PluginCommuterCarsTango

On Nov 30th, the fastest production electric vehicles in
the U.S. went head-to-head. While their first meeting
had a number of issues, most notably the underfilled
Tango battery pack, and the Tesla's non-upgraded
drivetrain, the 1/4 mile time is quite close and indicative
of races to come. In this race, the Tango got 92.15mph
in 14.480 seconds, beating its 14.7 "dial" handicap and
thus losing the competition; the Tesla got 101.23mph in
14.666 seconds, slower than its 14.5 "dial" handicap
and allowing it to proceed to the next round. (Two
rounds later, the Tango's driver got behind the wheel of
the Tesla and also beat its "dial" handicap... and thus
lost!) Epilogue: the cars compete in different voltage
classes, and thus both were able to set NEDRA records
for fastest production electric vehicle that day. See
http://www.nedra.com/record_holders.html The previosu
NEDRA record for production electric vehicle was the
GM EV-1, at 16.26 seconds and 78.76mph

An ultra-narrow, freeway-capable, stable, safe vehicle that fits anywhere a motorcycle fits. The Tango will revolutionize commuter transportation in the
21st century. It was designed to be so much fun and so convenient that if you are going anywhere by yourself or with a friend, there should be no
hesitation in deciding which car to take. The Tango--unique in many ways--has the solution for some of the major problems we have with automobiles
today. Traffic has overcome the current freeway system. There are too many 4-passenger cars using an entire lane to transport a single person. There is
also too much pollution from gasoline vehicles. Artist's drawing Solution: Reduce traffic and pollution with the Tango, a car that fits its use! This tandem
two-seater can get you safely and comfortably to work and back without wasted space or fuel. The Tango--being 6" narrower than many
motorcycles--takes less than half the space of the average car on the freeway, thereby doubling the capacity of existing freeway lanes. The Tango can fit
in a future 6 foot lane easier than a truck fits in a standard 12 foot lane. To fight pollution it is available as an electric zero-emission vehicle. Parking too is
a major problem for most commuters. Finding space to park in congested cities is difficult and time-consuming. Add in the cost of parking garages and
lots or the extra hassle of moving your car and plugging the meter every hour or two, and people will jump to an alternative when it presents itself. That
alternative is the Tango. Size does matter. As many as four Tangos can fit in one parallel parking space. Many parking locations also have spaces that
only motorcycles and Tangos can fit in. Some other long-standing concerns on the show-room floor are safety, performance, and handling. Because
safety is such a concern for small cars in particular, we have designed the Tango around a roll cage that meets or exceeds both SCCA and NHRA
regulations. These are racing organizations that specify cage design to protect the occupants of cars crashing at over 200 mph. In addition, the
extremely high strength-to-surface area ratio of a steel roll cage allows superb visibility from within the Tango. Rollover too is a great danger for many
vehicles. The Tango, being so narrow, would look to the layman's eye to be unstable. But in fact, the Tango has stability that exceeds that of most sport
cars. Tangoing between psychedelic witches buried in asphalt. As far as performance goes, the Tango is no slouch. Since electric cars--especially small
ones--are generally thought to be slow and weak performers we set out to blow some minds by designing the Tango to accelerate through the standing
1/4 mile in 12 seconds at over 120 mph and travel from 0 to 60 mph in 4 seconds. And as for handling, who would think a car this narrow could compete?
All the people we beat at the autocross! Getting back to the more typical drive to work, consumers may be interested in the vehicle's range. Although the
Tango can be built with a fuel cell or internal combustion engine, conventional lead-acid batteries work well for most commuters. Its 80-mile range is
nearly 4 times the distance the average commuter travels per day. With high-tech batteries, range could exceed 150 miles per charge. To minimize any
day-time inconvenience, the Tango can charge to 80% in just 10 minutes from a 200 amp charging station. This gives approximately 50 additional miles
of range per quick-charge. Typically one would just plug in each night to a dryer outlet and get a complete charge in less than 3 hours and be ready for
work the next morning. [Via Commutercars.com]