Type | Privately held company |
---|---|
Industry | Automotive company |
Founded | 1992 |
Founder | Alan Cocconi |
Headquarters | San Dimas, California |
Key people | Wally Rippel and Paul Carosa |
Website | www |
AC Propulsion is a San Dimas, California, USA company founded in 1992 by Alan Cocconi, Wally Rippel, and Paul Carosa, that specializes in alternating current-based drivetrain systems for electric vehicles. [1] [2] It offers AC-induction traction motors. [3] The company produces electric vehicle drive systems featuring high performance, high efficiency induction motors and integrated high power battery charging. [3] [4] Previously, they built an electric sports car, the tzero [2] and the eBox, [2] an electric conversion based on the Scion XB. They also develop prototype electric vehicles for OEM customers. [5]
Founder Alan Cocconi designed and built the controller used in the original GM Impact, which later became the GM EV1. ACP introduced the first AC-100 in 1992 and the AC-150 150 kW (200 hp) integrated drive system in 1994. [6] The AC-150 has been used in a variety of applications such as the BMW Mini E, Foton Midi taxi and a USPS LLV demo vehicle. AC Propulsion is a leader in Vehicle to grid or V2G systems, [2] with their second generation AC-150 drivetrain offering a bidirectional grid power connection.
The company works with automobile manufacturers such as Changan Automobile. [7]
Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning had both taken test drives in the lithium-ion battery powered revision of the AC Propulsion tzero before founding Tesla Motors. Martin Eberhard encouraged Tom Gage and Alan Cocconi to move their prototype tzero into production. When they declined, in favor of working on their electrified Scion xB called the eBox, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning incorporated Tesla Motors to pursue the idea of building an electric roadster in the spirit of the tzero. Elon Musk later test drove the tzero as well, and he also encouraged AC Propulsion to commercialize the vehicle. Tom Gage again deferred, but put Elon Musk in contact with Martin Eberhard which led to Musk becoming Tesla Motors' first major investor through Series A funding. [11]
Before Tesla Motors developed its Roadster's proprietary powertrain, the company licensed AC Propulsion's EV Power System design and Reductive Charging patent which covers integration of the charging electronics with the inverter, thus reducing mass, complexity, and cost. Tesla then designed and built its own power electronics, motor, and other drivetrain components that incorporated this licensed technology from AC Propulsion. [12] [13] [14] Given the extensive redevelopment of the vehicle, Tesla Motors no longer licenses any proprietary technology from AC Propulsion. [15]
The tzero is a handmade electric sports car designed and built in very limited numbers by the U.S. company AC Propulsion in the early 2000s. It was the direct predecessor of the Tesla line of electric cars. The tzero was based on the Piontek Sportech kit car, which consists of a fiberglass body built over a reinforced steel space frame with double wishbone independent suspension and rack and pinion steering. AC Propulsion added the AC-150 drivetrain, a single-speed electric system with an overall gear ratio of 9:1.
The Toyota RAV4 EV is an all-electric version of the popular RAV4 SUV produced by Toyota until 2014. Two generations of the EV model were sold in California, and to fleets elsewhere in the US, with a gap of almost ten years between them.
Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar roof tiles, and related products and services.
The Wrightspeed X1 is a one-off Ariel Atom heavily modified to use an all-electric powertrain. The Atom was chosen for its light weight and efficient design. The electric motor and inverter are sourced from AC Propulsion, makers of the TZero concept car, while the batteries are low weight, high energy density lithium ion provided from A123 Systems. As with the Atom the transmission is a Honda unit, but stripped of its shifting mechanism and other parts to provide only the second gear speed, allowed by the wide speed and torque range available from the electric motor.
The Tesla Roadster is a battery electric vehicle (BEV) sports car, based on the Lotus Elise chassis, that was produced by the electric car firm Tesla Motors in California from 2008 to 2012. The Roadster was the first highway legal serial production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production all-electric car to travel more than 320 kilometres (200 mi) per charge. It is also the first production car to be launched into deep space, carried by a Falcon Heavy rocket in a test flight on February 6, 2018.
Martin Eberhard is an American inventor, engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Tesla, Inc. with Marc Tarpenning in 2003. Eberhard served as Tesla's original chairman, and its CEO until late 2007. In 2015, he was inducted into the University of Illinois Engineering Hall of Fame.
The eBox is a conversion of a Scion xB hatchback into a battery electric vehicle produced by the American company AC Propulsion.
A rocket car is a land vehicle propelled by a rocket engine. A rocket dragster is a rocket car used for competing in drag racing, and this type holds the unofficial world record for the 1/4 mile.
Jeffrey Brian Straubel is an American businessman. He spent 15 years at Tesla, as chief technical officer until moving to an advisory role in July 2019. In 2023, he was elected to the company's board of directors.
Revenge of the Electric Car is a 2011 American feature documentary film by Chris Paine, who also directed Who Killed the Electric Car?. The documentary, executive produced by Stefano Durdic, and produced by PG Morgan and Jessie Deeter, had its world premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival on Earth Day, April 22, 2011. The theatrical release to the public took place on October 21, 2011.
Wheego Technologies is an American company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Wheego develops emerging vehicle technologies including software, systems and tools for self-driving cars or autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and IoT connected devices for the home, business and roadway. The company is led by CEO Mike McQuary.
The Tesla Model 3 is an electric car produced by American automaker Tesla, Inc. It is a battery-powered four-door sedan that is marketed in the compact-executive segment. Limited production of the Model 3 began in mid-2017, with the first production vehicle rolling off the assembly line on July 7, 2017. The official launch and delivery of the first 30 cars took place on July 28. The Model 3 is considered as a mid-size car in the US and a large family car in Europe.
Charged Hong Kong is a registered non-profit organisation founded in Hong Kong with an aim to promote clean air. through supporting and accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. It is a Hong Kong-registered society under #54000 as well as a registered charity under #91/14340.
The Tesla Semi is a battery electric Class 8 semi-truck by Tesla, Inc. The truck is powered by three motors, and is claimed by Tesla to have approximately three times the power of a typical diesel semi truck, a range of 500 miles (800 km), and operate at an energy use of less than 2 kWh/mi (1.2 kW⋅h/km).
This is the corporate history of Tesla, Inc., an electric vehicle manufacturer and clean energy company founded in San Carlos, California in 2001 by American entrepreneurs Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. The company is named after Serbian-American inventor Nikola Tesla. Tesla is the world's leading electric vehicle manufacturer, and, as of the end of 2021, Tesla's cumulative global vehicle sales totaled 2.3 million units.
The Tesla Roadster is an all-electric battery-powered four-seater all-wheel-drive sports car concept in development by Tesla, Inc. Tesla said that it will be capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, which would be quicker than any street-legal production car as of the announcement in 2017. The Roadster is the successor to Tesla's first production car, the 2008 Roadster.
The Tesla Cybertruck is an upcoming battery electric light-duty truck announced by Tesla, Inc. in November 2019. Three models have been announced, with EPA range estimates of 250–500 miles (400–800 km) and an estimated 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) time of 2.9–6.5 seconds, depending on the model.
The Tesla Cyberquad is an upcoming electric quad bike all-terrain vehicle (ATV) concept presented by Tesla, Inc., at the Tesla Cybertruck's November 2019 unveiling. Concluding the presentation at the company's design studio in Hawthorne, California, Elon Musk announced "one more thing", at which point the ATV was shown being loaded onto the back of the Cybertruck. Observers have pointed to elements seen at the unveiling indicating that the Cyberquad prototype had been built by swapping the powerplant and plastics on a Yamaha Raptor. Certain images from the rear suggest the vehicle also appears to have a powertrain borrowed from Zero Motorcycles.
AC Propulsion's battery electric Toyota RAV4-EV made it from Southern California to ETIC2001 without stopping to charge.
...it is interesting to note that neither Martin Eberhard or Elon Musk came up with the idea of an electric sportscar with excellent range and amazing acceleration. As is evident in some of the emails Elon presents on his blog, the credit rests with a company few outside EV circles has heard of.
AC Propulsion developed the idea, and both Eberhard and Musk initially approached the San Dimas, California, company to build the car. Tom Gage and Alan Cocconi had built the t zero, which is essentially the prototypical Tesla Roadster with a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds and a range of more than 200 miles using commodity lithium-ion cells.
One way to look at this is the real technology visionaries were the folks at AC Propulsion, but they lacked the entrepreneurial vision to see just how big an idea it could become and the means to achieve it. Both Eberhard and Musk saw the importance — and potential — of what Gage and Cocconi had created. When Eberhard and Musk approached them individually to prod them into taking the next step and produce the vehicle, Gage opted instead to introduce Musk to Eberhard and get back to work creating the eBox, an electrified Scion xB that Gage considered more practical and economical.
The AC Propulsion lithium-ion charging system (the basis for the design of the Tesla Roadster charging system)...
Tesla Motors, Inc. consisted of Eberhard, Tarpenning and Wright, plus an unfunded business plan and they were looking for an initial round of funding to create a more advanced prototype than the AC Propulsion Tzero. While there was a basic corporation in place, Tesla hadn't even registered or obtained the trademark to its name and had no formal offices or assets. To save legal fees, we just copied the SpaceX articles of incorporation and bylaws for Tesla and I invested $6.35M (98%) of the initial closing of $6.5M in Series A funding. Eberhard invested $75k (approximately 1%).