Eliica, The Eight Wheels Car

Tokyo - four wheel vehicle is identic with a car and vehicle more than four wheel is identic with truck. but eight wheel car now also there.

Eliica is a name of the revolutionary car from japanese.

The Eliica (or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car) is a battery electric vehicle prototype, or concept car designed by a team at Keio University in Tokyo, led by Professor Hiroshi Shimizu. Eliica runs on a lithium-ion battery and can accelerate from 0–100 km/h (62 mph) in four seconds (faster than the Porsche 911 Turbo at the time). The team's goal is to exceed 400 km/h (250 mph), breaking the record set by today's street-legal gasoline-powered vehicles.

The body was tested in a wind tunnel. The front doors open forward and the rear doors open upward like wings. The car's platform contains 4 tracks of 80 batteries, which make up one third of the vehicle's cost. They currently require about 10 hours of recharging from empty to full charge, and can be easily charged off a residential power grid.

The Eliica has eight wheels enabling it to be closer to the ground for better traction. Each of the wheels has a 60 kW (80 hp) electric motor, giving a 480 kW (640 hp) eight wheel drive which can tackle all kinds of road surfaces. The four front wheels steer. The electric motors mean that the Eliica can deliver a smooth acceleration free from gear shifts of about 0.8 g. Each wheel contains a disc brake and employs a regenerative brake system to recover energy.

The motor, reduction gear, wheel bearing, and braking system are integrated in a single unit, and the suspension arm adapter is attached to the outer motor casing. Because all the wheels are driven, spin is minimized and the vehicle can be easily controlled, even under difficult road conditions.

There are currently (as of 2005) two versions of the Eliica: a Speed model and an Acceleration model. The Speed model is made to challenge gasoline-based records and has a top speed of 370 km/h (230 mph) with a range of 200 km (120 mi). The Acceleration model is made for the street and has a top speed of 190 km/h (120 mph) with a range of 320 km (200 mi). The Eliica is faster than a Porsche 911 Turbo.

The estimated cost of development was in excess of US$320,000. Once the team receives corporate sponsorship, they plan to produce at least 200 units. As of early 2007, the projected pricetag was ¥30,000,000, or about $255,000 US.

On latest news, Eliica is stills in testing and it will produced massly at japan.

with 8 tires at rightside and leftside, front and rear, eliica has another posture from other saloon cars. but don't be afraid, because with existing tires, exactly the security level increase because the speed can achieve 370km/hour, faster than formula 1 (f1) car. It's incredible, isn't it?

SPECIFICATIONS

Vehicle Type

Fully electric, 8-wheel-drive,

8-passenger, 6-door saloon car

Motors

Eight 6-phase synchronous Nd-Fe electric motors

Power (each) 74 hp

Torque (each) 74 lb.-ft.

Max Speed 12,000 rpm

Batteries

Eighty-four Li-ion batteries

Voltage (each) 3.75V

Capacity (each) 88 A•h

Weight (each) 7.7 lb.

Dimensions

Length 263.8 in.

Width 76.8 in.

Height 65.9 in.

Weight 6,578 lb.

Performance

0-TO-62 MPH: 7 sec.

Quarter-Mile: 15.3 sec.

Top Speed: 193.3 mph

Range: 186.5 mi.

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