The Automotive X-PRIZE has drawn competitors from all over the globe, but for some reason there is but one entrant from England. Delta Motorsport is all-British contender in the race to find the most environmentally friendly car on the planet.
The Automotive X-Prize, the road-going equivalent of what put Richard Branson's outfit in orbit , is offering a $10 million prize to the first team to produce a production-ready car capable of 200 miles on a charge that also passing a slew of tests.
So what does the Delta Motorsport E-4 Coupe have to offer?
The swoopy car is a four-seater, which makes it more practical than some other entrants. But the performance claims are what sets the E-4 Coupe apart. Unlike most electric vehicles, the Delta claims the E-4 is capable of matching the performance of conventional cars. The car is said to accelerate from zero to 60mph in less than five seconds, which is comparable to a Porsche 911 Turbo. On the other hand, the claimed top speed is north of 100 mph but less than that of a Porsche.
Like seemingly every other British race car builder, Delta Motorsport is based at the Silverstone Circuit Technology Park in Northamptonshire. Delta has substantial experience in high technology engineering, motorsport and clean technology projects.
"We became involved with the design of environmentally friendly vehicles because they share many of the engineering challenges associated with motorsport – maximum efficiency, light weight, good aerodynamics and so on. We worked with Oxford University on a lightweight, highly efficient electric motor and have completed several road haulage aerodynamic programmers to improve fuel efficiency," says Delta co-founder Simon Dowson.
The first E-4 Coupe will be completed in April, and Delta was cited by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown as being among 100 companies embracing the low carbon economy.
The more the merrier we say. Whether theAutomotive X-PRIZE winner is from England, the U.S. or anywhere else, the whole point is to get us better, cleaner cars.
Image: Delta Motorsport
