The world of electric sports cars may soon welcome a new member; the Artega SE. Revealed in pre-production form at the Geneva, the ‘electrified’ version of the Artega GT is powered by two electric motors mounted on the rear axle that develop a combined output of 280 kW or 380HP. Each motor operates independently from one another and drives one of the rear wheels.
Thanks to the 80 extra ponies, the performance of the Artega SE is even better than that of its gasoline-powered sibling: 0 to 100 km/h takes 4.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds less than in the Artega GT. This is also because the electric motors transmit their torque in a linear and immediate fashion. Maximum speed is in excess of 250 km/h (155 mph).
A total of 16 lithium-ion battery modules, each of which contains 12 battery cells, power the electric motors. The total weight of the battery system is 310 kg (683 lbs), while the car tips the scales at 1400 kg (3,086 lbs) - that's only 10 percent more than the Artega GT.
The Artega SE has a driving range of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles), although the company admits that under normal driving conditions the car can achieve 200 km. The batteries can be recharged through conventional household electricity, but the fastest way is to use park-and-ride stations where a full recharge takes 90 minutes.
Artega claims that the SE’s road handling is similar to the GT version, since the weight has the same distribution (57% at the rear and 43% at the front).
Provided that the company receives enough orders, up to 500 Artega SE cars could be built each year in the Delbruck plant, with pricing set to start at €150,000 ($208,500). The company plans to introduce the final production model at the Frankfurt Motor Show this fall, and have it on the market by April 2012.
By Dan Mihalascu
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