The British Auto Express looks at the new Eliica eight-wheeler from inventor Hiroshi Shimizu:
Called the Eliica — short for Electric Lithium-Ion battery Car — this radical 800bhp eight-wheeler from Japan is proof that electric vehicles can be fast and fun to drive, too. Boasting a four-second 0-60mph sprint and seven-second 0-100mph time, the Eliica is faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo.
Electric motors offer tremenous torque right off the line, so it’s no surprise that an electric car can out-accelerate a Porsche 911 Turbo. The problem with electric cars is that they have very little range, and batteries are expensive and heavy.
Once you’re used to a roaring internal combustion engine, the electric motor feels odd:
At our drive at Keio University near Tokyo, we punched the ‘D’ button on the dash, pointed the car down the road and flattened the gas pedal. With a faintly audible whirr of eight 100bhp in-wheel motors, the 0-60mph sprint was smooth, effortless, quiet — and surreal. The mind-boggling acceleration was on a par with that of a 500bhp GT racing car. Yet the lack of a transmission meant there were no jerky cog swaps as we were thrust back in our seat by an incredible 0.8Gs.
(Hat tip to Slashdot.)