AVFI Show: ABG Video of the Phoenix SUT
Filed under: EV/Plug-in, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Phoenix, AFVI Expo
One of the vehicles available at the Ride & Drive here in Anaheim was the Phoenix SUT, and there's no way we were going to pass up a chance to test this thing out, even if it was only around the hotel. I actually went out twice, once behind the wheel and once sitting in the back (there are two rows of sears).
During my ride in the Phoenix SUT on Sunday, I rode while a Phoenix/Altairnano true believer took the wheel. This guy is a stockholder in Altairnano (he got in years ago when stocks were 30 cents a share), and raved about the potential of the Phoenix vehicles the whole time. He wasn't trying to convince me, (he spoke mostly to the Phoenix rep in the passenger seat) and just happened to be ahead of me in line and I decided to ride in back instead of wait for a driving chance to present itself.
On Tuesday, then, I got a chance to get behind the wheel for my quick drive. As should be expected in an all-electric vehicle, the SUT has good pick up (but there was no chance in the standard course to really floor it). Like other electric cars, the drives smooth and is wonderfully quiet to ride in. When the time comes, we'll take one of these out for a serious analysis but for now I give you our video of the SUT in action.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-05-2007 @ 1:11AM
susan.kraemer said...
Wish you'd tested how fast it stops if you brake. I testdrove a ZAP truck and was a bit alarmed at how slow the brakes were. Of course the ZAP is a 3 wheeler, a NEV, and for $12,000, so its a bit different: but just the sort of thing I'd want to know.
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 2:39AM
John Rowell said...
Nice little video and good job on editing too! Can't wait to see more =p
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 2:55AM
mirko said...
I still wonder why they based it on the ugliest vehicle ever made in Korea.
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 9:14AM
Charles S said...
I drove the SUT and I have no doubt that it'll have more than adequate stopping power. When I test drove it last month, the regenerative braking was set on very high; you can let go of the pedal and the truck will slow immediately. With the regen and mechanical brake, the truck do just fine.
While I wouldn't care much about trucks in general, up close, the truck looked fine. Some vehicles just look different compare to what you see in the photos. I think the Yaris looks great in the pictures, but somewhat disappointing in real life, and the opposite for the Honda Fit.
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 9:26AM
Tim said...
The huge wave of rapid energy evolution and transition awat from the dead and to the living has just begun. This will be fun! ;)
Reply
4-29-2007 @ 11:04AM
James Brown said...
I love the looks and hope you do well thi would end the oil crises. I found your site looking for electric cars and have told everyone I know about it. I also post your wed site on yahoo answers everytime someone mentions what to do about gas prices.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 5:15PM
Daisy said...
I like the look of the Phoenix SUT. But have been unable to find out how much they will be. I'm very interested in an EV but really want a truck. The Zap 3 wheeler seems a little cartoonish to me and the Dynasty utility truck is pretty neat with it's 3rd door in the pickup bed.
Anyway, does anyone know what the price range will be?
Reply
5-05-2007 @ 12:04PM
Sebastian Blanco said...
Daisy,
You can click on the word "Phoenix" in the center column of this site for a lot more information on this truck. The price for this EV truck is about $45,000.
Reply
5-07-2007 @ 7:50AM
Garry said...
Where are the batteries stored?
What's it wieght
And what price range will it be in?
Maybe I missed all this info somewhere?
Reply
5-07-2007 @ 12:21PM
Sebastian Blanco said...
Garry,
As I told Daisy, you can learn a lot about the Phoenix SUT by looking through the Phoenix category here on the site. Just click in the green word "Phoenix" in the middle column (which is currently followed by the number 28 because we've had that many stories about the company so far). Thanks.
Reply
5-18-2007 @ 4:49PM
Bill Dale said...
To Susan, Daisy Garry and others with questions:
The car stops in 150 feet from 60 mph,
It will cost $45,000. as Sebastian mentioned.
This and more is available on the Phoenix website... www.phoenixmotorcars.com ... whenever you're online and you need to find anything, learn to use the Google seach engine, and in a heartbeat you'll usually find most anything you're after.
There is nothing on the Phoenix website, so far as I remember, about where the batteries are located, but they are in a beefy metal tray under the vehicle. They are in the drive shaft tunnel that runs down the middle of the body.
The carbon fiber drive shaft is, by the way, far lighter than the original drive shaft from the Korean manufacturer... it's just 5 lbs, as I remember, as savings of about 70 lbs., which is a weight savings for the life of the vehicle. The drive shaft is one of the best places to try to save weight, since a light drive shaft gives you faster acceleration; the motor needs to overcome less inertia every time it takes off, aside from being a lighter load overall.
Many others who have converted pickups to battery power have installed the batteries in the pickup bed, which is bad for two reasons: this not only takes up cargo space, but makes the truck more top-heavy and more prone to rollover.
The batteries on the Phoenix are in one of the lowest possible places on the vehicle, giving it a lower center of gravity and better stability in the event of quick lane changes as sometimes occur in emergencies. It can make the difference between a mere moment of panic and a serious accident.
I'm really impressed with the way the Phoenix has been engineered for use as an EV.
As for Mirko's comments, it's a very attractive EV in person, and if all you can do is complain about aesthetics in a blog about EVs, I hope your whole neighborhood suddenly becomes overpopulated with Hummers, Jeeps and Scions.
Reply
5-20-2007 @ 4:55PM
Frit said...
I've seen in other articles that air conditioning will be available and will reduce the milage to about 20 to 30%, when used. But I haven't seen any info on whether Phoenix is considering "All Wheel Drive" as an option or not. Does anyone know what all the available options Phoenix will be offering?
Reply