For many years, electric cars didn’t look so much like cars, as they did… well… they didn’t much look like anything anyone would want to drive. I never understood half-covering the rear-wheels (that has never been cool) or the funky lines and shapes electric cars inevitably filled out. And so, in recent years, electric cars have begun to look more like… well… cars. Whether or not this is a good thing is up to you, but Protoscar apparently thinks electric cars should look funky.
Hence the undramatic unveiling of the Protoscar Lampo 2. An awkward name for an awkward car that actually has some impressive features, like a ten-minute charge good for about 60 miles and a 0-62 mph time of under 5 seconds.
So why the horrid name?
I haven’t heard much of the Lampo 2 (I keep thinking of National Lampoon for some reason) but the car will come out guns a-blazin’ during the Geneva Auto Show. But beneath the awkward looks and silly name is a car with a performance pedigree. The Lampo 2 is based on the outgoing Kappa platform from GM. This is the same platform that underpinned the attractive but undersold Pontiac Solstice/Saturn Sky, which makes me wonder how exactly Protoscar plans on keeping this car in production… and how they managed to make it so ugly.
Ok, I’ve gotten a little too hung up on the looks. A neat feature of the Lampo 2 is that each axle has its own motor driving two wheels; in essence, all-wheel drive. While the Lampo 2 weighs in at a hefty 3,400 pounds, it also manages to make 408 horsepower and 472 ft-lbs of torque. That gives it a sub-5 second 0-62 mph speed, as well as the ability to top out at 124 mph. It has a supposed range of about 120 miles, and an off-board charging system can deliver an extra 60 miles in just ten minutes. No word on pricing, probably not until the “official” unveil.
Give it a new name, more aggressive looks, and an affordable (at least compared to Tesla) price, and we’ll talk. Maybe. Hit the jump for the full press release.
Source: Protoscar
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About Christopher DeMorro
That is one ugly car.
That is one ugly car.
Not to be another negative person on the web–I’m actually very happy you did this article–I’m just so tired of people talking about how ugly electric cars are. First of all, tastes vary and the appeal of a different looking vehicle is very strong (just look at the sales of the XB and Cube). Second, all different looking features on an electric car are there with the intention of making it go farther on a charge. Gasoline vehicles have not had to deal with this because “Hey, just put a bigger engine in it” has been the prevailing theme of the past 100 years.
To just pick one that you pointed out: The wheel covers are there to increase aerodynamics. Not to look cool or futuristic. You lose a lot of streamlining when you have huge, multi-spoke wheels hogging the sides of your car (not to mention the noise they produce).
The giant grill on a car is like a sail. Since the electric vehicle doesn’t need direct air flow like a petrol car does, I don’t even know why the car shown here has such a nose on it. Why not slope the nose from the roof to the ground to better cut through the air?
Read a little bit of the stuff out there on hypermiling. Shape has everything to do with efficiency. Check out the Aerocivic (which has been featured on this site before). He took an otherwise decent mileage car and made it incredible without changing anything but the shape. I wonder how the electric version of the Aerocivic would compare to the electric version of the traditional Civic. I’d love to be the one to build it. Give me time.
Again, thank you for writing this article about a new car on the horizon. Just think about some of the reasons for the design before you ridicule. OR at least point out design flaws (like the damned convertible top) that will hinder the abilities of the whole thing.
Not to be another negative person on the web–I’m actually very happy you did this article–I’m just so tired of people talking about how ugly electric cars are. First of all, tastes vary and the appeal of a different looking vehicle is very strong (just look at the sales of the XB and Cube). Second, all different looking features on an electric car are there with the intention of making it go farther on a charge. Gasoline vehicles have not had to deal with this because “Hey, just put a bigger engine in it” has been the prevailing theme of the past 100 years.
To just pick one that you pointed out: The wheel covers are there to increase aerodynamics. Not to look cool or futuristic. You lose a lot of streamlining when you have huge, multi-spoke wheels hogging the sides of your car (not to mention the noise they produce).
The giant grill on a car is like a sail. Since the electric vehicle doesn’t need direct air flow like a petrol car does, I don’t even know why the car shown here has such a nose on it. Why not slope the nose from the roof to the ground to better cut through the air?
Read a little bit of the stuff out there on hypermiling. Shape has everything to do with efficiency. Check out the Aerocivic (which has been featured on this site before). He took an otherwise decent mileage car and made it incredible without changing anything but the shape. I wonder how the electric version of the Aerocivic would compare to the electric version of the traditional Civic. I’d love to be the one to build it. Give me time.
Again, thank you for writing this article about a new car on the horizon. Just think about some of the reasons for the design before you ridicule. OR at least point out design flaws (like the damned convertible top) that will hinder the abilities of the whole thing.
italian… Lampo = Thunder
italian… Lampo = Thunder
It looks strange on these pictures, because the photographer had his camera a knee level, or lower. This is a very low car, as the Pontiac Solstice. You would see it in the street, it would look completely different from these 2 pictures.
It looks strange on these pictures, because the photographer had his camera a knee level, or lower. This is a very low car, as the Pontiac Solstice. You would see it in the street, it would look completely different from these 2 pictures.