Driving an electric car doesn’t have to be a dull affair. As the electric automotive market begins to grow out of its infancy, companies are looking to get in on the booming market and offer environmentally conscious customers an electric driving experience that is equal parts performance, style, and eco friendly.
Entering the fray is Britain’s’ Lightning Car Company, a self described team of proven automotive experts in car creation, design, and advanced technology integration. We have no doubt that the chaps over at LCC hope their Lightning GT is a pure embodiment of all those qualities and more, but does it offer enough performance and appeal to separate it from other similar cars on the market?
Ahead of the pack?
Since sporty EVs aren’t exactly new, with both Fisker Automotives Karma on the market and Tesla Motor’s Model S on the horizon — LCC’s Lightning GT has its work cut out for it. But despite some already established competition, the company is looking to offer some new and proven technologies, with a number of advanced features mixed in as well, which may just separate it from the pack.
A different breed of battery
While most EVs feature a lithium-ion battery powering its core, the Lightning GT runs on lithium-titanate, an even more advanced and stronger battery pack. By using lithium-titante, the Lightning GT is able to achieve ranges of over 150 miles on its standard spec, and an excess of 225 miles with an optional range extender pack. By comparison the top-tier Model S will offer a pure electric 300 mile driving range, while Fisker Karma’s gas-electric hybrid will provide a pure electric range of 50 miles, after which the internal combustion engine engages to support the electric motors for an additional range of 250 miles.
Lightning fast charging
Charging times have increasingly becoming a concern for any EV owner, regardless of range. Nobody wants to have to wait hours to charge their car after 50, 100, or even 200 miles. Impressively, LCC has stated that the Lightning GT will be able to recharge its battery in as little as 10 minutes. What’s more, LCC has also claimed that the battery life should remain constant for up to at least 10,000 cycles.
It’s always great to see company’s taking real pride in their work, and LCC seems to be particularly proud of its British roots. The Lightning GT will be built in Britain and feature an aluminum honeycomb chassis and superform aluminum bodywork that is said to give the car superior handling properties.
Thunderous performance
Powering the Lighting GT will be a 300kw (400 hp) twin motor powertrain, which LCC states will “ensure instant surge and seamless acceleration.” Spec numbers are generally what people like to see, and the Lightning GT’s are decidedly impressive. According to official numbers from LCC, the Lightning GT can hit 0 to 60 in under five seconds, and features a recommended top speed limit ( we are not sure what happens if you go beyond that) of 125 mph.
If you’re in the market for an electric sports car, chances are price isn’t much of a deciding factor. But it’s worth mentioning that, in comparison to the other cars the LCC’s Lightning GT may be up against, both come in at a considerably lower price point than their British counterpart. A top tier Tesla Model S will set you back around $70,000 (after federal tax credits) , while Fisker’s base Karma starts in at $102,000. Contrast that with the Lightning GT’s estimated $280,000 sticker price and you have a hefty difference.
While we are certainly intrigued by what the Lighting GT has to offer in both the style and performance categories (we kind of find the Lightning’s front fascia reminiscent of a TVR Cerbera), time will ultimately tell whether LCC’s Lighting GT will strike gold, or if it will end up being a lightning flash in the pan.
I do like the fact about the battery life. Lithium titanate is more stable than the other batteries, but it does not have the energy density so it is kind of a trade off- more weight/lower range and extremely long battery life or less weight/higher range lower battery life.
I think 10,000 full cycle charges is excessive, even by today’s standards, that’s enough battery to last a normal driver 120 YEARS! I think this is GREAT! No gas AND you can keep this car forever if you want. I wish the other EVs used lithium titanate.
The issue is that you will not make any money, good for the people who buy them, bad for the business, you aren’t going to replace it since very few parts will break.
*Corrections to the article:
A top tier non-signature Tesla Model S, fully loaded will run around $100,000 (0-60 in 4.4 seconds and 130 mph top speed)
Note sure where the 10 minutes came from, battery size is 44 Kwhr, physically impossible to charge in 10 minutes using highest quick charges available 500 V @ 125 amps means = 62.5 Kw/hr (40 minutes). You would need something to provide 264 Kw/hr. Even if you had an entire house electrical box dedicated to charging (480 V, 400 amps), it still does not provide enough power.
I would much rather buy the Tesla S…just as fast, seats up to 7, looks great. In fact I can buy 3 of them instead of this car and have no problems with the charge time. Just jump into the next one, preferably with a different color too :)))
Why are all these companies trying to make electric sports cars? Why not make a sedan that is electric and affordable? Now that will sell!
No kidding, but the cool thing about this Lightning GT is the charge time. I could totally live with a full charge under 10 min. That’s been one of the reason’s I’ve been saying I wouldn’t by any current electric cars.
so 10,000 cycles on the battery and 150 miles per charge = 1,500,000 miles driven before you need to replace the battery pack. Charge it every day, 365 days a year = 27.4 years of driving. This is it. No need for a gas car anymore.
Question? How big is the charging cable to provide that much power that fast to charge it. Do we charge at 220v, 440v?
Okay, okay – - – but are the electric components made by Lucas???
(I know, I know – couldn’t resist). I formerly owned an Austin Healey and MGA. Strangely enough we never had any significant electrical issues at all.
Hi Dan, thanks for the comment. The ten minute figure comes from Lighting Car Company’s website, here is the link http://www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk/Lightning/about.html. The top tier Model S I am referring to is the 85 kWh Model S and not the Model S Performance, which prices in at $84,900 after the $7,500 federal tax credit — and of course there is the even more expensive Model S Signature and Signature Performance packages…sorry for the confusion, I went ahead and added the tax credit detail to help with that too!
My concern is that 10 minutes is impossible with current technology and standard quick charge voltages. Think of electricity like water flow. If you fill up a container with water through a pipe, you can only force a certain amount per minute, In order to “fill” the car up, you need to provide 4,4 Kw/minute (without any losses).
There is no current technology that can do that, the closest is the Magne charge (abandoned SAE standard), and that does 40 Kw in 12 minutes and that’s not a good benchmark since it’s 80% of a 50 kW battery (easier to go from 0-80% than 0-100%) and not widely available. Also that is not the SAE standard which is the J1772 plug .
I think the 10 minutes is a complete misrepresentation by the company since the the standard is the J1772 plug which has a max of 240 V @ 80 amps. That would mean it would take about 2 hrs 20 minutes (without losses)