Hasta La Ideas

Guest post by John Cantwell

The fact that electric motors and battery arrays can be mounted differently than gas engines has allowed car designers to begin experimenting with new passenger configurations and body shapes. With most of the big manufacturers’ presentations done after the first day of NAIAS, day two was an opportunity for upstarts and newcomers to show their wares.

The Tango, a two-seat commuter car that goes 0-60 in about four seconds, was one of the most radical rethinkings of automotive form and function on display. About as wide as a freelance writer, the Tango takes advantage of California’s lane-splitting rules, allowing drivers to weave in and out of the spaces between gridlocked cars like a motorcyclist. The Tango’s $150,000 pricetag, however, means it’ll mostly be CEO’s zigging and zagging for the foreseeable future; George Clooney is currently one of the car’s few owners.

For the past few years, Michelin has been working on an in-wheel electric motor and suspension system. Placing the motor and suspension within the wheel itself opens a range of possibilities for passenger configuration and body design that traditional suspensions preclude. Nissan’s Mixim, which features Michelin electric motors mounted on the front and rear axles, utilizes a wide-open 1 x 2 passenger configuration. The in-wheel motor also reduces weight, thereby increasing efficiency; the Mixim tips the scales at just under 2100 pounds, while a 2010 Prius weighs more than 2700 pounds and the Tango, beefed up to prevent rollover, is the porker of the bunch, at more than 3300 pounds. (Extra interior space is another advantage of the in-wheel motor. MIT’s CityCar, which also uses in-wheel motors, is about as long as a SmartCar but has the passenger volume of a BMW 3-series.)

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