This article may be of little importance unless you own a motorhome with a built in garage, or are ready to tow a flatbed trailer for your dinghy. However, it does illustrate where the Electric Vehicle (EV) technology is taking us and what we may expect to see somewhere down the road. The vehicle described below is the creation of the Swedish company Koenigsegg. You can read the entire version the Electric Forum’s article here.
The Koenigsegg Quant
The 2009 Geneva Motor Show will go down in history with regards to Koenigsegg and the release of the long-awaited Quant electric vehicle. This is a four seater sport car which is manufactured using the latest photovoltaic coating, the latest aerodynamic technology and the latest electric power motor technology. In many ways this is the holy grail of the electric car industry so far and has caught the attention of manufacturers and consumers around the world.
The electric power
This is really the ultimate electric powered vehicle on the market at the moment and uses the latest NLV solar technology which makes full use of the whole surface of the vehicle. Powered by electric batteries and said to be capable of travelling 500 km without a physical recharge this is only the tip of the iceberg with regards to the technology under the bonnet. As we suggested above, the photovoltaic coating of the vehicle actually captures energy from the sun, while driving, creating solar power which then tops up the cars electric power supply.
The company claims that the photovoltaic system is capable of recharging the car’s battery in just 20 minutes, a massive improvement on the 6 to 8 hours which many other electric vehicles need to fully recharge. However, when you also consider the vehicle is capable of going from 0 to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds, is capable of a top speed of 170 mph, has all of the mod cons which you would expect in a high-tech sports vehicle and makes use of the latest aerodynamic shape, what more could you ask for?
Is the Koenigsegg Quant the face of the future?
There is no doubt that this award-winning Swedish manufacturer is set to take the electric car market to another level as and when the vehicle is released to the commercial market. Until now the company has had an excellent reputation within niche markets but this is all set to change in the future.
We have seen no suggestions of price for the vehicle, although it will not be cheap, but when you consider it takes in the latest high-tech aerodynamics, environmentally friendly power as well as all of the mod cons and high-tech gadgets you’d expect with a top of the range sports car, it looks as though you will get what you pay for.
Are we seeing a revolution in the electric car market?
One of the major downsides of the current electric car market is the fact that many vehicles are only capable of short journeys, need up to 8 hours to recharge their batteries and are on the whole uneconomical for longer journeys. However, the photovoltaic recharging system used in the Koenigsegg Quant has taken electric car power to a new level and one which could well be duplicated across the industry.
We really are standing on the edge of a substantial revolution in the electric car market although there is no doubt that traditional petrol and diesel fuelled vehicle manufacturers will try to muddy the water. The ability to obtain distances in the region of 500 km between charges, reach speeds approaching 200 mph and also travel in luxury is something which many people never thought they would see from an electric vehicle in their lifetime.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Koenigsegg Quant electric powered sports car is set to make a significant impact when it hits the main market in the short to medium term. Even though the vehicle is likely to be manufactured on a limited edition basis, the basics are very much there for next-generation electric vehicles. The key now is the ability to produce an economy sized affordable vehicle which offers the same journey length at a price which is comparable with traditional vehicles of today.
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