The American company took the opportunity of last weekend’s Pebble Beach Concours (where some Ferraris sold for – cue Dr Evil close-up – many millions of dollars) to reveal a near-production ready prototype of its all-electric two-seater.
Renovo, if you’re unaware, was founded in 2010 and works out of California’s Silicon Valley. Its first, and only, project is this EV Coupe, which is said to showcase the company’s patent-pending electric technology, on which Renovo has been working “in stealth mode” since the company’s formation.
It’s also unquestionably cool, because that Tomorrow’s World drivetrain is all wrapped up in a factory-modified Shelby Daytona CSX9000 chassis and body.
“The shape was nearly perfect 50 years ago,” explains Renovo advisor and award-winning designer Peter Brock. “The redesigned car has a totally updated body, frame, suspension and cabin – it’s a new chapter for this chassis,” he added.
So, that’s the outside, but what about the inside? Here’s where everything gets fast. A pair of mid-mounted twin sequential axial-flux motors (very Back to the Future, no?) each drive a rear wheel, mapped to produce a combined power output of 500bhp and – get this – a whopping 1,000lb-ft of torque.
These are fed by a lithium-ion battery pack, which can be fast-charged in just 30 minutes.
But we know you don’t care about fast-charging and range (no figure has been provided for the latter, but don’t expect it to be especially large). You care about acceleration. Well, with that 500bhp and 1,000lb-ft propelling a 1,475kg (3,252lb) package, the Renovo coupe can accelerate from zero to 60mph in 3.4 seconds – three point four – and top out at 120mph.
“We have poured our passion and innovation into the Coupe in an effort to deliver a truly amazing driving experience,” says Renovo CEO Christopher Heiser.
Pre-sales have already begun, with a limited series production run scheduled for 2015. No word on price, but expect it to be hefty. Is this the world’s coolest EV supercar?
