Maybe it’s just me, but the first front-quarter profile picture I saw of the InEco Concept car from Germany’s TU Dresden Institute of Lightweight Engineering and Polymer Technology made me think that the university folks took a Hyundai Veloster and stunned it with a bolt of electricity. Then I saw the VW Scirocco-esque rear end and jolted back to reality.
The InEco is a fully-working concept for a battery-powered, sporty looking compact-sized model with the emphasis being put on making it as light as possible. To achieve its goals, the Dresden university worked together with experts from German companies Leichtbau-Zentrum Sachsen GmbH and ThyssenKrupp AG.
We’re told that, thanks to the use of innovative carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP)-steel hybrid composites, an intelligent package design and an optimized electric drive train, the InEco coupe has a curb weight of just 900 kilograms or 1,984 pounds, and that’s including the lithium-ion battery pack.
Power for the 4,200mm long, 1,870mm wide and 1,400mm tall compact coupe comes from a 90kW (121hp or 122PS) electric motor, which is good enough for a 0-100km/h acceleration in 7.5 seconds and a top speed of 160km/h (100mph). The batteries are said to offer a driving range of up to 140 kilometers (87 miles), depending on the conditions.
The InEco Concept will make its first public outing at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
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