Great SCOTT! First, Nike releases a sneaker based on the hit 1980’s franchise ‘Back to the Future’. Now another staple from the film, the DeLorean is set to come out in 2013. The Delorean Motor Company (DMC) has announced plans to build an all-electric version of the iconic, stainless steel gull-wing sports car that was made famous in the 80’s franchise. The Humble, Texas based company , which has the rights to the Delorean name, currently sells parts for the original DMC-12 along with restored and updated versions of the car, which have a starting price of $57,500.
DMC company president, Stephen Wynne saw an opportunity to bring back the Delorean after noticing the success of the Tesla Roadster. Wynne hopes to sell the electric DeLorean starting in 2013, for a price of $90,000. Though this particular model will not need a flux capacitor in order to run, Wynne and DMC teamed up with the aptly-named company, Flux Power. Flux Power, out of Escondido California, is primarily a battery manufacture, but has branched out into development of electric cars.
Several parts of the car will undergo a redesign in order reduce the weight of the car in to counteract the heavy 32 kWh battery pack that will be used in the car. DeLorean’s unique fiberglass underbody has been replaced with a much lighter, stronger composite. The final weight of the car, with the battery pack, is only 200 pounds more than the original. But with these alterations and redesign, Flux Power CEO Chris Anthony says that “he is aiming for the electric DeLorean to have the same, if not better performance than the conventional version of the car (source: foxnews.com).”
Development of the electrical DeLorean is continuing, but a prototype has already been tested on both the street and track over the past three months. So far, it takes less than eight seconds to accelerate from 0-60 mph with a 200 hp electric motor. The original design has the four-cylinder engine mounted behind the rear wheels. With the new design, weight distribution and handling will drastically improve over the original with battery packs installed in both the front and rear of the car. Anthony also hopes for a range of 100 miles between charges.
Where this car is going, you will still need roads (for now). But the good thing is, you won’t need plutonium, or gasoline to run this DeLorean.
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