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The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is an exotic gull-wing supercar, still in the testing stage, that packs a 6.3-liter V-8 engine, capable of 570 horsepower — and consuming some gas, one assumes. Hardly en vogue these days, and that might explain the development of an electric version of the supercar, the SLS AMG with electric drive.
On Thursday, Mercedes issued its first news release on its electric SLS AMG, which will be unveiled to the press at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.
Unlike the electric Tesla Roadster, which is powered by an electric motor at the rear axle, the SLS AMG has four electric motors placed near the wheels. Mercedes said the motors are not in the wheel hubs, as found in many electric-car concepts. One of the criticisms of in-hub electric motors is the increase in unsprung weight, which encumbers car handling and driving dynamics.
Nevertheless, the SLS AMG electric would be all-wheel drive. The peak output, according to Mercedes, is 392 kW (or the equivalent of 525 horsepower). The protoytpe car (and there is a running prototype, according to Rob Moran, a Mercedes spokesman) uses a 400-volt lithium-ion battery with 48 kWh of energy content. The battery is liquid-cooled and can be recharged under braking.
Mercedes says that acceleration from 0 to 62 miles an hour takes around 4 seconds, which is similar to the Tesla Roadster (and the gas-engine SLS AMG).
The electric version of the SLS AMG has all the benefits of an electric-car layout (i.e., not having a heavy lump of an engine in the front of the car): low center of gravity, balanced weight distribution.
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Wonder what the price tag is going to be.
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/mercedes-reveals-electric-sls-amg/#more-18731
