. Electric motors are already outperforming internal combustion motors now we just need to have a viable light weight energy storage system to power them.

-WVU Formula Lightning mechanical head-

Bremen_Koenigsegg

January 23, 2009 4:21 AM

I agree, absolutely; we can make batteries with better range, that are lighter, and that satisfy all of the developed world's driving needs. Though I should clarify, I am talking about plug-in EVs. My problem is not with electric motors (because they are, in every quantifiable way, better than internal combustion engines), but rather with the logistical challenges of energy distribution facing the technology. I am hesitant to praise plug-in EVs as the future industry standard. The only acceptable personal transportation solution should be as easily applicable in major urban centres as they are in rural areas, places without access to cheap, reliable electricity. That is why I am a firm hydrogen supporter.

lucifa

January 23, 2009 7:18 AM

I'm just going to jump in here and back Bremen_Koenigsegg up and say that hydrogen is the way of the future - more specifically, hydrogen fuel cells. For all I don't like to quote Top Gear, in his test of the FCX James May raised a very good point: with internal combustion engines, you drive as far as you like, fill it up with fuel at a station in a matter of a couple of minutes, then drive some more. That's exactly how a hydrogen fuel cell works - drive, put more hydrogen in it, and keep driving, not drive it a very certain amount of distance then charge it overnight like EV. Like he said, the reason it's a viable option for the future is because it is exactly like the practice we have in the present; no lifestyle change is needed.

Another good point raised in that test by Jay Leno was hydrogen would do for internal combustion what internal combustion did for the horse - make it obsolete as a form of transport and turn it into a form of recreation and appreciation for motoring enthusiasts.

Joe_Limon

January 23, 2009 6:58 PM

your/Jay's analogy is horribly flawed. The only way it would be accurate is if horses farted gasoline... hydrogen is an energy storage method not a fuel...

eddie

January 23, 2009 12:45 AM

Again, we should be funding new technologies like this vs bailing out old school Detroit 3.

lucifa

January 23, 2009 7:22 AM

I read something interesting about SSC - a man in... I think the US bought an Ultimate Aero, expecting to enjoy it's mountain of horsepower. To show off, he dropped it on a dyno at a motor show or something, to find it produced about 350hp, not the acclaimed 1000+. He's suing SSC, obviously, but I just thought that raised an interesting point about cars from small brands...

tootall

January 23, 2009 4:06 PM

Can you provide proof of the source as to the statement that you've just made Lucifa?

lucifa

January 24, 2009 1:02 AM

oh no that's just something i read on another site or something. dunno how authentic it is.

Xanavi23

January 24, 2009 5:33 AM

Rule number 1 in school, don't believe everything you read, Humans are the worst liars of any race we previously know of.

Aluraeo

January 23, 2009 6:57 PM

Erm I'm not great with physics or anything but I do know some basics about battery technology and rudimentry mathematics behind basic charging. I dont see how it is possible for a battery of that capacity for the required range to be charge in 10 minutes. You'll definately need a specialised charging outlet to supply the amperage and the current would be extremely and I mean really extremely huge. In simple maths if the car had a 110 v battery with, lets just say, only 60 amphere hours worth of capacity.... and those are pathetic figures for the amount of power and range they claim. Then to charge it in 10 minutes from a 110v power socket you need like... 360 amps of current.... 360 freaking amps... thats insane in wattage terms thats 39600watts.... correct me if my maths is wrong for it might be but I'm rather sure I'm in the ball park range with the numbers. Even negating any efficiency losses, 39600 watts out of a standard electric socket is nuts. Can a battery even take 360 amps..... Lion isnt doesnt really like high currents compared to the less capable and old tech nicad or nimh. Lipoly may be better at currents but 360 amps is a long stretch unless you have alot in parallel config.

norther

January 25, 2009 12:28 AM

this is wrong again. like the challanger with lambo doors. god dami it...

uzzie

February 5, 2009 3:44 PM

its nice but still like a fake lamborghini or something, ok, so its really really powerful but will it handle round corners like a lambo reventon, we'll have to wait and see

revcon

June 30, 2009 9:56 AM

Aluraeo is absolutely right to question the fast charge capabilities of a 110v outlet. Standard outlets are rated at 15 amps. If you pull max current for 10 minutes, you will put 275 watt-hours (volts x amps x hours) of energy into the battery. That equates to about a mile of very conservative driving range in a very light electric vehicle (EV). The Aero would burn that much energy in 100 yards at full acceleration.

This is one of the unfortunate, almost criminal, problems those of us in the EV industry have to deal with... wild claims and unimaginable misinformation. Makes it almost impossible to educate and promote the alternative energy source we have available for transportation 24/7, coast to coast, right now, today. Electricity.

No - current battery technology will not allow you to have supercar performance in an EV for 200 miles (have you seen the changes in Tesla's claims?) No - long cross-country trips are not practical in a pure EV today. No - simple household of office circuits will not allow you to recharge in minutes. That oughta give the nay-sayers enough ammo for now!

What you CAN DO with an EV today is commute anywhere from 40 to 100 miles on a charge, depending on battery chemistry and size, and recharge it overnight. Double the range figures if you have the opportunity to charge at work. For the average driver, that accounts for 90% of your driving needs... going to work, shopping, going to dinner/movies, dropping the kids at soccer, visiting friends on the weekends, etc. And, you do all that at less than half the cost compared to a petroleum powered car.

Most families own more than one car. So keep one gas-burner for the rare times you need the range and make the other electric. You'll reach for the EV keys 9 times more often than the keys to the dinosaur-burner.

I can already hear it. "Yeah, but I want one car that'll do everything... go to work, take me to the Hamptons for summer vacation, AND make me feel like a rock star when I stand on the pedal!!!" If you can afford an Aero, you can easily afford an EV as a "second" car (even though you'll drive it more than the "male enhancement device").

Oh, yeah... hydrogen as the "fuel of the future." We're talking distant future. At the moment, we have no ready, economical source of hydrogen and no distribution infrastructure. We are at least a decade away. Once again, we DO have a nation-wide electrical grid that produces excess energy during off-peak hours... at night. The technology exists today to tap into that source in a practical way to serve a large portion of our transportation needs.

So go ahead and wait for the fuel of tomorrow... I'll be spending a third on my fuel and saving on maintenance and registration as well.

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