Detroit Electric

[ecarfan]

I downloaded the PDF spec sheet on the SP1.

The weight is listed at 2,590 lbs for the Performance version that does 0-60 in 3.7, same as the Roadster Sport. So it is slightly lighter than a Roadster.
Battery capacity is listed as 37kWh, significantly less than the Roadster.
The "Calculated Electric Range (NEDC)" is shown as 288km or 179 miles. That range test has been heavily criticized as being extremely unrealistic compared to what can be achieved in real world conditions. The car's EPA range will surely be much less. That is a concern.
No mention in the spec sheet of what charging standard it uses, or what the charging rate is. Is that information available somewhere?
I remain puzzled by the use of a 6-speed manual transmission in the Performance version. The last thing I want to do in an EV is shift gears.
I hope this company makes it. More EVs are a good thing. But it remains to be seen whether the SP1 is overall a significant improvement on the Roadster, 7 years after the Roadster went into production.

 

[Mookuh]

Interesting developments, wishing them the best of luck.

“We are thrilled to see our first production car roll off the line at our UK manufacturing site,” said Albert Lam, Detroit Electric boss.

Surely I'm not the only one to see the irony in this statement? :biggrin:

 

[Gerasimental]

Well this is disappointing. I'm outsid their HQ and plant and it's completely dead. Not a single car in the parking lot, at 4pm in a working day. Doesn't look like a plant that built its first car yesterday, but maybe they're all out celebrating?

there is what looks like a sweet bar and a covered up SP:01 at the front that I spied through the heavily tinted windows.

 

[bpangburn]

Detroit Electric SP-01

This all seems oddly familiar: BBC - Autos - Detroit Electric SP:01, vapourware no more

 

[MileHighMotoring]

In a great way though. More EV is an awesome thing. Sad it won't be available in the states, but that's not unexpected given our difficult crash and emissions standards and how I've been reading that the loopholes Tesla was able to take advantage of nearly a decade ago aren't viable anymore.

 

[gregd]

But my BS flag is waving a bit... Why would they pair up a perfectly good electric motor with a 6-speed manual transmission?

 

[Raffy.Roma]

The SP 01 looks interesting to me. Would like to know the price.

 

[Gerasimental]

Interesting developments, wishing them the best of luck.



Surely I'm not the only one to see the irony in this statement? :biggrin:

“We are Detroit Electric, not London Electric," said Lam, former CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group. "Our commitment to the city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and the United States is as strong as it ever was.”

 

[ecarfan]

Except, you know, they are manufacturing in England...

 

[wiztecy]

The name "Detroit" leaves a bad taste in my mouth for some odd reason.... And it appears they're just using the name now as a catchy "quality" name (in their mind) just like the Chinese using "Chicago Electric" for their crummy and crappy quality power tools.

 

[Lex]

So here's a question... with TMC now in the electric car AND energy storage business, are they financially dis-incented to deliver bi-directional charge / discharge in future vehicles ?

If so this could end up being a differentiator for competitors, eg. "our Sesla Model T comes with free 2-way home power !"

I'm "shocked" Tesla cars don't all have a 120V outlet, even if only in-cabin and only powered while the car is on.. but the step beyond that is integrating the car pack into the home energy system.

So amazing today yet so many things that could be better gotta love technology

 

[WarpedOne]

Why would they pair up a perfectly good electric motor with a 6-speed manual transmission?

Because the motor does not have enough torque to offer strong acceleration without overheating.
6 ratios indeed look like an overkill, 2 to 4 would make more sense.

Seeing is believing.

 

[electracity]

So here's a question... with TMC now in the electric car AND energy storage business, are they financially dis-incented to deliver bi-directional charge / discharge in future vehicles ?

If so this could end up being a differentiator for competitors, eg. "our Sesla Model T comes with free 2-way home power !"

I'm "shocked" Tesla cars don't all have a 120V outlet, even if only in-cabin and only powered while the car is on.. but the step beyond that is integrating the car pack into the home energy system.

So amazing today yet so many things that could be better gotta love technology

If bidirectional happens, it won't be for twenty years, and would probably occur in China. When this question heated up awhile back Straubel crushed it. But I would be interested to know how close the Tesla inverter is technically to this sort of functionality.

 

[ERP]

Why would they pair up a perfectly good electric motor with a 6-speed manual transmission?

I'm actually quite excited about this. While my P85D is significantly faster than my Elise in a straight line, the Elise is much more fun drive and a big part of that is learning to master the manual transmission. Even electric motors lose torque as rpm increases, a transmission will give better higher speed acceleration. There are also some exciting possibilities with a paired electric motor and manual transmission. Shifts would be quick and effortless with such a small spinning motor and flywheel mass. The motor could handle bigger rpms changes than an ICE, making quick shifts from 5th to 2nd possible and eliminate the fear of grenading an engine due to a miss shift. The motor can also spin at a slower and more efficient rpm during long highway drives.

 

[Mookuh]

This all seems oddly familiar: BBC - Autos - Detroit Electric SP:01, vapourware no more

Except, you know, they are manufacturing in England...

From the linked article: "Despite its name, a nod to a defunct US-based maker of electric carriages from 1907 to 1939, the Detroit Electric sport car won't be available in Detroit — or anywhere else in America. "

At this point, I do wonder if they're just trolling. :wink:

Either way, as "companies that hop on the Tesla bandwagon" go, these seem to be the least subtle about it.

The company has promised that if things go well for its UK-built sports car, it will open a production facility in its namesake city to build a clean-sheet electric sedan.

But as others have pointed out, more EVs = better. Besides, Tesla not continueing to build the Roadster left a niche gap. Others stepping up to fill that is to be expected, let's just hope they can sell off their entire production run before Roadster 3.0 hits.

 

[LuigiV]

But my BS flag is waving a bit... Why would they pair up a perfectly good electric motor with a 6-speed manual transmission?

Because why not? Contrary to popular belief, Electric motors do not have infinite torque at every RPM. A multi-speed transmission can still be beneficial for extracting the most performance. 6-Speed might be a little excessive, though. 3 or 4 speeds would probably be the sweet spot.

 

[JRP3]

If it needs more than a two speed transmission it likely means the motor is under sized.

 

[doug]

They're probably using a cheaper to control permanent magnet motor. The rev limit could be around 7000 RPM, similar to an ICE. I'd guess the 6 speed transmission is just reused from the Lotus. Is there a manual clutch on this thing? I hope they have some software to help with rev matching, otherwise it's going to eat through transmissions.

 

[nsxpert]

Detroit Electric SP:01 interior, tech specs revealed Image 300680

is there any chance we can buy/use this tablet mount in our roadsters??

 

[Raffy.Roma]

Detroit Electric SP:01 interior, tech specs revealed Image 300680

is there any chance we can buy/use this tablet mount in our roadsters??

View attachment 99852

IMO you have to wait for the next Roadster in 2019.