Filed under: EV/Plug-in
Wrightspeed X1, a casualty of our economic woes
There will be casualties. That's what we've been warned over and over about the burgeoning green car market in the face of the world's global economic crisis and the recent trend towards cheap gas. One such vehicle that we had been really looking forward to was the Wrightspeed X1, but we now hear it will never see the light of day. Why? According to Ian Wright, creator of the X1 electric supercar, "At this stage of the game, when oil is cheap and batteries still expensive, spending two- to three-times the price on an electric car doesn't really make sense."
Instead of making his own line of green sportscars, Wright will focus on just the drivetrain, hoping to sell batteries, motors and controllers to other upstart manufacturers. We can see how this might make sense - if one company does all of the research and development for the assorted powertrain components, it should make it cheaper to get a new EV project off the ground. We hope it works. Thanks for the tip, Why not the LS2/LS7!
[Source: CNN]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Scatter 9:32AM (12/10/2008)
Nooooooooo! Very sad news. Still if the drivetrain exists and the Atom exists, at least it should exist in some sort of kit form.
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why not the LS2LS7? 12:21PM (12/10/2008)
This is sad news. Although I don't think electric vehicles will be truly successful as long as they are all race cars (and golf carts), losing these niche makers isn't going to help either.
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anon 8:46PM (12/14/2008)
I guess its alright to say vaporware. It is indeed sad.
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