This Electric Car Gets 200 Miles on a Single Char

To be exact, the group's four-wheel drive SIM-LEI can ring out charge for 206 miles on a in an urban driving situation, and 190 miles while cruising at 62 mph. Compared to conventional vehicles, this is not anything to tweet home about. However, it leaps over lots of EV models which will get you to work and back, but a trip to the supermarket might be out of the query. The Nissan Leaf, for example, gets 100 miles-per-charge; the Mitsubishi-i compact will get you between 50 and 80 miles before needing a re-up; and the Chevy Volt ekes out a mere 40.

Everybody knows electric cars are going to be the next giant thing. But sales have lagged because as it stands, they are kinda sorta impractical. This is largely due to limited range as well as a lack of infrastructure. While private and public entities fiddle with the best way to put in an electric infrastructure, engineers are making great strives in range extension. Notably, the Japanese consortium SIM-Drive which has created a prototype electric vehicle (EV) that can reach over 200 miles on a single charge.

The prototype sports in-wheel motors: meaning there is a separate motor in each wheel which allows for "highly simple vehicle structures" with sleek low-drag designs that otherwise might not be feasible. Another benefit of the in-wheel motor process is that since the bulk of the car's mechanical parts sits under the vehicle, there is room for "expansive above-floor space," meaning these new vehicles can accommodate a whole new dimension of auto feng shui.

The SIM-LEI can also boast some relative EV oomf. It can reach a top speed of 93 mph and can go from 0 to 62 mph in five.8 seconds. You may find yourself at your mechanical limits on the speediest stretches of the Autobahnen, but for most American drivers this will be vroom .

SIM-Drive is aiming for mass-production of the SIM-LEI in 2013. No word on how Japan's chaos (including rolling black outs through much of the country) will effect this proposed roll-out. However if the cost is competitive and Japan continues its pre-Earthquake investments in EV infrastructure, this may show a true landmark release.

SIM-Drive is headed by Keio University professor Hiroshi Shimizu who is no stranger to transportation innovation. In 2004, he introduced the world to the Eliica, a limousine-sized EV prototype that could fit two passengers and had two wheels and could reach top speeds of 230 mph.