Skip to main content

When the sun is shining, the experimental EVX Immortus has an infinite driving range

EVX Immortus
Motoring
An Australian startup named EVX is looking to end range anxiety once and for all by developing a science fiction-esque electric coupe called Immortus that’s fitted with 75 square-feet’s worth of solar panels on the roof, the trunk lid, and the hood.

The solar panels generate enough electricity to continuously keep the battery pack topped-up if the driver holds a steady speed of approximately 40 mph. Of course, infinite range only works if the sun is out, meaning Seattle residents, Scottish nationals, and those who live in an area where the word “monsoon” is often heard during the weather report will still need to plug the coupe in. Similarly, overnight road trips are out of the question.

Related Videos

When range isn’t an issue, the two in-wheel electric motors create enough juice to send the Immortus from zero to 62 mph in less than seven seconds and on to a top speed of over 93 mph. The solar panels can charge the battery pack while the coupe is parked in the sun, and it can drive for nearly 350 miles between fill-ups at speeds above 40 mph.

Highly aerodynamic, the Immortus tips the scale at just over 1,200 pounds thanks in part to a state-of-the-art chassis made out of high-strength carbon fiber tubes. Some of the components used to build it can be 3D-printed, a manufacturing technique that promises to keep assembly costs in check.

Of course, all of the aforementioned specs are purely hypothetical because a fully functional prototype hasn’t been built yet. A scale model of the Immortus will be shown in November at the SEMA show that will take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and a functional, life-sized and street-legal prototype is tentatively scheduled to hit the Australian tarmac by the end of next year.  Thanks to its low weight, its instant torque, and its low center of gravity, the Immortus is expected to drive like a rear-wheel drive sports car.

If everything goes according to plan, the Immortus won’t remain a simple design study for long. EVX isn’t interested in taking on the next Tesla Roadster — at least not yet — but it plans on building less than 100 examples of the coupe and selling each one for the lofty sum of roughly $365,000.

Before it can reach its ambitious goal, the startup needs to raise nearly $1.5 million in order to fine-tune the technology.

Editors' Recommendations

Mercedes is finally bringing an electric van to the U.S.
Front three quarter view of the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter electric van.

Mercedes-Benz might be known for luxury cars, but it also makes vans, and it's finally bringing an electric van to the United States.

Scheduled to start production this summer, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is an all-electric version of the Sprinter full-size cargo van that's already a favorite of delivery services like FedEx and Amazon, as well as camper van converters. While the automaker has been selling electric vans in Europe since 2010, the new eSprinter is the first one aimed at the U.S. market.

Read more
Audi ActiveSphere concept is part luxury sedan, part pickup truck
Audi ActiveSphere concept car in a mountainous setting with a bike on the rear rack.

Audi unveiled the fourth and final member of its Sphere-branded series of concept cars, and the design study is unlike anything we've seen before. Called ActiveSphere, it's an electric luxury sedan with a generous amount of ground clearance that can turn into a pickup truck.

Created at the Audi Design Studio in Malibu, California, the ActiveSphere stretches approximately 196 inches long, 81 inches wide, and 63 inches tall, figures that make it about as long as the current-generation A6, 7 inches wider, and 6 inches taller. It wears a rounded exterior design characterized by thin headlights, a transparent piece of trim where you'd expect to find a grille, and a fastback-like silhouette.

Read more
2024 Polestar 2 gets a major overhaul for the 2024 model year
2024 Polestar 2

Volvo off-shoot Polestar is looking forward to an eventful year. It will begin production of the 3, its first crossover, and it will release a comprehensively updated version of the 2 sedan that's sportier than the outgoing model, more road trip-friendly, and better equipped.

The biggest visual difference between the original 2 and the new-look car due out in 2023 as a 2024 model is found on the front end. The electric sedan swaps its grille for what Polestar designers call a SmartZone that frames the front-facing camera and covers the mid-range radar used to power some of the electronic driving aids. While the shift isn't significant, it's symbolic. The grille created a visual link between the 2 and the 1, Polestar's now-retired first model; the SmartZone brings the sedan in line with the sleek-looking 3 unveiled in late 2022.

Read more