The Tropica or Tropica Roadster is an all-electric car made by Renaissance Cars in the 1990s. It was introduced for the model year 1995 and built in a limited number of units, but never entered series production due to financial issues.[2]
Renaissance Cars was founded by Bob Beaumont, who previously founded the company which produced the Citicar in the 1970s. The company was headquartered in Palm Bay, Florida.[1]
The car was to use an ABS body on an aluminumbackbone chassis.[3] Although the first prototype had a fiberglass unibody,[1] later vehicles used an aluminum chassis and a plastic body.[4][5] The total weight was about 2,200lb (998kg) at the prototype stage, with plans to reduce it by a further 400lb (181kg) in the production version;[1] the manufacturer ultimately specified the weight of the car as 1,960lb (889kg).[3]
The battery capacity was about 11.2 kWh, coming from twelve 6V lead-acid batteries, each with a capacity of 156 Ah; the batteries were removable. When a prototype was tested by the Car and Driver magazine,[1] the urban range was about 38mi (61km). Later owners of pre-series vehicles reported a range of about 52mi (84km).[6] In 2008, a car with about 20,000 miles on its odometer had a range of 35mi (56km) on the freeway.[7]
The vehicle would take 6–8 hours to fully charge, but as explained by one owner, "I can get an 85% charge in about 90 mins. The remaining 6-7 hours is used to trickle charge the rest of the battery."[6]
The vehicle had two DC motors,[7] one for each of the rear wheels, which eliminated the need for a differential. The vehicle had no gearbox. The maximum power output was 49 bhp, however the maximum continuous power output was merely 15 bhp,[1] which resulted in a top speed of about 60mph (97km/h).[8][5] It was 57mph (92km/h) in the Car and Driver test,[1] while another user reported 72mph (116km/h).[6]
Production
The car was introduced in 1995 (although prospective customers were able to reserve it earlier).[9] Approximately 16 pre-series Tropica Roadsters were completed with two additional near completed [but finished by successor owners],[5] and exhibited in showrooms, with at least some of them finding customers. According to another source, the company made 25 vehicles overall, including prototypes and pilot series vehicles [three of them are frame/driveline, only].[10] The car did not enter series production because the second financing round failed.[5]
In 1996, the company went into receivership[11] and most of its assets went to a newly founded company called Zebra Motors, based first in Novato and then in Alameda, California.[12] The company announced two models, the Model Z Roadster (which was a renamed Tropica Roadster)[5] and the Light Delivery Van (the latter featuring a swappable battery), but these did not enter series production. The company was then bought by a group of investors reportedly including actor Don Johnson and renamed Xebra Motors.[12] Though the group planned a limited production of the Roadster,[12] the company ultimately failed in 2001.[13]
The slightly modified Tropica #18 appeared as the Xebra EV starting in episodes of Nash Bridges[12] (season 4, episode 13) through (season 5, episode 21).[14]
One Tropica Roadster is in possession of the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum in Kingman, Arizona.[15]
Pricing
One user reported buying a new Tropica for $18,000.[6] The manufacturer expected to sell it profitably for $12,500.[1]
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