I love Tesla. I think they are the most exciting cars on the road today. Plus the company culture and team members really impress me too. I want a Tesla.
But, Tesla will have its place in the market. It will replace your standard Porsche 911, BMW M6, and Mercedes CLK coupes. Its an awesome car, but its not a Supercar.
Supercars are a highly rare and elusive breed. Often, a single supercar model may only produce 350-400 units in its entire lifetime. There just aren't enough deca-millionaires and billionaires willing to pay $300k+ for a car that can never reach full potential on the streets of LA.
Still, these muscle-packed, head-snapping vehicles that consume gasoline like a sumo wrestler consumes calories have captured the attention of men around the world for decades.
But, its not very green. Its certainly not cleantech.
Until now. Meet the Shelby Super Cars (SSC) Ultimate Aero EV.
The press release is chock full of announcements that are game-changing to the electric vehicle industry.
These type of claims make R.E.preneur skeptical, because many companies make "press releases with impressive claims".
SSC claims these stats in the press release:
- 0-60 mph: 2.5 seconds
- Range: 150-200 miles
- Power: 1000 hp
- Torque: 800 lb-ft
- Top Speed: 208 mph
- On Board Charging System: 10-minute full battery recharge
- A scalable EV drivetrain that can be put in cars, trucks, and semi-trucks.
So here's why I think that our healthy skepticism will be defeated by the team at SSC.
SSC has already built serious StreetCred (for those of you over 50, that's credibility in the market) by building the world's Fastest Production Car, the Ultimate Aero. That car is DOT-compliant and Guinness Book of World Records certified. Jay Leno, who has driven more supercars than you've dreamed of driving, drove the Ultimate Aero non-EV for his website Jay's Garage, and he loved it. Check out the video below.
Plus, SSC is not claiming to build an EV supercar with technology they hope to build within 18 months. The SSC Ultimate Aero EV goes into production in the second quarter of 2009, that's three months from now!
And I'll make a prediction. Shortly after production of the Ultimate Aero EV begins and the concept is proven, SSC will announce a four-door high performance EV from their SSC Green division as well. It helps them scale by selling more cars at a lower price to a larger market.
With further execution of scalability, they will begin signing supply contracts with major auto and truck manufacturers to put their EV drivetrain in a host other cars much the way Tesla has done with Daimler's Smart EV.
Its going to be a very exciting 18 months in the world of electric vehicles. Plug-in and push start, because the masses will be shocked by how quickly the electric vehicle revolution happens.
As a young R.E.preneur, focused on building company's that can create great value through scalability, I like to set big goals of things I would do/get/give if I ever achieve great success.
Meet my newest goal:
Its going to be a very exciting 18 months in the world of electric vehicles. Plug-in and push start, because the masses will be shocked by how quickly the electric vehicle revolution happens.
