Solectria Force

Last updated
Solectria Force
SolectriaForceSideView.JPG
Overview
Manufacturer Solectria Corporation
Model years 1991
AssemblyMassachusetts
Body and chassis
Related Suzuki Swift / Geo Metro
Dimensions
Length4,166 mm (164 in)
Width1,778 mm (70 in)
Height1,422 mm (56 in)
Curb weight 1,116 kg (2,460 lb)

The Solectria Force is a Geo Metro, professionally converted from a new, motorless chassis (known in the industry as a glider) by Solectria Corporation of Wilmington, Massachusetts, starting in 1991, becoming a battery electric vehicle. Solectria subsequently was acquired by Azure Dynamics Corporation in 2004, it is no longer in production. Approximately 400 vehicles were converted in total.

Contents

History

The Force was introduced in March 1991, and the first nine were delivered by October to Arizona Public Service, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Southern California Edison. [1] :70–71

The North Jersey District Water Supply Commission procured a 1996 Solectria Force that is still in service today.[ citation needed ] The original thirteen 12 volt lead–acid gel cell batteries lasted until April 2011, when they were replaced with nearly 10,000 miles.

In 1997, the base price of the car was $33,995 with lead–acid batteries which gave it a range of 50 miles at 45 miles per hour and a top speed of 70 miles per hour. Solectria also offered the Force with a nickel-metal hydride battery pack with an MSRP $88,895. This battery pack gave the Force a range of 100 miles at 45 miles per hour, and the same top speed as the lead acid model at 70 miles per hour. [2]

The city of Morristown, NJ used Solectria "Force" models as "station cars" in a three-year pilot program ending in 2001. [3]

Technical

For the display card on the example shown below:

In 1994, the Force was available as a four-seat or two-seat model, with the two-seat model gaining additional range. The standard storage battery used lead–acid chemistry, and a nickel-cadmium battery was optional. The base price of the four-seat, lead–acid Force was US$26,050(equivalent to $51,000 in 2022), rising to US$28,280(equivalent to $56,000 in 2022) for the two-seat, lead–acid version and US$59,350(equivalent to $117,000 in 2022) for the two-seat, NiCd battery. Rated range varied from 60 to 120 mi (97 to 193 km). [4] By 1998, the NiCd battery option had been dropped in favor of the NiMH battery. The traction motor had an output that varied by the battery pack fitted; at 156 V, output was 38 kW (51 hp), increasing to 42 kW (56 hp) at 180 V. The observed energy consumption was 137 Wh/mi (246 mpge) at a steady 45 mph (72 km/h). [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nickel–cadmium battery</span> Type of rechargeable battery

The nickel–cadmium battery is a type of rechargeable battery using nickel oxide hydroxide and metallic cadmium as electrodes. The abbreviation Ni–Cd is derived from the chemical symbols of nickel (Ni) and cadmium (Cd): the abbreviation NiCad is a registered trademark of SAFT Corporation, although this brand name is commonly used to describe all Ni–Cd batteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AC Propulsion tzero</span> Motor vehicle

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Motors EV1</span> Motor vehicle

The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyota RAV4 EV</span> Motor vehicle

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.

Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), also known as Toyota Hybrid System II, is the brand name of Toyota Motor Corporation for the hybrid car drive train technology used in vehicles with the Toyota and Lexus marques. First introduced on the Prius, the technology is an option on several other Toyota and Lexus vehicles and has been adapted for the electric drive system of the hydrogen-powered Mirai, and for a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius. Previously, Toyota also licensed its HSD technology to Nissan for use in its Nissan Altima Hybrid. Its parts supplier Aisin Seiki Co. offers similar hybrid transmissions to other car companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda EV Plus</span> Motor vehicle

The Honda EV Plus was an experimental electric vehicle which was the first battery electric vehicle from a major automaker that did not use lead acid batteries. Roughly 340 EV Plus models were produced and released. Production of the EV Plus was discontinued in 1999 after Honda announced the release of its first hybrid electric vehicle, the Honda Insight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet S-10 EV</span> Motor vehicle

The Chevrolet S-10 Electric was an American electric-powered vehicle built by Chevrolet. It was introduced in 1997, becoming the world's first electric pickup truck from the original manufacturer, updated in 1998, and then discontinued. It was an OEM BEV variant of Chevrolet's S-10 pickup truck. The S-10 Electric was solely powered by electricity (batteries) and was marketed primarily to utility fleet customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Ranger EV</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Ranger EV is a battery electric compact pickup truck that was produced by the Ford Motor Company and was the automaker's first all-electric production vehicle. It was produced starting in the 1998 model year through 2002 and is no longer in production. It is built upon a light truck chassis used in the Ford Explorer. Most vehicles were sold with nickel–metal hydride batteries (NiMH). A few vehicles with lead-acid batteries were sold, but most units were leased for fleet use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZAP Xebra</span> Motor vehicle

The ZAP Xebra was an electric car launched in May 2006 in the United States market by ZAP corporation. It is classified legally as a three-wheel motorcycle in some jurisdictions, and is available in both sedan and pickup truck variants. It has seat belts. It does not have regenerative braking. The PK pickup has a dump bed, with fold-down sides and tailgate, that allows easy access to the batteries, controller, motor, and charger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CityEl</span> Motor vehicle

The CityEl is a 3-wheel lightweight electric car originally designed and manufactured in Denmark, but currently made in Germany by Citycom GmbH.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZENN</span> Canadian electric car

ZENN is a two-seat battery electric vehicle that was produced by the ZENN Motor Company of Canada from 2006 to 2010, designed to qualify as a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV). It had a range of up to 40 mi (64 km) and was speed-limited to 25 mph (40 km/h). On earlier production models, there was an option of a 'Discovery Pack' which increased the ZENN's range a few miles. In later models it was standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Volt</span> Range extended electric automobile

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid manufactured by General Motors, also marketed in rebadged variants as the Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand and the Buick Velite 5 in China, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in the United Kingdom and as the Opel Ampera in the remainder of Europe. Volt production ended in February 2019.

Solectria Corporation was responsible for the design, engineering, and manufacturing of energy management components for industrial applications, including electric vehicles, parallel hybrid drivetrains, and power generation applications. It was founded in 1989 and based in Woburn, Massachusetts. In December 2004, Solectria was acquired by Azure Dynamics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azure Dynamics</span>

Azure Dynamics Corporation was incorporated under the laws of Alberta, Canada, having been spun out of BC Research Inc. Azure was headquartered in Oak Park, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The company's principal business was in the development and integration of its proprietary electric and hybrid electric drive technology, primarily for the light and heavy duty commercial vehicle categories. Azure filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elect'road</span>

The Elect'Road is a plug-in series hybrid version of Renault's popular Kangoo. Sales began in Europe in 2003, mainly in France, Norway and a few in the UK. The Elect'Road was sold alongside Renault's Electri'cité electric-drive Kangoo battery electric van. Renault discontinued the Elect'Road after selling about 500, primarily in France, Norway and the UK, for about €25,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric vehicle battery</span> Battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle or hybrid electric vehicle

An electric vehicle battery is a rechargeable battery used to power the electric motors of a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or hybrid electric vehicle (HEV).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miles Electric Vehicles</span> All-electric vehicle manufacturer and distributor

Miles Electric Vehicles was a manufacturer and distributor of all-electric vehicles manufactured by FAW Tianjin in China that met international car safety standards. Miles was given the "Electric Car Company of 2007" award by Good Clean Tech. The company filed for bankruptcy on June 11, 2013.

Apollo Energy Systems is a U.S. multinational alternative energy corporation headquartered in Pompano Beach, Florida, that develops, produces, and markets fuel cell power plants, electric propulsion systems, and alternative energy generation equipment. The company was founded by Robert R. Aronson in 1966 as the Electric Fuel Propulsion Corporation (EFP) in New Orleans, Louisiana. It later became known as the Electric Auto Corporation (EAC), and in 2001 changed to Apollo Energy Systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Volt (second generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The second generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric compact car produced by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. It debuted at the 2015 North American International Auto Show to replace the original Volt, on sale since 2010. Retail deliveries as a 2016 model year began in October 2015 in the U.S. and Canada, and it was released in Mexico in December 2015. Availability of the 2016 model was limited to California and the other 10 states that follow California's zero emission vehicle regulations. It went on sale as a 2017 model year in the rest of the U.S. in February 2016. Volt production ended on February 15, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheego LiFe</span> Motor vehicle

The Wheego LiFe was an early-2010s limited-production all-electric city car developed by American automobile manufacturer Wheego Technologies from the bodyshell of the Chinese-made Shuanghuan Noble. The Wheego LiFe was unveiled at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show and was sold in the United States at a price of US$32,995 before any applicable tax credits and other incentives.

References

  1. Sherman, Joe (1998). Charging Ahead . Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-509479-4.
  2. "Solectria Force Price List". 1997-10-17. Archived from the original on 1997-10-17. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  3. "TransOptions : America's Longest Running Station Car Program". EVworld.com, Bill Moore, April 22, 2001.
  4. "The Solectria Force at a Glance" (PDF). Solectria Corporation. April 1994. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  5. "Force Electric 4-Door Sedan" (PDF). Solectria Corporation. 1998. Retrieved 20 February 2023.