If the fuel efficiency of a Toyota hybrid like the Prius doesn’t seem exciting, how about a full electric race car? Wrightspeed has their X1 prototype parked on the Microsoft Silicon Valley Campus sidewalk this afternoon, in the spirit of Earth Day and demonstrating that electric cars are more green than gas powered alternatives. Wrightspeed developed this prototype electric car with a 0-60 time of 3.07 seconds. The car also boasts 170 effective miles per gallon (based on 33,705 Watt Hours per gallon of gas). While the Wrightspeed X1 certainly looks more exciting than a Prius, I’m not sure it’s even as practical as a motorcycle. You’re sitting down low to the ground and would still need a helmet to protect your face from oncoming debris hurled by the car in front of you on the road. On the track, the Wrightspeed sight suggests the car might only be good for 25 miles, which is considerably less than the average sprint race.
Photos by Pete Mountanos