Click on the image above to enlarge

What do the Tango, Tesla Roadster and Wrightspeed X1 all have in common? Easy, they are all ridiculously quick and sporty electric cars. And now, they've all gotten together for a quick photoshoot and some lunch. While we'd love to snag a ride in any and all of these awesome electrics, a lucky Tesla Motors Club Forum member who goes by the handle 'TEG' has scored a ride or drive in at least two of them. Yes, we are totally jealous. But, at least TEG was nice enough to share some experiences of both Martin Eberhard's Tesla Roadster and the (now blue) Wrightspeed of Ian Wright. He says, "If the Tesla feels like a trapdoor opened and gravity took over, the X1 feels like you were shot out of a cannon. Also in many sports cars you explore the limits of the suspension, but the X1 seems so connected that you are really just exploring the limits of the tires." Yeah. Did we mention that we are jealous?

[Source: Tesla Motors Club Forum]

Ian Wright is a name familiar to many electric car enthusiasts as the man who turned an Ariel Atom into the Ferrari-beating Wrightspeed X1 prototype. It's been a while since we've heard from Mr. Wright, who has been working on engineering a hybrid system for heavy duty pick-up trucks, but now there is news from the former Kiwi. And if you are still disappointed Wrightspeed didn't bring the X1 to market, the news is good. According to Michael Kanellos over at greentechmedia, the builder of the world's quickest electric car wants to produce a conveyance that's even quicker, with a 0 to 60 mph target of 2.5 seconds.

You see, back when Wright was visiting different tracks embarrassing Porsches, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, it seemed there was one gas guzzler that still could best him, the infamous 1001hp Bugatti Veyron. The X1 came up about a half second short from 0-60 mph while his 0-100-0 time of 11.2 seconds was a full second and a two whiskers behind that of the W16-powered supercar. With luck, 18 months from now will see a newly-fashioned, battery-powered bolt of lightning, code-named the "SR-71", destroy the Bugatti, leaving in its wake only salty $1.4 million-dollar tears. To show he's not such a bad chap, Wright will then be able to turn those frowns upside-down by offering this new machine up for sale.

Though sanctioned tracks may be the only asphalt the first "SR-71"s will be licensed to circulate, thoroughly road-ready machines, quite possibly featuring enclosed cabins, will follow after an additional 18 months. Hit the jump to watch a few videos of the original creation, the Wrightspeed X1, take on all comers.

Ariel is no stranger to our pages, usually mentioned in connection with Wrightspeed or Brammo Motorsports. Perhaps you are already familiar with the Wrightspeed X1, which uses the Ariel Atom chassis for the basis of an electric supercar. Brammo Motorsports is the U.S. distributor for the Atom, and also has dealings with electric motorcycles and has plans for electric cars as well. We've also heard rumblings from Ariel that a motorcycle may be in their future, possibly even an electric one. Now, we've received word that Ariel has applied for the name "Elektron," which means absolutely nothing on the surface but is leading some to believe that an electric car might be on the product pipeline from the small automotive company.

We are not ready to breathe any more life into these rumors, but the name is rather intriguing. We wonder what Ariel has up their sleeves, if anything. As awesome as the Atom is, any news from the company regarding an electric vehicle is worth paying some attention to.

Thanks for the tip, Domenick!

[Source: Auto IT]

Our friend Mike Levine, the proprietor of PickupTruck.com recently had a chance to talk to Ian Wright. You may recall that Ian is the driving force behind WrightSpeed, the company developing an electric sports car called the X1 based on the chassis of the Ariel Atom. Ian may be a fan of electric cars but he also needs to drive a heavy duty pickup to haul lumber on his property. He is exactly the kind of person that GM had in mind when they started developing their two-mode hybrid system on their full-size trucks. Not everyone who drives a big truck does it just to look cool, many also use them for their intended purpose.

With that though in mind Wright wants to develop a series hybrid powertrain for use in heavy duty pickups. While a diesel HD pickup is actually quite efficient in terms of gallons per pound per mile when they are loaded, when they are empty they suck. An electric powertrain would be very efficient when the truck is empty and still has enough torque for loads. A big truck also has the space to package batteries under the bed that wouldn't be as available in a smaller car. Wright wants to develop the technology and then either license it to car-makers or build the systems and supply to them at assembly time. Check out Mike's whole article at PickupTruck.com

[Source: PickupTruck.com, thanks to Mike for the tip]

Former Tesla engineer Ian Wright has developed a super-quick electric vehicle called the X1. It's still a concept car and test platform but runs 0-30 in less than 2 seconds and 0-100 in just 6.8 seconds. No doubt it's fast, and a short video shows it blowing away a VW Beetle with a jet engine in its tail.

What? You heard right. Now, if I'm going to hold a stunt to publicize the amazing quickness of my vehicle, I'm not going to match it against a vehicle that is quite interesting and will draw attention away from my pride and joy. I want to know more about this VW. It doesn't look as if this small jet adds a whole lot of thrust to the car but it's got a flaming butthole that will stop traffic at every cruise night I've attended. And a word to the timid photographer; get a little closer. I've been right on the starting line snapping pics of two fullsize jet dragsters blasting down the 1320. You may lose a hat and get your hair mussed but you're not going to be a flambe dessert. Anyway, too bad the race wasn't at a sanctioned drag strip so we could get the times.

Related:

• The electric car revisited: PHEVs, Wrightspeed X-1, and the future
• Wrightspeed builder touts his electric car

[Source: YouTube]

With all the recent attention on the Tesla, Ian Wright is in full gear promoting his exotic Wrightspeed X1 electric supercar.

Promising a 0-60 time of three seconds and 0-100-0 clocking of 11.2 seconds, the X1 can deliver supercar performance but is it practical? With an open cockpit, a seat that doesn't look comfortable and a nose begging to be tested against a wall, the X1 will turn heads but it's strictly for afternoon drives. No commuting or even weekend trips in this $120,000 boy toy.

However, expanding the definition of an electric supercar is exciting. Wright is facing the same problem that any electric-car manufacturer does: short battery life. His 538-pound battery pack is good for about 100 miles light cruising but only 25 in all-out racing trim. That's about 10 laps at Willow Springs.

Wright, who used to work at Tesla, sees a large supercar market but also finds that owners can quickly become bored with their cars. He thinks the performance of his car will make the difference.

Related:

• Electric car of the future? I think not

[Source: CNET]